Jordy Mercer Stats & Scouting Report

AB	3104
AVG	.256
OBP	.315
SLG	.386
HR	66

Full name Jordy Joe Mercer
Born 08/27/1986 in Taloga, OK
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Oklahoma State
Debut 05/29/2012
Drafted in the 3rd round (79th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008 (signed for $508,000).

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There aren't many all-around shortstops in this draft, and after Tim and Gordon Beckham go off the board at the top of the first round, Mercer might be the best bet to both hit and stay at the position. He has recovered from early season arthroscopic knee surgery in 2007 to display solid-average tools across the board. Though he's big for a shortstop at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he has smooth actions. His range and hands are fine, and he enhances his defensive package with a plus arm. Mercer doubles as Oklahoma State's closer, powering through a rough delivery with 91-94 mph fastballs, hard sliders and grit. He has room to get better as a hitter, as he can add strength and tighten his strike zone. He has improved each year, hitting .345 with 10 homers with a week to go in the regular season after batting a combined .284 with 11 homers in his first two seasons. Mercer's speed is slightly above-average, and he's an instinctive runner if not a basestealer.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

If not for Alex Presley, Mercer might have been the most pleasant surprise in the organizaiton in 2010, wrestling the starting shortstop job from more touted prospect Chase d'Arnaud at Altoona and later belting three playoff home runs--matching his regular season total--for the Eastern League champions. He was an all-Big 12 Conference player at three different positions during his college career: shortstop, utility and pitcher. So it's not surprising that he has played some third base and second base, as well as shortstop. He has peformed better at short, in large part because of slow reaction time at other positions. He has a strong arm, smooth actions and catches what comes to him, making up for limited range. Offensively, Mercer has improved steadily but will never be a spectacular run producer. His pitch recognition has gotten better, and he can drive the ball gap to gap, but the better arms in the minors continue to eat him up inside. He has the ingredients to adjust but must find consistency. His speed is slightly above-average, as are his overall instincts for the game. Depending on how things shake out above him, Mercer could open the season back at Altoona, though he'll likely see Triple-A at some point.
Mercer comes from Leedy, Okla., the same small town that produced Monty Fariss, the sixth overall pick in the 1988 draft. Like Fariss, Mercer is a tall shortstop who went on to stardom at Oklahoma State. He made the all-Big 12 Conference team at three different positions during his career: shortstop, utility player and pitcher. He topped the Carolina League with 36 doubles last season while helping Lynchburg win the league title. Mercer is an offense-first shortstop who has good gap power and the size and strength to eventually turn some of those doubles into homers. His biggest weakness as a hitter is his plate discipline, as he has particular trouble with offspeed pitches. Mercer's strong arm enabled him to hit 95 mph and close games in college, and also led the Pirates to experiment with him at third base late last season. His speed and range are average at shortstop, and he'll likely wind up at the hot corner in the long run. Headed to Double-A, he could begin making the full-time transition to third base because Pittsburgh's top shortstop prospect, Chase d'Arnaud, also figures to be with the Curve.
The top prospect in Oklahoma for the 2008 draft, Mercer signed for $508,000 as a third-rounder and advanced to low Class A after just a brief stop at short-season State College. He's an offense-first shortstop with pop, a departure from the Pirates' past philosophy of drafting middle infielders who had speed and defensive ability but were often light in the hitting department. Mercer can pull the ball and also go gap-to-gap. However, his plate discipline is severely lacking, and pro pitchers got him to consistently chase high fastballs and breaking balls in the dirt. Mercer is bigger than most shortstops but has good range, above-average instincts and an outstanding arm that prompted Oklahoma State to use him as its closer, with a fastball clocked as high as 95 mph. Yet shortstop is one of the few positions where the Pirates have depth, so Mercer eventually could move to third base or a corner outfield spot. He'll remain at shortstop for now, though, and begin his first full season in high Class A.