SAN DIEGO – Baseball isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of life for the Mesa family.
Marlins No. 26 prospect Victor Mesa Jr.’s father, Victor, was a legend in Cuba. His older brother, Victor Victor, was the top international prospect in the 2018 class.
Mesa Jr., who began playing baseball at 5 years old, defected at the age of 16 along with Victor Victor in May 2018. He would follow his brother in signing with the Marlins’ organization that October, the pair receiving $6.25 million combined ($5.25 for Victor Victor, $1 million for Mesa). But Victor Victor never made it past the Triple-A level. Five years later, the younger brother’s invitation to The Show finally arrived.
“Since he was little [I knew],” Mesa Sr. said via interpreter Elvin Soto. “His bat was always special. He always could play defense, and he's very, very intelligent when it comes to baseball.”
After being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Mesa entered as a defensive substitute in center field and later struck out in his Major League debut. Making his first MLB start in Tuesday night’s 8-6 Marlins loss to the Padres at Petco Park, Mesa collected his first hit – an RBI single – during a six-run first inning.
“In that moment, I was the happiest person in the world,” Mesa said.
This opportunity was never afforded to the family patriarch, considered the equivalent of Rickey Henderson in Cuba, so Mesa Jr. is fulfilling the dream for the entire family. When he pulled a sinker through the right side of the infield for the milestone knock, they could be heard cheering behind the Marlins’ dugout.
“I say my victories are their victories,” Mesa said. “Happy for that and for being here, that that's my life, and every day is a dream out here.”
That’s because it took all of them to make this a reality. As a kid, Mesa learned from his father and uncle. These days, Mesa Sr. watches nearly all of his son’s workouts but tries to take a step back from instruction.
“The one thing I’m always telling him is just be disciplined, that you're going to be a great baseball player,” Mesa Sr. said. “Take it day by day, that things are going to come when they're supposed to come.”
Wise words to live by considering the 23-year-old Mesa’s circuitous route to the Majors.
Mesa likely would’ve made his debut in 2024 soon after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was dealt, but he sustained a season-ending back injury at Triple-A Jacksonville. This spring, Mesa strained his right hamstring before Grapefruit League action got underway, then injured his left hamstring while rehabbing and only recently returned to action.
Following 10 rehab games for Single-A Jupiter, Mesa transferred to Triple-A, where he hit .300/.375/.650 with four runs, two doubles, one triple, one homer, five RBIs, three walks and three strikeouts in six contests.
The Jumbo Shrimp pinch-hit for Mesa in the seventh inning on Sunday and informed him of the callup. It wasn’t until he FaceTimed with his family that it started to sink in and the tears flowed.
“I couldn't believe it,” Mesa said. “You kept thinking of the many different ways, but it’s never going to be how you think, and I think it was great. It is special. … I know that I've got the talent, or I feel that I've got the talent to be here. It's more all the stuff that I passed through the years, all the injuries, all the bad moments, the good moments.”
The Marlins brought up Mesa because outfielder Derek Hill aggravated his left wrist on an eighth-inning diving catch on Sunday, similar to the one he made on April 8 in New York and sidelined him for three weeks.
With the nerves out of the way following Monday’s debut, Mesa started in center and batted eighth on Tuesday. With four runs already plated in the first, he watched a first-pitch strike from righty Stephen Kolek before taking three straight balls. After missing on a cutter and fouling off another, he grounded a sinker to right with an exit velocity of 104.8 mph.
“Victor is a terrific athlete, very twitchy,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “The ability to go out to center field, but able to play all three outfield positions, hit from the left side, and give us some athleticism. Even the short time that I've known him, a terrific person. a great teammate.”