Victor Mesa

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #6 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The younger brother of former blue-chip Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, Victor Jr. signed for $1 million alongside his older brother in fall 2018. The pair defected from Cuba in May 2018 in order to sign with an MLB team. While Victor Victor was the more highly touted of the two, Victor Jr. has surpassed him as a prospect. He had a fantastic pro debut in the Gulf Coast League in 2019, slashing .284/.366/.398 as a 17-year-old. He has steadily ascended the Marlins’ system, most recently completing a full season in Double-A Pensacola, where he flashed power and speed with 18 home runs, 24 doubles and 16 stolen bases.
  
  Scouting Report: Mesa operates out of a slightly open, upright stance in the box with a medium-high handset. His swing is rather long with a noticeable barrel tip, but he does a nice job of extending through the ball and creating leverage in his swing. While Mesa hit for the most power in his pro career in 2023, it also came with a strikeout rate near 23%. He had an overall contact rate of just 71% with a chase rate of 33%. Cutting down on the movement in his operation should lead to less swing-and-miss and susceptibility to offspeed offerings. Mesa has above-average raw power and most of his damage is done between center and to his pull side. He is a strong defender in center field with range to either gap and an above-average throwing arm.
  
  The Future: Mesa will likely begin the 2024 season at either Pensacola or Triple-A Jacksonville, but with a strong performance he could be on the big league club before the end of the season. While he might slide to an outfield corner, he has the potential to be a big league regular with overall offensive production near average.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Field: 55 | Arm: 60
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #15 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Part of the second generation of impactful Mesas in Cuban baseball, Victor Victor's dad, Victor, was a standout player in Cuba, hitting .318. Victor Victor—not to be confused with his brother, Victor Jr., also a Marlins farmhand—made his debut at 15 in the Cuban major league and played six seasons before defecting. The Marlins signed Mesa out of Cuba in October 2018 for $5.25 million.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While team officials expected a stark adjustment period for Mesa, who missed a lot of time in his final couple of years in Cuba due to injuries, he was behind even the most conservative of expectations when it came to his ability as a hitter. Too often, Mesa hit the ball either on the ground or with little impact to straightaway center and the opposite field. Some of this was due in part to Mesa's athletic, quick-twitch body, which too often caused him to open up too early and commit his lower half, robbing him of leverage. Despite the struggles, Mesa showed some encouraging signs, including a low swing-and-miss rate (18 percent) and a low strikeout rate (13.4 percent), displaying the ability to keep his hands back despite losing his base. Mesa is an above-average center fielder with plus arm strength and plus speed who uses a quick first step and good route-running ability to track down balls to either gap.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mesa will likely begin 2020 back at Double-A Jacksonville, where the Marlins will hope to see a more experienced, well-adjusted hitter in his second season of pro ball.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #2 prospect in 2019
  The son of Victor Mesa, who was one of the top Cuban baseball players of the 1980s and '90s, Victor Victor Mesa was the No. 1 international free agent in 2018. The Marlins signed him and his 17-year-old brother Victor Mesa Jr. in October. Victor Victor signed for $5.25 million, which was the largest bonus in the 2018-19 international free agent class. The 22-year-old outfielder has been playing in Cuba's top professional league, Serie Nacional, since he was 16. While playing against much older competition, Mesa produced a .275/.334/.378 slash line with 10 home runs and 74 stolen bases in more than 300 career games, and he also went 3-for-7 with a pair of doubles in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. After leaving Cuba in May to train and establish residency in the Dominican Republic, the Mesa brothers were declared free agents by Major League Baseball in September before signing with the Marlins one month later.
  
  Scouting Report: A premium athlete, Mesa is already considered a plus defender in center field, with some scouts grading both his arm and his speed as 70 tools. Mesa uses his speed well in the outfield, with a quick first step and strong route-running ability helping extend his range, while his arm routinely prevents baserunners from taking an extra base. Offensively, Mesa profiles best as a top-of-the-order hitter, most likely settling in as a No. 2 hitter. As a 20-year-old in Cuba, he hit .354/.399/.539 with seven home runs and 40 stolen bases, showcasing a potential plus hit tool. Mesa has shown quick bat speed, above-average barrel control and a solid approach at the plate in the past. With an inside-out swing, Mesa's power is probably no more than fringe-average, but some believers think he could grow into above-average power as he continues to mature. Mesa has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, and a desire to work with U.S. medical staffs and use major league facilities to stay healthy helped convince him to leave Cuba.
  
