David Michael Mercado (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
| Michael Mercado | |
|---|---|
 Mercado in July 2024 | |
| Philadelphia Phillies – No. 63 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: April 15, 1999 Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 24, 2024, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics (through July 7, 2024) | |
| Win–loss record | 1-1 |
| Earned run average | 7.04 |
| Strikeouts | 6 |
| Teams | |
| |
Career
editTampa Bay Rays
editMercado attended Westview High School in San Diego, California. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft.[1] Though he committed to attend Stanford University, Mercado signed with the Rays rather than attend college.[2]
Late in 2018, Mercado suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. As he rehabilitated and endured the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020, he did not pitch professionally again until the 2021 season.[3]
Philadelphia Phillies
editOn November 6, 2023, the Rays traded Mercado to the Philadelphia Phillies, who added him to their 40-man roster.[4] He was optioned to the Triple–A Lehigh Valley IronPigs to begin the 2024 season.[5] Mercado was promoted to the majors for the first time on June 23, replacing the injured Taijuan Walker.[6] He made his major league debut the following day, pitching one scoreless inning.[7]
On June 28, the Phillies announced that Mercado would be assuming Walker's vacant slot in the rotation.[8] On July 2, Mercado made his first start, pitching five innings and earning the win.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Westview pitcher one of three locals taken in draft". June 12, 2017.
- ^ "De George: Surrounded by top starters, Phillies' Michael Mercado has chance to succeed". Delco Times. June 30, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ Compton, Michael (July 17, 2021). "Mercado learning from his journey back to the mound". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ "Rays Trade Michael Mercado To Phillies". MLB Trade Rumors. November 6, 2023.
- ^ "Phillies' Michael Mercado: Optioned to minors". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Phillies Place Taijuan Walker On 15-Day Injured List". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "No. 30 prospect Mercado perfect in long-awaited debut". MLB.com. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ "Michael Mercado Joining Phillies' Rotation". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Gelb, Matt. "With calm felt from dugout to stands, Michael Mercado stays composed in first MLB start". Retrieved July 3, 2024 – via NYTimes.com.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)