Francisco Mejia Makes It Look Easy

Best player

Double-A Akron catcher Francisco Mejia got everyone’s attention last year with his 50-game hitting streak, the longest in the minors in 62 years and the fourth-longest ever. One year later, Mejia is still hitting.

Through 55 games, the switch-hitting Mejia batted .343/.388/.567 with nine home runs and 16 doubles. That included a 25-for-54 (.463) performance against lefthanders. He led the Eastern League batting race by 14 points.

Still just 21, Mejia’s first-half numbers are even better than those he posted last season, when he hit a combined .342 at low Class A Lake County and high Class A Lynchburg.

“With Mejia, the bat speaks for itself,” assistant general manager Carter Hawkins said. “I think we’ve been most impressed by his consistency and ability to show that consistency over the last year-plus. It’s not easy to run a pitching staff, squat for nine innings day after day, and still handle the bat the way he has up to this point. But he makes it look easy.”

Biggest Leap Forward

Righthander Julian Merryweather, a fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma Baptist in 2014, made an immediate impression in his first start at Triple-A Columbus on May 30. Following his promotion from Akron, he pitched eight scoreless innings on four hits, with eight strikeouts and no walks.

In a combined 14 starts this season, Merryweather went 7-3, 3.92 with 78 strikeouts and 16 walks in 80 innings. He allowed 72 hits and had recorded a 1.10 WHIP.

“Julian has probably flown under the radar because of some of our starting-pitching depth, but he’s beginning to establish himself as a major league option,” Hawkins said.

Merryweather, 25, has the classic pitcher’s build at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds.

“He has the chance for three major league pitches with his fastball, curve and change, and he could be a guy we see in Cleveland sooner rather than later,” Hawkins said.