This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ST. PETERSBURG -- This has been a year full of pleasant surprises for the Rays.
The all-around impact of Nick Martinez. The rise of Bryan Baker into an All-Star closer. The realization of Chandler Simpson. The transformation of Griffin Jax from struggling reliever to reliable starter. The emergence of players like Cam Booser, Ryan Vilade and Ian Seymour. Those players and so many others have stepped up for Tampa Bay all season.
But it would have seemed inconceivable back in February to think we’d be here in September, watching the American League-leading Rays and asking: Where would they be without Victor Mesa Jr.?
“I think we were watching him in spring, and we said, ‘Wow, the talent's off the charts.’ But I don't know if we could have ever guessed how good he was actually going to be for us,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “Just watching what he's done for this year, it's been really exciting.”
Mesa’s recent contributions were acknowledged on Monday, when MLB named him the AL Player of the Week. But it’s worth a look at what he’s accomplished in only 70 games since he walked into the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on May 24, because he has made a sizable impact on this team.
The 25-year-old rookie ranks seventh on the team with 2.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference, right between Baker and Simpson. Despite missing two weeks in late August with a left hamstring injury, he’s become a regular presence in right field and in the middle of Tampa Bay’s lineup.
Mesa is hitting .252/.320/.500 with 13 home runs -- one every 15.85 at-bats, slotting him between Pete Alonso and James Wood -- along with 30 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
According to Statcast, he has been one of the top defensive outfielders in baseball despite his limited playing time, ranking among the league leaders in Fielding Run Value (nine) and Outs Above Average (also nine).
“Big part of what we’re doing,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s a really talented player, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. … He’s really, both sides of the ball, done so many things to help us win games.”
Mesa has earned that confidence with the way he’s played, but really, he had to earn it.
For a long time, Mesa was best known as the son of legendary Cuban outfielder Victor Mesa and as the younger brother of Victor Victor Mesa, and the brothers signed with the Marlins on the same day in 2018. He finally debuted for Miami last year, but only played 16 games.
He was designated for assignment by the Marlins in early February before the Rays acquired him for Rookie-level infield prospect Angel Brachi.
The Rays knew Mesa was “tooled out,” as Cash put it. A naturally elite outfielder. A throwing arm that first-base/outfield coach Corey Dickerson described as “special.” A smooth left-handed swing with plenty of raw power. Exceptional feel for the game. He’s also an excellent teammate, with boundless energy and an infectiously friendly personality.
“He’s such an instinctual baseball player, a very smart baseball player, and I think he’s very intuitive in how he thinks,” Dickerson said. “He uses his imagination well. He tries different things. He takes more risks than most. And he does that while being smart. That’s a great combination.”
He just needed a chance to show it.
Naturally, Mesa was sidelined by injuries during his Spring Training with the Rays, which kept him from making much of a first impression. He began the season with Triple-A Durham, where he spent nearly a month on the injured list with another hamstring issue.
“We had heard that staying on the field and staying healthy was a bit of an issue, and we lived a little bit of that in Spring Training,” Cash said. “But once he found good health, we’ve known for quite some time now that he’s a really, really talented player.”
Mesa’s time came when Jake Fraley went down with a hernia and Jonny DeLuca strained his right hamstring running the bases in New York. With outfield prospect Jacob Melton unavailable due to a sprained ankle, the Rays finally turned to Mesa.
He has shown his immense gratitude by rewarding Tampa Bay at every turn since then.
“I’ve always been believing in myself, but another thing is letting the people outside know it,” Mesa said recently. “Obviously I know that if I was here, that moment was for a reason. I just want to thank the people that believed in me.
“For me, the most important thing is that I’m giving a little bit extra to the team, and the most important thing is that we’re getting wins.”
Of course, he’s played a pretty big part in that, too.
“He’s a vital part of this team, man,” Martinez said. “He brings the energy, and that’s a big part of our identity. He’s been playing his butt off for more than just a week -- for this whole season, really.”