BA GRADE
40
Risk: Medium
Born: Feb. 21, 1992. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 180. Drafted: McLennan (Texas) JC, 2011 (16th round). Signed by: Kevin Cullen.
Merritt wrote himself into the club’s postseason lore in 2016. Having made just four career big league appearances (one start), he was pressed into action as the Indians’ starter in Game Five of the AL Championship Series and threw 4.1 scoreless innings to help send Cleveland to the World Series for the first time since 1997.
Before that game, he had mostly been known for his incredible minor league walk rate, and returned to that identity in 2017, sprinkling a few spot starts for the Indians into a solid campaign with Triple-A Columbus. Merritt doesn’t have overpowering stuff, instead relying on his command and feel for pitching to get outs. His fastball sits in the upper 80s, occasionally touching 91 mph, and he knows how to add or subtract velocity as necessary. His above-average changeup is his best pitch, and he also has both a curveball and a cutter that can be effective offerings. All of his stuff plays up thanks to his plus control. Merritt’s ceiling is as a back-end starter, and he will always have to be fine with his command to succeed.
Merritt was one of just seven pitchers to start a game for the Indians in 2017, but breaking into the rotation full time will be difficult. He could find a spot in the bullpen, but is more likely to start 2018 back at Columbus.
Year |
Club (League) |
Class |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
2015 |
Akron (EL) |
AA |
10 |
7 |
3.51 |
22 |
22 |
|
Columbus (IL) |
AAA |
2 |
0 |
4.20 |
5 |
5 |
2016 |
Columbus (IL) |
AAA |
11 |
8 |
3.70 |
24 |
24 |
|
Cleveland (AL) |
MAJ |
1 |
0 |
1.64 |
4 |
1 |
2017 |
Lake County (MWL) |
LoA |
1 |
0 |
2.57 |
1 |
1 |
|
Columbus (IL) |
AAA |
10 |
5 |
3.03 |
19 |
18 |
|
Cleveland (AL) |
MAJ |
2 |
0 |
1.74 |
5 |
4 |
Major League Totals |
3 |
0 |
1.71 |
9 |
5 |
||
Minor League Totals |
56 |
36 |
3.33 |
140 |
134 |
||
Year |
Club (League) |
CG |
SV |
IP |
H |
HR |
2015 |
Akron (EL) |
2 |
0 |
141 |
145 |
8 |
|
Columbus (IL) |
0 |
0 |
30 |
38 |
1 |
2016 |
Columbus (IL) |
2 |
0 |
143 |
156 |
15 |
|
Cleveland (AL) |
0 |
0 |
11 |
6 |
0 |
2017 |
Lake County (MWL) |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
|
Columbus (IL) |
1 |
0 |
116 |
116 |
19 |
|
Cleveland (AL) |
0 |
0 |
21 |
26 |
0 |
Major League Totals |
0 |
0 |
32 |
32 |
0 |
|
Minor League Totals |
7 |
1 |
807 |
831 |
69 |
|
Year |
Club (League) |
BB |
SO |
K/9 |
WHIP |
AVG |
2015 |
Akron (EL) |
16 |
89 |
5.7 |
1.14 |
.269 |
|
Columbus (IL) |
6 |
16 |
4.8 |
1.47 |
.309 |
2016 |
Columbus (IL) |
23 |
92 |
5.8 |
1.25 |
.279 |
|
Cleveland (AL) |
0 |
6 |
4.9 |
0.55 |
.167 |
2017 |
Lake County (MWL) |
1 |
4 |
5.1 |
1.14 |
.269 |
|
Columbus (IL) |
25 |
85 |
6.6 |
1.22 |
.263 |
|
Cleveland (AL) |
4 |
7 |
3.0 |
1.45 |
.310 |
Major League Totals |
4 |
13 |
3.7 |
1.14 |
.267 |
|
Minor League Totals |
134 |
560 |
6.2 |
1.20 |
.267 |
|