Back in March of 2025, the Washington Nationals added a new pitcher in an unorthodox fashion.
Outfielder Erick Mejia announced that he was converting to a pitcher. That came six years after he made his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals, as he accrued 17 total MLB games to his name during the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. But after getting stuck in the minors from 2021-24, the 31-year-old decided to continue his professional career on the mound.
It was an adjustment for the right-hander early on, as he finished the year with a cumulative ERA of 4.59 across 45 total appearances with Single-A Fredericksburg, Double-A Harrisburg and eventually Triple-A Rochester. That prompted the Nationals to start Mejia back with Double-A Harrisburg this season after he re-signed. But following a strong showing to begin the year, he could be on track to make his MLB debut as a pitcher at some point this season.
Nationals Could Call Upon Erick Mejia This Season
Washington Nationals pitcher Erick Mejia | USA TODAY Sports
Mejia was a standout for Harrisburg with a 1.50 ERA across 22 outings. He struck out 32 batters over 24 innings pitched with 13 walks. Washington then decided to promote the right-hander to Rochester, where he has been even better through three appearances.
There, he hasn’t allowed a run across four innings pitched. He’s also struck out four and has walked two. But it’s the high-end stuff Mejia possesses that could lead to his eventual callup later in the year.
“Among pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings in the organization this year, no one has a lower ERA (1.29) and only nine pitchers have a higher strikeout rate. He has a brand-new slider, which should play well off the oft-used cutter,” shared Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required).
Based on tjStuff+ numbers from TJStats.com, the Nationals could have a possible big-time arm on their hands. With pitch data at the Triple-A level, the arsenal of Mejia has been given a tjStuff+ rating of 108. His four-seam fastball, which he has thrown 54.3% of the time, has a figure of 111. He hasn’t thrown his other pitches enough to get a true feel for how those are going to grade out, but the fact that he has such a dominant fastball at this stage of the game with good off-speed options to pair with it is a great sign that he can be effective in the bigs.
Now, Mejia is firmly someone this fanbase should keep an eye on as a late-season callup. And if their current crop of relievers continue to struggle, then he could get promoted sooner rather than later.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow