MJ MELENDEZ CLAIMS JOE BAUMAN AWARD

SPRINGDALE, Ark – Kansas City Royals catching prospect MJ Melendez led Minor League Baseball in 2021 with 41 home runs and has been recognized with the Joe Bauman Award, as Minor League Baseball’s home run king this year, the first catcher to win the award.

Kansas City’s second round pick (52nd overall) in the 2017 MLB. Draft, Melendez began the 2021 season with the Naturals, hitting 28 home runs across 78 games for Northwest Arkansas as the team’s primary catcher. On August 9th, Melendez was promoted to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, where he hit 13 more across 44 games to surge out as the top home run hitter in all of the Minors.

Despite the promotion with one-third of the season left, the 22-year-old finished the year second in the Double-A Central in home runs, just one behind Tulsa’s Ryan Noda. He still led all qualified hitters Double-A with a .628 slugging percentage and .999 OPS. Between Double-A and Triple-A, the catcher finished second in runs batted in (103), fifth in slugging (.625) and sixth in OPS (1.011) among full-season Minor League players as well.

Melendez was recognized three times as the Double-A Central Player of the Week (June 28 to July 4, July 12 to 18 and July 19 to 25) and was named the league’s Player of the Month in July. Across a 40-game period from July 2 through August 18 between the Naturals and Storm Chasers, Melendez did not go more than three games without a home run, connecting for 18 homers during that stretch.

On four occasions with the Naturals, Melendez homered twice in a game, representing half of the team’s two-homer performances. The 41 homers overall topped Melendez’ previous career high in home runs (19 in 2018 with Lexington in 111 games), as he hit his 20th homer on July 21 at Tulsa, in just his 63rd game of the season. 41 home runs are the most for a Minor League hitter since Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs) hit 43 in 2014, also split between Double-A and Triple-A.

The award, first presented in 2002, is named for Joe Bauman, who set a then-professional record with 72 home runs in 1954 while playing for the Roswell Rockets of the Class-C Longhorn League. Melendez is the third Royals prospect to claim the award and the second Natural, as Mike Moustakas finished the 2010 season with 36 home runs between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. Craig Brazell had 37 in 2007 between Wichita and Omaha. Of the 19 winners of the Joe Bauman Award, Melendez is the first catcher.