MJ Melendez just torched Triple-A pitching with an absolutely insane line, hitting .538/.571/1.231 over three games this past week. He crushed three home runs and logged seven hits, including two consecutive three-hit games, in an abbreviated week thanks to the All-Star break. When a guy puts up those kinds of numbers, it forces you to stop and take notice, especially for a team that might be looking for any spark it can get.
Melendez’s Bat Catches Fire (Again)
Our guy Melendez wasn’t just good last week; he was legendary. Imagine, three games, three dingers. That’s the kind of power that makes you dream, right? In July alone, he’s been hitting .341/.431/.864 with seven home runs in 12 games for Syracuse. His season line in Triple-A is a solid .278/.358/.660 with ten homers in just 27 games. You see those numbers and think, “Okay, this dude is mashing!”
But here’s the kicker: we’ve seen this movie before, haven’t we? Earlier this season, Melendez got 120 at-bats with us in the bigs across 56 games, and it wasn’t pretty. He hit just .192/.315/.350 with only four home runs. Yeah, that. The International League hitting environment is definitely “out of whack” as they say, making some of those Triple-A numbers look inflated. Still, a solid player is always good to have around. With rumors flying about the Mets trading assets in the coming weeks, a spot might just open up at the major league level. Do I think he suddenly becomes a “world beater”? Probably not. He wasn’t in his earlier stint, but you gotta hope for some viability.
Noah Hall Deals In High-A
While Melendez was crushing, Noah Hall quietly put together a masterpiece start in High-A. The guy went six shutout innings, giving up just one hit, walking two, and striking out five. That’s an absolute gem on the mound! For the 2026 season, Hall’s put in 18 appearances, 15 of them starts, totaling 82.1 innings. His overall ERA is 4.81 with 86 strikeouts against 59 walks.
Hall’s been on a journey. Drafted in the 7th round in 2023 out of South Carolina, he showed some promise right away, pitching for St. Lucie and Brooklyn at the end of that summer, plus some time in the Arizona Fall League. Then in 2025, he spent the entire year in Coney Island, putting up a fantastic 2.72 ERA over 112.2 innings across 21 starts and four other appearances. He punched out 115 hitters that year. It was a bit surprising when the 2026 season started that the 25-year-old wasn’t… well, the article kinda cuts off there. But you can see the talent.
Look, with the rest of the 2026 season not exactly looking like “compelling baseball,” it’s time to seriously take stock of the talent we already have. Melendez and Hall give us something to watch for, even if the stakes for the rest of the year feel pretty low.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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