Victor Mesa Jr. #23

He is the son of legendary outfielder Victor Mesa, who played for 19 seasons in the Cuban National Series and won gold at the 1992 Olympics…his father led the Cuban League in steals 14 times in a 15-year period and was Cuba’s skipper at the 2013 World Baseball Classic during a 12-year managerial career…he was often referred to as the Cuban equivalent of Rickey Henderson during his playing career...Victor signed with the Marlins on Oct. 22, 2018, the same day his brother, Victor Victor, signed with the club…the two brothers defected from Cuba together just five months earlier… Victor gained U.S. citizenship in February 2024 following two months of studying...Victor got his first tattoo at age 15 and now has nearly 60 of them…he has multiple tattoos of Lionel Messi, including one of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner holding a Mesa Jr. jersey, which actually occurred in 2021…Victor found out Messi was in South Florida via Instagram and learned where he was staying through a friend…he waited outside with other fans, hoping for a photo or autograph, and handed off his jersey when Messi’s nephew came outside instructing fans to clear out…he later received a photo of Messi holding the jersey...Victor saw Messi play in person for the first time at an Inter Miami match in 2024 shortly after gaining U.S. citizenship...His favorite MLB player is former AL batting champion Yuli Gurriel…he wore No. 10 last year with the Marlins as a nod to Gurriel...He has a son born in July 2025.

2025

Missed the start of the year with a right hamstring strain…was reinstated from the injured list May 17 and had his first two MLB stints from May 26-30 and Aug. 31-Sept. 15...Debuted on May 26 at SD, coming in as a defensive replacement at second base in the seventh inning before striking out against Jason Adam in the 10th…started the next day at Petco Park and tallied his first hit and RBI with a run-scoring single off Stephen Kolek in his first at-bat...On Sept. 8 vs. WSH, became the first player in Marlins history to hit his first career home run on his birthday, taking Shinnosuke Ogasawara’s slider to loanDepot Park’s second deck in right field for a three-run blast the same day he turned 24…was the first player in the Majors to turn the trick since COL Stephen Cardullo on Aug. 31, 2016 vs. LAD and the seventh in the Wild Card era (since 1995)…the three RBI marked a career high...On Sept. 9 vs. WSH, tallied a two-run, pinch-hit double in the ninth inning, his first career hit and RBI as a pinch hitter...Had two more trips to the injured list with a right foot infection (June 6-17) and another right hamstring strain (July 26–Aug. 17)…spent July 10-17 on the temporarily inactive list...Appeared in 42 games for Triple-A Jacksonville and 10 with Class-A Jupiter, winning a Triple-A National Championship…combined to hit .286 (54-for-189) with 10 2B, one 3B, seven HR, 33 RBI and 20 R in the Minors.

2024

Participated in his first Major League Spring Training. Went 2-for-16 with two doubles and two walks in nine games before suffering a foot injury. Was reassigned to the Minor Leagues on March 11...Started the season on a rehab assignment with Single-A Jupiter, playing three games there from April 5-7. Made his Triple-A debut on April 9 as the youngest player on the Jumbo Shrimp roster...Combined to hit .255 (85x333) with 48 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 51 RBI with 30 walks and five stolen bases in 83 games between Triple-A Jacksonville (80 games) and Single-A Jupiter (three games)...Hit .298 (25-for-84) with an .890 OPS against left-handed pitchers, while batting .231 (60-for-249) with a .689 OPS against right-handed pitchers in 2024...Went 24-for-77 (.312) in 19 games with Jacksonville in April, recording five multi-hit games (three three-hit games)...Reached base safely in 38 of his first 42 games with the Jumbo Shrimp, slashing .289/.358/.474 (50-for-173) in this span, with eight doubles, eight home runs and 32 RBI from April 9-May 26...Played final game of year on July 28 at Triple-A Norfolk due to a season-ending back injury. Was placed on the 60-day IL on July 31...Finished the season ranked as Miami’s No. 17 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Is listed as the No. 11 prospect by Baseball America.

2023

Earned his second Organizational All-Star honors in 2023 after entering the season ranked as Miami’s No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline...Spent the entire season with Double-A Pensacola, hitting .242 (117x483) with a .720 OPS in a career-high 123 games...Also set career highs in hits (117), runs (73), home runs (18), RBI (76) and stolen bases (16)...Ranked T-2nd on the Blue Wahoos with his 18 home runs...Clubbed 13 home runs with a .227 AVG (78x344) against right-handed pitchers and a .281 AVG (39x139) with five homers against left-handed pitchers...Hit for the second cycle in Blue Wahoos history on April 18 at Double-A Birmingham (first done by Reds’ prospect Donald Lutz on April 21, 2014)...Achieved in the natural cycle order - single, double, triple, followed by a two-out homer in the eighth inning...Went 4x5 in the contest...Was exactly a week from the date of MIA’s Luis Arraez’s cycle at PHI, which marked the first in Marlins history...Was added to the Marlins 40-man roster following the season.