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Atlanta Braves Scouting Report on OF Mel Rojas, Jr.

By Benjamin Chase

May 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker (20) prepares his bat while in the on deck circle in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker (20) prepares his bat while in the on deck circle in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 26, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. (81) poses for photo day at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. (81) poses for photo day at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Scouting Report

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Rojas is listed at 6’2 and 225 pounds. He’s a switch-hitter and throws right-handed. He looks leaner than the 225, but he’s also built heavily in his lower half, so it’s very possible that he’s carrying that level of weight.

Hitting

Rojas has a similar approach from both sides of the plate. His approach from the right side of the plate is hand-led, and he makes better contact on the right side with a more direct bat path to the ball, which does cut down on his power from that side, but it allows him to adjust quickly on pitches.

From the left side, Rojas has a more looping swing that utilizes his strong lower body at the point of contact when he can get both his swing and his hips in coordination to generate impressive power. The issue is that with the loop of his swing, he rarely has both in sync to do that. He was locked in during his time in Gwinnett, but as you look at previous season’s video and at video from Mississippi, you see the issues when he has that timing off.

From either side, his pitch recognition really goes in and out. He seems to go in streaks where he lays off anything outside the zone and picks up spin well to lay off stuff, but then he’ll have another streak where he’s swinging at everything. If he could simply be consistent in pitch recognition, he could really make strides offensively.

Base Running/Fielding

Rojas is a very good athlete, though in his minor league career, he’s been successful on less than 2/3 of his stolen base attempts in his career. That’s a ridiculously bad number for as fast as Rojas is at top speed.

Rojas is much better on the base paths when he can get a step or two jump as he gets going. He has a very good top-end speed, and when he gets going, he can eat up a ton of ground in a hurry, going from first to third or second to home with ease.

Defensively, Rojas doesn’t have the elite jumps you’d want from a guy in center field, but he does possess a strong arm and good top end speed that play well in either corner, but especially in right field. He wouldn’t grade out as an elite defender by any means, but he’s certainly above-average.

Video

Next: Future outlook

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