The Yankees added Melky Mesa to the 40-man roster. But why?
Chad Gaudin and Royce Ring were both outrighted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, removing them from the 40-man roster. Gaudin immediately elected free agency.
Filling one of those spots is toolsy outfielder Melky Mesa. Mesa would have been eligible for free agency had he not been added to the 40-man, hence this move being made immediately before other players are protected from the Rule 5.
OK. Now who is this Mesa guy?
Well, he’s a 23-year-old outfielder in the low minor league levels of the Yankees organization. He’s a career .236 hitter, but he’s coming off his best year to date with the Tampa Yankees.
Here are his career minor league statistics (all from the Gulf Coast League and three levels of A-ball).
And below are some links to Mesa’s scouting reports from last winter:
