Did Kumar Rocker benefit from not signing with the Mets last year? 🤔
Ivan Melendez, the record-setting slugger from the University of Texas, thought it was a good sign that he was invited to attend the draft. Then, after his phone didn't ring for the entire first round -- a span of several hours -- the quiet, paranoid voice in the back of his head started chirping.He had little to worry about. Once the first competitive balance round hit, his phone buzzed. One of those calls was from the Diamondbacks, who owned the 43rd pick.
In Melendez -- a.k.a., the Hispanic Titanic, a nickname the El Paso native embraces -- the Diamondbacks may have their first baseman of the future, although Arizona told Melendez he'd have a chance to try third. "They like my feet," the 22-year-old said. But first would be a fitting role for the Golden Spikes winner. When he thinks of Arizona, he thinks of travel ball tournaments in Phoenix and Tucson.
“I’m a huge Paul Goldschmidt fan," the slugger said, almost name-dropping former Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius. Goldschmidt was part of the old core, but Melendez could be a part of the new one. He'll join an organization with a host of exciting young position players, with Corbin Carroll, Jordan Lawlar and, now, Druw Jones in the minors, and Daulton Varsho and Alek Thomas in the majors.
"It seems like we have a pretty bright future," Melendez said, "and I’m ready to compete and ready to get to work.”
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