South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 49: Yermin Mercedes

Yermin Mercedes
5´11´´
225 pounds
Bats: Right
Age: 26
2018 SSS Top Prospect Ranking: 42
SSS rank among all catchers in the system: 3

Mercedes had a very solid season with Winston-Salem in 2018, hitting .289/.362/.478 in 360 at-bats with 14 homers, 64 RBIs, 40 walks and 67 strikeouts. He isn’t noted for his defense, as he committed 11 passed balls in just 79 games behind the plate; with that said, Mercedes does have a solid arm, thwarting 41.7% of stolen base attempts (40 of 97).

At 26, Mercedes is most age-appropriate for Charlotte, where he could play the DH role and fill in when needed at catcher and first base when Seby Zavala and/or Zack Collins need a rest. But because his defensive skills behind the plate are raw, the White Sox have taken the conservative route and promoted him to Birmingham for 2019. With the Barons, Mercedes has started the season gangbusters: .438/.481/.625 in 14 games, including a current 13-game hitting streak. The glove is still stone, as Mercedes has one error and five passed balls in 106 ¹⁄₃ innings so far behind the plate; he has caught 9-of-24 (37.5%) basestealers, however.

2019 South Side Sox Top 100 Prospects

49. Yermin Mercedes, C
50. Anderson Comas, RF
51. Gunnar Troutwine, C
52. Codi Heuer, RHSP
53. Andrew Perez, LHRP
54. Josue Guerrero, LF
55. Jacob Lindgren, LHRP
56. Ryan Cordell, CF
57. Joel Booker, LF
58. Bennett Sousa, LHRP
59. Blake Battenfield, RHSP
60. Caberea Weaver, CF
61. Matt Foster, RHRP
62. Tate Blackman, 2B
63. Hunter Schryver, LHRP
64. Romy González, CF
65. Carlos Perez, C
66. Trey Michalczewski, 3B
67. Taylor Varnell, LHSP
68. John Parke, LHSP
69. Mike Morrison, RHRP
70. Zach Remillard, 3B
71. Luis Martinez, RHSP
72. Zach Lewis, RHSP
73. José Nin, RHRP
74. Colton Turner, LHSP
75. Jhoandro Alfonso, C
76. Ramon Beltre, 2B
77. Charlie Tilson, CF
78. Hunter Kiel, RHRP
79. Jason Bilous, RHSP
80. Nick Johnson, RHRP
81. Danny Dopico, RHRP
82. Harvin Mendoza, 1B
83. Logan Sowers, RF
84. Maiker Feliz, 3B
85. Brayan Herrera, RHSP
86. Craig Dedelow, LF
87. Wilber Pérez, RHSP
88. Kyle Kubat, LHRP
89. Johan Dominguez, RHRP
90. Mitch Roman, 2B
91. Ty Greene, C
92. Tanner Banks, LHSP
93. Jake Elliott, RHRP
94. Kevin Escorcia, LHRP
95. Luis Rodriguez, RHSP
96. Ian Dawkins, LF
97. Victor Diaz, RHRP
98. Travis Moniot, LF
99. Will Kincanon, RHRP
100. Brian Clark, LHRP

More information on South Side Top Prospects.