As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
The Cleveland Guardians are one of the game's more forward-thinking organizations. They have had a great offseason by their standards; getting off of Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw's money for them is a stroke of genius; they moved on from Josh Naylor and brought back Carlos Santana but brought in a major league-caliber arm and a pick back. They have become the place you wanna be if you are a contact-oriented middle-infielder or a pitch-ability college arm. Their system is so good that we left off a few 45s, which speaks to the depth of the Guardians system. Without further ado, let's get after it!
Between us and anyone else reading this, Luis Merejo just barely missed the Top 20 Guardians prospects. This says more about the strength of the Guardians system than it does about Luis Merejo, who I liked enough to still write a report on him. I ended up grading him as a 55-hitter with 55-power, but there is a cap for those players when they are defensively below-average first-baseman. Look at the Guardians. They are not giving Kyle Manzardo the outright 1B job because this is just a profile that is rightfully not valued unless you are an elite hitter. That said, Merejo's scouting report is below.
The Guardians are mostly known for prioritizing up-the-middle talent, so it is infrequent for them to have a first-base prospect, but lately, they have been veering away from some of their old tendencies. Merejo has a lot of room he can fill out; it is easy to see him adding 25 pounds of muscle to a long, lean frame. His swing is simple, with a slight toe-tap, and he explodes towards the ball. There is some feel for barrel manipulation, as he will flatten out his swing on pitches up in the zone and add some more loft on pitches lower in the zone. Merejo does have some aggressive swing tendencies on his tape, as he is still working on laying off pitches that he shouldn’t be swinging at. There is hope that his approach takes a tick forward as he sees more pitching away from the complex. He did show some serious power in his debut stateside with a few long homers. There is a better feel for contact than his 73% in-zone contact rate in Single-A, albeit in 30 games. He is limited to first base, where he presents himself as a good target for throws and fields that spot well enough. Ultimately, if he can hit, how good of a defensive first-baseman he is will matter less, especially as we are projecting him out as an above-average hitter with above-average power at maturity. The only pitfall might be you would want a touch more power from a land-locked right/right first-baseman.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
