Mizuno Monday - Prospect of the Week

Nelson Mercado RHP / 3B / St. Augustine, ON / 2021

Report: We’ve known about Mercado for a while now, but we never knew what side of the ball he’d end up on. Now, it appears as though the Connors State-commit is on track to be an arm and stay on the mound. Standing at 6-2, 225-pounds, Mercado is a big-bodied pitcher with a three-pitch mix. Over the summer, he induced a lot of swings and misses on fastballs in the zone, sitting 87-89 with regularity. The breaking ball shows some depth to it at 74-75, while his changeup is 78-79. He did swing this summer and can play the corner infield for his club team OBJ. 

Future: With the type of body he has, Mercado profiles to be an arm, but don’t rule out his bat. Offensively he’s got some jump, so we are pretty sure you'll see him in the lineup for the Ontario Blue Jays this summer. Regardless, it’s a strong pitcher’s build, and while he may be done growing, what you see is what you get, but what we see has a chance to be even better down the road.

2021 @ConnorsBaseball commit, Nelson Mercado, up to 89 in his first inning of work today.

Several swings and misses on the fastball early on. #BeSeen ?? pic.twitter.com/DoraSBzYsk

— PBR Ontario (@PBR_Ontario) August 9, 2020