Keury Mella

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #15 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Mella was acquired in 2015 from the Giants alongside outfielder Adam Duvall in exchange for righthander Mike Leake. The Reds added him to the 40-man roster before the 2017 season and have been patient. They have continued to work Mella as a starter in the minors, but when they called him up to the majors he moved to the bullpen, which has long been his expected big league role. He has struggled in two brief big league stints and he finished the season on the 60-day disabled list with an oblique strain.
  
  Scouting Report: Mella's main weapon is his plus fastball, which sits 94-96 mph and can touch 97 mph. He generates velocity from a fairly compact, explosive delivery. His fastball is a solid pitch, but he has yet to figure out a true offspeed weapon. His average, low-80s slider had late downward movement but it's not a true bat-missing pitch and his changeup has never rounded into form as a pitch he can trust. When he reached the majors last year, Mella relied much too heavily on his fastball. While he scattered pitches all around the zone in the majors, he's shown average control in the minors.
  
  The Future: Even after seven pro seasons, Mella's ultimate role is still unclear. He doesn't miss enough bats to be a high-leverage reliever and his secondary offerings aren't good enough to turn over the lineup a couple of times. Mella has only one option remaining, so 2019 will be a make-or-break year.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #22 prospect in 2018
  Mella was thought to be the main piece in the Reds' deadline deal that sent righthander Mike Leake to the Giants in 2015. That deal also netted outfielder Adam Duvall who has proven to be the headliner in return, as he was an all-star in 2016. Mella made his big league debut in 2017, pitching in two games for the Reds following the end of his season at Double-A Pensacola. Mella has been inconsistent, looking great for some periods and terrible in others. In 2016, he was called up from high Class A to Triple-A to make an emergency start for the Bats, and allowed one run on three hits in seven innings to end the season. Primarily a starter in the minors, Mella projects as a reliever in the big leagues. Scouts have projected him to relieve for years, but starting has allowed him to develop his pitches. Out of the bullpen, Mella's fastball ramped up to 95-97 mph, and he has an above-average changeup which comes in about 10 mph slower than his fastball with similar arm speed and deception. His power slider is a developing pitch which needs more depth. The Reds will likely give him every opportunity to continue to start, but few scouts think he will end up there. He projects as a setup man.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #19 prospect in 2017
  After an effective season at high Class A San Jose in 2015 that included a midseason trade by the Giants to the Reds in the Mike Leake deal, Mella repeated the high Class A level at Daytona in 2016. He worked on getting more on-line to the plate, which traded some of the deception he got from his crossfire delivery for improved command and control. Mella's numbers seemed to back up in 2016, but scouts still see a future power reliever rather than the starter he is now. Mella's delivery has effort and is difficult to repeat. He gathers over the rubber in a deep coil, then throws into a stiff front side as his arm catches up to his lower half. As a reliever, his above-average 92-95 mph fastball should play up, and his above-average breaking ball also will improve. He won't need his fringy changeup in that role. Mella finished the 2016 season with an effective outing at Triple-A Louisville and could be in the mix for big league innings in 2017.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #8 prospect in 2016
  The Giants signed Mella for $275,000 as an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2011. He already had a 92-93 mph fastball and impressive curve, and his "advanced" age allowed him to move quickly in pro ball. He missed some time in 2014 with a minor rotator-cuff injury but showed no ill effects this year. The Reds acquired him, along with third baseman Adam Duvall, when they traded Mike Leake to the Giants. A thick-legged pitcher with present strength, Mella has a pair of plus pitches in a 91-95 mph fastball that touches 97 and a 78-82 mph curveball that has a sharp 11-to-5 break. He doesn't yet trust his changeup enough to make it a solid third offering, but it has average potential because he throws it with excellent arm speed. The big question scouts have with Mella is his delivery, which is up-tempo, long in the back and effortful as he throws across his body. The crossfire delivery adds deception but also makes it hard to command his fastball to his arm side. Cincinnati worked with him in instructional league to get him more direct to the plate. The Reds will keep Mella in the rotation for now, though many evaluators believe he'll end up in the bullpen. He'll join a crowded Double-A Pensacola rotation in 2016.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #4 prospect in 2015
  A product of trainer Luis Cordonado's complex that has produced Carlos Marmol and Juan Carlos Oviedo, Mella is yet another payoff from the Giants' productive scouting of older Dominican pitchers. He didn't sign until he was 18, but he still got a $275,000 thanks to his present stuff. Mella was shut down in late June 2014 with a minor rotator cuff injury. He returned to the mound six weeks later, but the Giants left him at short-season Salem-Keizer to help the team push for a playoff spot. Mella could end up with three plus pitches. He gets swings and misses with his plus 93-96 mph four-seam fastball that rides in on righthanders. Working from the extreme first-base side of the rubber, his cross-fire delivery generates some deception, and like many pitchers working from their glove side, he finds it easier to locate to both sides of the plate. His 78-80 mph curveball shows good depth and sharp 11-to-5 break at its best. It projects as another potentially above-average pitch, though it's still erratic. His changeup flashes plus as well. The Giants are impressed with Mella's tendency to remain a step ahead of hitters with an intelligent approach on the mound. Some scouts see him as a future reliever because they aren't enamored of his delivery, which has some violence and finishes with recoil, but so far he's shown the strength to repeat, and his above-average control has allowed him to regularly work six innings on limited pitch counts. Mella heads to high Class A San Jose in 2015, ready for a full workload. He has most everything scouts look for in a potential mid-rotation starter--he throws strikes with potentially above-average stuff.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #13 prospect in 2014
  It's always a big deal when a Giants pitcher can shut down the Dodgers with a season on the line, even if it's only the championship game in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Mella was the right man for the assignment, holding the Dodgers scoreless over five innings to cap a season in which he emerged as a staff ace and one of the most promising arms in the system. Signed for $275,000 in 2011, Mella throws a heavy, above-average fastball that sits 93-95 mph with sinking action. He is learning to harness a power curve that has plus movement, and his changeup is functional even if he throws it infrequently. He goes to his fastball when he's in trouble and is better at climbing the ladder than throwing to both sides of the plate. Mella has a strong body and big, strong hands. His stuff would play up in relief, but the Giants expect to continue developing him as a starter. A high-energy personality, Mella is a favorite with teammates because he wants the ball and clearly enjoys being on the mound--especially in a big situation. Expect him to begin 2014 in low Class A Augusta's rotation.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked California League #18 prospect in 2015
  Making his first tour of a full-season league, Mella bounced back from a slow start to post a 2.17 ERA in May and June, only to be traded to the Reds at the deadline for Mike Leake. Scouts outside the organization question whether Mella would end up in the bullpen, but the Giants resolutely developed him as a starter, and he remained in the rotation at the Reds' high Class A Daytona affiliate. Mella's bread and butter is a heavy fastball that jumps on hitters in the low 90s and gets up to 95 mph. Balls are rarely hit in the air against him, for opponents have slugged just .310 against him for his career. He's not afraid to challenge hitters, and batters don't get many comfortable swings against him when he's going well and throwing strikes with his crossfire delivery. The downside of the movement Mella generates on his fastball is that he has trouble commanding it. This would often put him behind in counts, making it hard to set up his power curveball and changeup.
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  Ranked Arizona Complex League #14 prospect in 2013
  Mella signed with the Giants in September 2011 for $275,000 and quickly hopped on the prospect radar with a strong 2012 season in the DSL. The powerfully-built righty continued that success in the AZL as the Giants? top starter, earning the win in the league championship game. Mella?s bread and butter is an heavy, above-average fastball that sits 93-95 mph with sinking action. He has a good feel for pitching, attacks hitters and throws strikes. His secondary pitches are behind the heater, with his No. 2 offering being a power curveball that should be at least average in time. He?s still developing his changeup and it?s not a bad pitch, but he uses it too infrequently. Mella will continue to start but projects long-term as a good, late-inning reliever in the big leagues. ?He?s not afraid to use his fastball, attacks the guys, and challenges people,? the Giants? Rojas said.

• December, 2014 Scouting Report
  A product of trainer Luis Cordonado's complex that has produced Carlos Marmol and Juan Carlos Oviedo, Mella is yet another payoff from the Giants' productive scouting of older Dominican pitchers. He didn't sign until he was 18, but he still got a $275,000 thanks to his present stuff. Mella was shut down in late June 2014 with a minor rotator cuff injury. He returned to the mound six weeks later, but the Giants left him at short-season Salem-Keizer to help the team push for a playoff spot. Mella could end up with three plus pitches. He gets swings and misses with his plus 93-96 mph four-seam fastball that rides in on righthanders. Working from the extreme first-base side of the rubber, his cross-fire delivery generates some deception, and like many pitchers working from their glove side, he finds it easier to locate to both sides of the plate. His 78-80 mph curveball shows good depth and sharp 11-to-5 break at its best. It projects as another potentially above-average pitch, though it's still erratic. His changeup flashes plus as well. The Giants are impressed with Mella's tendency to remain a step ahead of hitters with an intelligent approach on the mound. Some scouts see him as a future reliever because they aren't enamored of his delivery, which has some violence and finishes with recoil, but so far he's shown the strength to repeat, and his above-average control has allowed him to regularly work six innings on limited pitch counts. Mella heads to high Class A San Jose in 2015, ready for a full workload. He has most everything scouts look for in a potential mid-rotation starter--he throws strikes with potentially above-average stuff.