Dragons Player in the Major Leagues # 52: Devin Mesoraco
He was a Cincinnati Reds first round draft pick from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of the annual Groundhog's Day forecast for the arrival of spring. He was his state's high school Player of the Year as a senior, but his success in professional baseball required patience and lots of hard work. He overcame a disappointing season that caused him to drop almost completely off the prospect lists, only to fight back to become the Reds top prospect. He became the 52nd Dragons player to reach the Major Leagues. He is Devin Mesoraco, Dragons catcher, 2008.
There is a small area of western Pennsylvania that has produced some of football's greatest quarterbacks and leaders including Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, George Blanda, Joe Montana, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. Those same qualities of toughness, leadership, and make-up stood out to the Reds when they scouted Mesoraco, who grew up a few miles east of the area known for quarterbacks. One Reds scout visiting Fifth Third Field in 2008 when Mesoraco played for the Dragons explained that the Reds had developed a series of tests intended to measure those intangible qualities that are found in players that are viewed as "winners." He described Mesoraco's test results as "off the charts, the highest I have ever seen." The Reds liked Mesoraco's physical tools as a prospect, but they felt his heart and work ethic would carry him further than pure talent could take a player.
The early stages of Mesoraco's professional career did indeed test his character. After being taken with the 15th overall selection in the first round of the 2007 draft, expectations were immediately high, but he battled a thumb injury that reduced his effectiveness, leaving some to question if the jump from high school to pro ball was too steep for this player. He hit just .219 in his first pro season in 2007 and then started the 2008 season in extended spring training. On May 9, Mesoraco was promoted to the Dragons.
After a few games in Dayton, Mesoraco adjusted as a hitter to Midwest League pitching. Despite being one of the younger everyday players in the circuit at age 19, he more than held his own at the plate. Defensively, the learning curve was much steeper. After Mesoraco's first game behind the plate, Dragons manager Donnie Scott noted the difficult adjustments in pro ball for a catcher who was signed out of high school.
"He's catching pitchers who throw harder than he's ever seen, and he's coming in from extended spring training where every game is played in the daylight," said Scott. Mesoraco's first games behind the plate were challenging, but he did improve over the course of the season.
During his time in Dayton, Mesoraco continued to battle thumb injuries. At times, the pain caused Mesoraco to release the bat at the end of his swing. In the field, the injury sometimes caused him to lose the feel for the baseball as he started a throw back to the pitcher, sending the ball into the air in an unexpected direction. When asked about the injury, Mesoraco, true to his blue-collar make-up, refused to acknowledge that it had any effect on his game.
Overall, Mesoraco's play on the field helped the Dragons into the Midwest League playoffs. He belted a grand slam home run at Fifth Third Field against Wisconsin on July 10. A few days later, he hit two homers in one game against Clinton. Hitting sixth in the Dragons batting order, he was a solid contributor. Heading into August, his average stood at .280, though a late season slump dropped his final numbers to .261 with nine home runs and 42 RBI.
In 2009, Mesoraco moved up one level in the Reds farm system when he played with Sarasota in the Florida State League. It was a tough year for him as he battled to get healthy and struggled to play up to expectations. At the end of May, his batting average stood at just .188 and as late as July 24, it was still a very disappointing .208. He then put together a solid 11-game stretch carrying into August when he batted .368, but just as his season was beginning to turn around, it was over. On August 6, he suffered a strained forearm and did not play again in 2009. His final batting average was .228. He hit eight home runs and drove in 37 runs.
Following the season, Mesoraco's once shining status as a prospect took a major turn in the wrong direction. Baseball America dropped him all the way to #30 on their list of top 30 prospects in the Reds organization and a writer for the publication admitted that they only kept him on the list at all because of reports from previous years, not wanting to completely write off a player that had once looked so promising. But when first round draft picks drop to #30 in the organization, they are usually heading down a one-way street that they do not return from. In Mesoraco's case, things would be much different.
Mesoraco started the 2010 season at the Advanced-A level, the same level of competition as he had played in 2009, though the Reds had moved their affiliate from Sarasota to Lynchburg. He played like a completely different player. Reds officials credited the fact that Mesoraco, perhaps for the first time as a professional, was completely healthy. He started strong and kept getting better. He was selected as Reds Minor League Player of the Month for April. By the end of May, he was batting .335 with 10 home runs in 43 games, prompting a promotion to Double-A Carolina.
With the Mudcats, Mesoraco made an immediate adjustment to the more experienced competition and never missed a beat. In 56 games with Carolina, he added another 13 home runs and batted .294 to earn a late-season promotion to Triple-A Louisville. Mesoraco's debut in Triple-A was something out of Hollywood. In his first game with the Bats, he belted a bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off grand slam home run. In his first plate appearance the next night, he hit another grand slam. Overall in 2010, he hit .302 with 26 home runs, the most of any Reds Minor League player. He was honored with the Sheldon "Chief" Bender Award as the Reds Minor League Player of the Year. On the Baseball America Reds top-30 prospect list, he jumped from #30 to #3.
Mesoraco spent a full season back in Louisville in 2011 and enjoyed another solid year, batting .289 with 15 home runs. In September, he was called to the big leagues by the Reds, appearing in 18 games to close out the year. Following the 2011 season, he was listed by Baseball America as the Reds #1 prospect.
Mesoraco opened the 2012 season with the Reds, sharing the catching duties with former Dragon Ryan Hanigan. On May 24, Mesoraco belted his first big league grand slam homer, bringing the Reds from behind to defeat the Braves. But he could never quite put together the kind of extended hot streak that would get him going. He went back to Triple-A for five games in August, then returned to the Reds. He finished the year at .212 with five home runs and 14 RBI.
Mesoraco is still just 24 years old and looks forward to a big year in 2013 with the Reds. He is one of several first round draft picks to play for the Dragons, joining players like Jay Bruce, Homer Bailey, Austin Kearns, Drew Stubbs, and Robert Stephenson. And he was the 52nd Dragons player to play in the Major Leagues.
Click here for Devin Mesoraco's Major League statistics, photos, and video highlights.
Click here for Devin Mesoraco's Minor League statistics.