CLEVELAND, Ohio – Oscar Mercado is a big reason why the Indians’ playoff hopes are alive and well, even after a slow start.
The 24-year-old has done a little bit of everything for the Tribe. He’s played all three-outfield positions, stole bases and delivered clutch hits, all while learning how to play in the big leagues.
Mercado has been as valuable as anyone on the team since joining the Indians on May 14. His success has some wondering if his production will drop off during the second half of the season? The “rookie wall” is discussed in every sport, especially with a 162 game regular season.
Mercado knows he’ll have his struggles at times. He just wants to make sure he responds to them the right way, both physically and mentally.
“It’s all a matter of staying consistent and sticking to what you do and what works for you,” he said. “Slumps are going to happen. It’s the game of baseball. There’s going to be ups and there’s going to be downs.”
Mercado could be entering the first slump of his big league career. He entered Saturday with a .45 batting average (1-for-22) in the month of July with an infield single. His average has dropped from .314 to .280 over that span.
“He’s going to go through things for the first time,” manager Terry Francona said. “I tried to remind him the other day because he was getting a little frustrated.”
Francona recalls a key bunt that Mercado put down in a crucial moment against the Royals on July 4. Francisco Lindor scored on the play and Mercado advanced to second on the error by Cam Gallagher.
“He was at second base and he was smiling from ear to ear,” Francona said. “I said ‘You don’t always have to get hits to help us win. You have to take satisfaction in doing things to help us win.’
“He was happy as hell. It was an error. But he got the bunt down and got a sac out of it and then moved up. Those are things that they’re learning to do.”
Mercado has exceeded expectations since joining the Indians. He’s confident, but humble and knows he has plenty to learn.
One of those moments occurred in Friday night’s 5-3 loss to the Twins. He got a bad break and turned the wrong way on a deep fly ball by Jorge Polanco. The end result was a double that gave Minnesota the lead for good.
Mercado was visibly frustrated after the game. It was a well-hit ball by Polanco, but if he had played it perfect, someone with Mercado’s skillset might’ve been able to make the play.
“With experience, things like that won't happen as often,” Francona said. “Nobody is going to be perfect. We try to stay on him without beating him up. I thought Millsie (Brad Mills) went and talked to him, I saw him talking to him afterwards. Millsie probably does it better than anybody, about having a way of explaining things without beating somebody over the head. Because that's not what we want to do, and that's not how we feel. But we do want guys to get better.”
Mercado has the talent to be a great player for a long time. He’s tall, fast, athletic and has natural ability that most players dream of having. Unfortunately, greatness doesn’t develop overnight. His successful start in the big leagues doesn’t mean it’s going to be all sunshine. No one knows that more than him.
“When you get into those funks, trying to get out of it as quickly as possible and finding a way to fight through it and making those highs last longer. That’s something I aim for,” said Mercado.
He returned from the All-Star break feeling refreshed and ready for the second half of the season.
“I felt like my body was brand new,” he said.
The Indians are going to need Mercado to be a significant contributor down the stretch if they’re going to make the playoffs and win a fourth straight American League Central Division Championship.
He posted a .318/.348/.495 slash line in June, with three home runs, 13 RBI and four stolen bases. When the Indians made their offseason moves, they were banking on some of their youngsters emerging and none of them have shined as bright as Mercado.
Now, they need him to maintain it for the rest of the season, even if there will be some bumps along the way.
“I've said it a lot, and I mean it, he's a really conscientious kid,” Francona said with a smile. “He's doing OK. He's holding his own. He's doing OK.”
