Mejia sparkles, Captains sputter

Jean Carlos Mejia is a name to remember.

Mejia, a 21-year-old righthander from the Dominican Republic, is putting himself in the discussion as an upwardly mobile pitching prospect in the Indians’ organization.

Against the West Michigan Whitecaps on Aug. 20 at Classic Park, Mejia limited the Whitecaps to one run on five hits in seven innings. He notched nine strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Of his 80 pitches, 63 were strikes.

As good as he was, Mejia was saddled with the loss as the Captains fell, 3-1, in the finale of a three-game series.

Mejia’s record of 4-7 tells one story. His 2.56 ERA and nine quality starts in his last 10 outings offer a more precise portrait of a young man finding his groove while dealing with the personal tragedy of his father’s death in May.

Captains manager Luke Carlin said Mejia has been a changed man and a more focused player since his father’s passing.

“He came back from losing his father a different person with a different outlook on life. That tragedy opened a bigger picture for him,” Carlin said.

Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Indians in November 2013, Mejia was a relief pitcher for four seasons before the decision was made this year in spring training to make the 6-foot4, 205-pounder a starter.

“We felt his pitch mix would work well as a starter,” Carlin said. “He

pounds the zone. That kind of up side for starters is hard to find.”

Mejia’s pitch mix includes a fastball that sits in the low 90s, slider and changeup. This season, in 16 appearances (14 starts) covering 88 innings, he has 93 strikeouts while issuing 20 walks.

The Whitecaps got two runs in the top of the ninth inning to give themselves some breathing room. Lake County got its lone run in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Richie Palacios.