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MEL ROJAS, JR.
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CENTER FIELDER
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Born: May 24, 1990 Height: 6′ 3″ Weight: 200 Bats: Switch Throws: Right Drafted: 3rd Round, 84th Overall, 2010 How Acquired: Draft College: Wabash Valley CC Agent: N/A |
WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES |
| Rojas is a very toolsy player who drew conflicting opinions from scouts. Baseball America ranked him 135th overall among draft prospects, while PGCrosschecker ranked him 51st. His hitting approach was erratic and inspired differing views from scouts, depending on when they saw him. There was even disagreement about his speed, which is bizarre, considering that scouts all have stopwatches. For what it’s worth, his speed strikes me as good but not great. He has a short stride and a heavy lower half, though, so he may start losing his speed early. Defensively, he may be a legitimate centerfielder and may not, but he definitely has the arm for right. Rojas has a great deal of upside, regardless, and some scouts saw him as the elusive, potential five-tool player. He’s the son of the former major league reliever and was born in the Dominican before attending school in the US. He redshirted during his first JC season. He agreed to terms in mid-July, surprisingly for slot money.
2010 Rojas struggled at State College. He was very tentative at the plate, taking defensive swings and not hitting anything hard. He showed a willingness to take pitches, at least. He had only seven extra base hits, all doubles and struck out in a quarter of his ABs. 2011 Rojas spent the year as the centerfielder at West Virginia and his struggles continued early in the season. He managed to hit for a barely passable average, but with almost no power or walks. In April and May, he had just four extra base hits, again all doubles, in 190 ABs. He also drew only seven walks and fanned 47 times, over a quarter of his ABs. From June on, however, he had 26 XBHs, including seven triples and five HRs, in 318 ABs. From July on, he greatly improved his walk rate, with 31, although he still struck out in over a fifth of his ABs. He was much better hitting from the left side than the right, with an OPS of .684 from the left side and .542 from the right. His plate discipline issues were especially pronounced hitting right-handed: he had only ten walks and 43 Ks, striking out once every three ABs. Hitting left-handed he had 36 walks and 76 Ks. Rojas played well defensively and stole a good number of bases, but with a low success rate. 2012 Rojas didn’t make much progress at Bradenton. He seemed to be coming around in May, when he posted an OPS of .787 OPS, but he slumped after that and never got hot again. He continued to struggle badly from the right side, with a .592 OPS, as opposed to .690 hitting left-handed. His plate discipline remained weak and he hit for only a little more power. He played mostly center and continued to show a good arm and good range. Rojas was considered raw when drafted, but he’s had over two years now and isn’t progressing. Rojas will turn 23 early in the season and the Pirates will challenge him with a promotion to Altoona, where he’ll play center. It could be a tough assignment. |
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STATS
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| Baseball Reference–Minors Fangraphs MiLB.com
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