How Acquired
The Braves drafted Ian Mejia in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, selecting him with their top pick of the now gone third day of the draft. Mejia is a 6’3, 205-pound right-handed pitcher
out of New Mexico State, who began his college career with Arizona that was drafted in the 35th round by the Mets out of high school. What Were Expectations?
Mejia, who turned 25 at the end of January, was a guy many assumed would start the year in Triple-A after making 23 solid starts with Mississippi in 2024 and one more start with Gwinnett. In those 24 starts and one relief appearance he pitched to a 3.80 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 124 strikeouts to 59 walks in 125.2 innings, so based on his age and Double-A results it seemed logical.
2025 Results
Mejia actually opened the season back in Double-A, though this time with Columbus after an affiliate switch. He made 17 starts and 24 total appearances there, pitching to a 2.62 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 106 strikeouts to 37 walks in 127.1 innings. He also made one start for Gwinnett in July, allowing four runs (two earned) over four innings, with three strikeouts and four walks.
What Went Right?
Mejia did a great job at pitching to contact this year. In his time with Columbus he allowed just 6.9 hits per nine innings. Also his command, which had always been a strength until he saw his walk rate spike to 4.1 per nine with Mississippi in 2024 stabilized to just 2.6 walks this year.
What Went Wrong?
Mejia saw his strikeout rate from 2024 drop significantly in 2025. After striking out 8.9 per nine in 124.1 innings last year in Mississippi, he struck out just 7.5 in 127.1 innings in 2025. This is especially a concern for him because he doesn’t have the biggest stuff and relies more on command and pitchability.
2026 Outlook
Mejia will likely be in Triple-A for the 2026 season, after making one start in each of the past two years there. There is some #5 starter potential in there, but he will need to do a better job of missing bats than he did in 2025 for that to happen. Otherwise he is more likely to be a reliever with his above-average slider being his best offering to go with a fringy fastball and changeup and solid or better command.
