NEWSLETTER
As MLB Pipeline rolls out its positional rankings, I was modddderately confident that Jordan Wicks would show up on the lefty pitcher list (he did). But I was SUPREMELY confident that Matt Mervis would show up on the first base list.
He did:
Mervis, 24, ranks fourth on the list, which is pretty fun to see.
Specifically, Mervis is behind only top-30 types Triston Casas (Red Sox) and Tyler Soderstrom (A’s), and top-75 type Kyle Manzardo (Rays). Each of those three were the only first basemen to make BA’s recently-released top-100, by the way.
If Mervis is the dividing line between the first basemen who make top-100 lists and those who do not, then it suggests he’s dang close to being a top-100, himself. (Personally, I expected he would remain at that border thanks to the lack of prospect hype before last year, the short-term of his huge breakout, his age, and his lack of plus defense at first base.)
With Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini in the fold at the big league level, the Cubs will have plenty of coverage so that Mervis doesn’t HAVE TO contribute right away at the big league level. But given that Hosmer is on a big league minimum deal, and given the existence of the DH, it’s not as if Mervis couldn’t force his way into the big league lineup as soon as it’s clear that’s where he needs to be.
For prospecting purposes, that period of time probably won’t be long enough that Mervis can make midseason top-100 lists. But if he continues to show out of the gate what he was showing last year? I’ll definitely be considering him a top-100-type, and lists like this one from MLB Pipeline seem to agree. (And, hey, I guess it’s still possible Mervis makes the back end of Pipeline’s own preseason top-100 later this year.)
