CLEVELAND, Ohio — In 2019 it looked like Oscar Mercado was going to own center field for the team formerly known as the Cleveland Indians. He showed power, speed and the ability to track down the ball on defense.
Over the last two seasons, however, that has not been the case.
Mercado, 26, after spending his first 45 games of the 2021 season at Class AAA Columbus, joined an outfield rotation of Bradley Zimmer, Daniel Johnson and Harold Ramirez with the big-league club in June. Along with the other three players, Mercado failed to separate himself, leaving as many questions about his ability to contribute to the Guardians in the future as there were at the start of the year.
On Thursday’s Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga discussed Mercado’s future with the Guardians and how he can improve for the 2022 season.
Mercado’s 2021 stats
| AB | AVG | 2B | HR | RBI | OPS | SB | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 214 | .224 | 11 | 6 | 19 | .669 | 7 | 27 |
Mercado’s contract status
Mercado with two years and 54 days of big league service time is not eligible for arbitration this off-season. He could be eligible at the end of the 2022 season if he reaches super two status or three years of service time. Mercado is out of minor league options, which means if he goes to spring training with the big league club and doesn’t make the 26-man roster, the Guardians will have to put him on waivers.
Grading Mercado’s 2021 season
In my report card on Cleveland’s hitters at the end of the 2021 season, I gave Mercado a C. He opened the year at Triple-A and joined the big league club in June. The 6-2, 200-pound right-handed hitter batted .294 (25-for-85) against lefties and could be a platoon option if he makes the club in 2022.
When Mercado struggles
Mercado is a .240 lifetime hitter, but he hasn’t looked like that in 2020 and 2021, batting .128 (11-for-86) in the 60-game sprint and .224 in 2021. This past season he had trouble with breaking balls, according to baseball savant.com. He hit .125 against breaking balls, including an .091 average against curves.
It’s hard to judge a player on just 214 at-bats, but Zimmer, Ramirez and Johnson were in the same boat. Mercado showed consistency in July and August as he hit .246 (14-for-57) and .247 (20-for-89) in consecutive months. But he couldn’t maintain that, hitting .197 (14-for-71) with a 25% strikeout rate in September and October.
When Mercado succeeds
Mercado is a good defender, posting six defensive runs saved in 2021 according to fangraphs.com. Center field is still his best spot, but he has improved in left and right field over the last two years. He has above average speed, averaging 28.9 feet per second on the bases, according to baseball savant. In that grading system 30 feet per second is considered elite.
The speed made him a good fit for Cleveland’s running game as he stole seven bases in eight attempts. Mercado was good coming off the bench, hitting .444 (4-for-9) as a pinch-hitter. In his career as a pinch-hitter, he’s hitting .294 (5-for-17). Last season he hit .412 (7-for-17) vs. off-speed pitches (splits, changeups and fork balls).
What Mercado needs to do in 2022
Mercado needs to get on base more in 2022. In the last two years, his on base percentage has been .174 and .300, respectively. He had a .318 on base percentage in 2019.
The Indians, as a team, posted a .303 on base percentage in 2021. The MLB average was .317.
Mercado wasn’t a big strikeout guy in 2021 -- 42 strikeouts compared to 21 walks -- but he needs to find a way to make solid contact to take advantage of his speed. Mercado’s exit velocity dropped from 88 mph in 2019 to 86.2 mph in 2021. Mercado’s hard hit percentage dropped from 37.7% in 2019 to 28.4% in 2021.
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November 18, 2021 at 08:35PM
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