KANSAS CITY, MO. (October 4, 2021) – Catcher MJ Melendez launched 41 home runs between Northwest Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA) this season to claim the Joe Bauman Award as Minor League Baseball’s 2021 home run king. Melendez becomes the third Royals’ minor league player to earn the award, joining Chris Brazell (2007) and Mike Moustakas (2010), since it was first presented in 2002.

“It’s an honor to earn the Joe Bauman Award because I look at Minor League Baseball and the number of good hitters and it’s amazing to finish the season at the top of that list,” Melendez said. “There are so many guys that I watch and catch against throughout the season, and the amount of talent in Minor League Baseball right now is incredible. It’s very humbling to be at the top of that list and I’m grateful for my teammates and coaches that pushed me throughout the season.”

“MJ was able to turn his impressive power into big-time production this year over his two stops at Northwest Arkansas and Omaha to hit 41 home runs, which is a tremendous accomplishment for a player of any age, much less 22 years old,” said J.J. Picollo, Royals Sr. Vice President of Baseball Operations/General Manager. “He is a prime example of hard work and dedication to his craft, making adjustments to his approach at the plate and seeing it pay off. We’re excited as an organization to watch MJ continue to thrive on the field.”

Melendez, 22, who was named the Northwest Arkansas Player of the Year last week, hit the second most home runs by a Royals minor league player, trailing only Chris Hatcher’s 46 with Omaha in 1998. He recorded the 17th season of 40 or more home runs in Minor League Baseball since 1990 and first since 2016. His 41 HR are the most in a season since Kris Bryant hit 43 in 2014, while he is the first primary catcher since Todd Greene (40 in 1995) to hit 40 or more homers in a season.

The left-handed hitting catcher began the season with 28 roundtrippers in 79 games for Northwest Arkansas, before being promoted to Omaha on Aug. 9. He hit his final 13 homers in 44 games with the Storm Chasers. During a 40-game stretch from July 2-Aug. 18, Melendez didn’t go more than three games without a home run, hitting 18 during that span. He recorded six games with two HR and homered in consecutive games five times. He topped his previous career high in home runs (19 in 2018 with Wilmington) with his 20th homer on July 21 at Tulsa.

Along with his 41 homers, he also ranked second among all minor league players in RBI (103), third in total bases (280) and slugging percentage (.628) and fourth in extra-base hits (66).

Melendez was selected in the second round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Westminster Christian High School in Daytona Beach, Florida.