  The Future: Mesa has a chance to be a cornerstone of the Marlins' ongoing rebuild thanks to his plus glove and ability to hit for average and steal bases near the top of the lineup. He will probably open 2019 at high Class A Jupiter, where he would be in close proximity to Victor Jr., who will likely begin at extended spring training. If Mesa's transition goes smoothly, he could make his major league debut by the end of 2020.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #60 prospect in 2019

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Mesa played six seasons of Cuban baseball before defecting along with his younger brother, Victor Jr., and signing with the Marlins for $5.25 million in 2018. Mesa reached Double-A in his first full season, but put together an underwhelming .235/.274/.263 slash line while showing a concerning lack of tools. He spent 2020 at the Marlins' alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mesa struggles to hit the ball with any kind of impact. He often opens up too early and commits his lower half, which robs him of the leverage to generate lift. He has well below-average power and hits the ball on the ground more than 60% of the time. Mesa doesn't swing and miss too often, but he doesn't hit the ball hard enough to be more than a below-average hitter. Mesa flashes plus speed and arm strength in the outfield, but never seems to put it all quite together. He is a base-stealing threat and tracks balls effectively at all three outfield spots.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mesa still hasn't shown he's capable of hitting at higher levels. Cuban signees often face an adjustment period, and the Marlins hope his struggles were merely a product of that trend.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Part of the second generation of impactful Mesas in Cuban baseball, Victor Victor’s dad, Victor, was a standout player in Cuba, hitting .318. Victor Victor—not to be confused with his brother, Victor Jr., also a Marlins farmhand—made his debut at 15 in the Cuban major league and played six seasons before defecting. The Marlins signed Mesa out of Cuba in October 2018 for $5.25 million.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While team officials expected a stark adjustment period for Mesa, who missed a lot of time in his final couple of years in Cuba due to injuries, he was behind even the most conservative of expectations when it came to his ability as a hitter. Too often, Mesa hit the ball either on the ground or with little impact to straightaway center and the opposite field. Some of this was due in part to Mesa’s athletic, quick-twitch body, which too often caused him to open up too early and commit his lower half, robbing him of leverage. Despite the struggles, Mesa showed some encouraging signs, including a low swing-and-miss rate (18 percent) and a low strikeout rate (13.4 percent), displaying the ability to keep his hands back despite losing his base. Mesa is an above-average center fielder with plus arm strength and plus speed who uses a quick first step and good route-running ability to track down balls to either gap.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mesa will likely begin 2020 back at Double-A Jacksonville, where the Marlins will hope to see a more experienced, well-adjusted hitter in his second season of pro ball.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Part of the second generation of impactful Mesas in Cuban baseball, Victor Victor's dad, Victor, was a standout player in Cuba, hitting .318. Victor Victor—not to be confused with his brother, Victor Jr., also a Marlins farmhand—made his debut at 15 in the Cuban major league and played six seasons before defecting. The Marlins signed Mesa out of Cuba in October 2018 for $5.25 million.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While team officials expected a stark adjustment period for Mesa, who missed a lot of time in his final couple of years in Cuba due to injuries, he was behind even the most conservative of expectations when it came to his ability as a hitter. Too often, Mesa hit the ball either on the ground or with little impact to straightaway center and the opposite field. Some of this was due in part to Mesa's athletic, quick-twitch body, which too often caused him to open up too early and commit his lower half, robbing him of leverage. Despite the struggles, Mesa showed some encouraging signs, including a low swing-and-miss rate (18 percent) and a low strikeout rate (13.4 percent), displaying the ability to keep his hands back despite losing his base. Mesa is an above-average center fielder with plus arm strength and plus speed who uses a quick first step and good route-running ability to track down balls to either gap.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mesa will likely begin 2020 back at Double-A Jacksonville, where the Marlins will hope to see a more experienced, well-adjusted hitter in his second season of pro ball.