Michael Mercado

David Michael Mercado

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 205 lb.
• High School Westview High School (San Diego)
• Debut June 24, 2024

• Born April 15, 1999 in Greenville, SC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Michael Mercado was drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2nd round of the 2017 amateur draft. He gave up a commitment to go to Stanford University in order to sign with the Rays. However, it took him until 2024 to make his major league debut, by which time he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched in the Rays system until the end of the 2023 season, when he reached AAA for the first time. He had missed the 2019 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and 2020 when the minor leagues were shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Phillies acquired him on November 6, 2023 in return for P Adam Leverett. He started the 2024 season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs where he was pitching extremely well, putting up an ERA of 1.71 over his first 14 games that included 10 starts. In his major league debut on June 24th, he came in in relief of Aaron Nola with an 8-1 lead in the 8th inning against the Detroit Tigers. He proceeded to strike out the first batter he faced, Carson Kelly, and then retired the next two in order before turning the ball over to Orion Kerkering for the 9th inning. His next appearance came as a starting pitcher against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and it was an even stronger performance as he gave up just one run on two hits and two walks in five innings and received credit for Philadelphia's 6-4 win, his first major league victory.

Further Reading

• Todd Zolecki: "First start, first win: Mercado puts poise on display at Wrigley: Turner backs rookie right-hander by blasting a pair of mammoth home runs", mlb.com, July 3, 2024. [1]

Related Sites

• Michael Mercado on mlb.com