José Ramón Mesa Jr. (born August 13, 1993) is a Dominican-American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Marineros de Carabobo of the

Venezuelan Major League The Venezuelan Major League, officially the Major League of Professional Baseball ( or LMBP) is a professional baseball league in Venezuela. Unlike the top-level Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, which plays a winter league schedule, the ...

Career

Mesa attended

Charles W. Flanagan High School Charles W. Flanagan High School is a public high school in Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States. The school's mascot is a falcon. History The school was named after Charles W. Flanagan, a former Pembroke Pines mayor. The school opened in 199 ...

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous city in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Pembroke ...

, beginning in his sophomore year, and played for the school's baseball team. He committed to attend Seminole State Community College.

New York Yankees

The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

selected Mesa in the 24th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. His professional debut was delayed after he underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, and he made his professional debut in 2014 with the

Gulf Coast Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

. In 2015, the Yankees assigned him to the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

of the

Low-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for ...

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. On the year, he worked to a 0.42 ERA in 10 appearances for the team, and also logged a 3.97 ERA in 5 games for the Single-A

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

. In 2016, Mesa logged a 2.97 ERA in 14 games for Charleston, but struggled to an 11.57 ERA in 7 games after he was promoted to the High-A

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

. The following season, Mesa split the year between Tampa and the Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

, recording a stellar 1.93 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 84.0 innings of work across 29 total appearances. On December 14, 2017, Mesa was selected by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in the 2017

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

, and the Orioles had Mesa compete for a position in their

starting rotation This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

. The Orioles designated Mesa for assignment when they officially announced the signing of

Alex Cobb Alexander Miller Cobb (born October 7, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, San Fr ...

on March 21, 2018. He returned to the Yankees on March 27. Mesa spent the entirety of 2018 season with Trenton, logging a 5.19 ERA in only 9 games. Mesa returned to Trenton in 2019, and only appeared in 7 games, struggling to a 7.71 ERA before he was released on June 24, 2019.

Kansas City Monarchs

On July 4, 2019, Mesa signed with the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. Mesa made 12 appearances for the team to close out the year, working to a 4.79 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched. Mesa was released by the Monarchs on June 19, 2020, and did not play in professional baseball in the year. On March 9, 2021, Mesa re-signed with the Monarchs for the 2021 season.

Miami Marlins

On April 14, 2021, Mesa left the Monarchs without playing in a game and signed a minor league contract with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

organization. Mesa split the year between the Double-A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

and Triple-A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

, but struggled to a 7.14 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 29.0 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Charleston Dirty Birds

On March 3, 2022, Mesa signed with the

Charleston Dirty Birds The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 11 games (8 starts) for the Dirty Birds, he logged a 4–3 record and 5.14 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 42 innings pitched. Mesa was released by Charleston on August 18.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On November 28, 2022, Mesa signed with the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He made 4 starts, posting a 0–3 record with a 9.92 ERA and 8 strikeouts over innings. He was released on May 12, 2023.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On December 20, 2023, Mesa signed with the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team based in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes that competes in the Mexican League. Established in 1975, the Rieleros have won the Mexican League cha ...

of the

. In 10 appearances for the Rieleros, he logged a 5.91 ERA with 11 strikeouts across innings pitched. Mesa was released by Aguascalientes on May 7.

El Águila de Veracruz

On May 16, 2024, Mesa signed with

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: The Eagle of Veracruz) is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. Histor ...

of the

. In 13 appearances, he posted a 2–0 record with a 5.79 ERA and 9 strikeouts over 14 innings pitched. On July 5, Mesa was released by Veracruz.

Personal life

Mesa's father,

José Mesa José Ramón Nova Mesa (; born May 22, 1966) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 through 2007. He played for the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, ...

, played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. His older brother, Jesse, also played baseball at Flanagan.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mesa, Jose 1993 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Bravos de Margarita players Charleston Dirty Birds players Charleston RiverDogs players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Kansas City T-Bones players Marineros de Carabobo players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Tigres del Licey players Trenton Thunder players