Veteran Washington Nationals Infielder Switching to New Role This Season

The Washington Nationals will have one of their infielders attempting to make the roster as a pitcher rather than a position player in 2025.

Rochester’s Erick Mejia dives into second base with the steal against Scranton Wilkes Barre. | Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Washington Nationals have had quite the turnover this offseason when it comes to their pitching staff. With additions such as Michael Soroka, Jorge López, Lucas Sims, Colin Poche, Evan Reifert, and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, they have revamped nearly their entire bullpen and added a starter.

However, one more player may be joining the mix for the 2025 season, and it's someone who has already been with the organization for two full seasons. That player is Erick Mejia, an infielder who has been around the sport for quite a while, being signed as an international free agent in 2012 by the Seattle Mariners.

Over the years he has spent time with many different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and now, the Nationals, who signed him prior to the 2023 season. The problem has been getting to the Major Leagues for Mejia, as he has only played 17 games in the MLB as opposed to 969 in the minor leagues and 203 for foreign teams.

Now, he looks to shake things up, as a recent report from Andrew Golden of The Washington Post (subscription required) states that Mejia will be switching up his position, moving from infield to pitching. In this piece was a quote from Mejia regarding the bullpen session he recently threw, 25 pitches in length, where he would have to pitch against minor league ballplayers:

“That was a challenge for me, because I was like, ‘Okay, let me face me as a hitter.’ … I was imagining me at the plate. What would Erick Mejia throw to Erick Mejia?" he said.

Mejia noted that his career has essentially hit a wall and moving to the mound might give him a chance to finally make it to the Majors.

During the bullpen session, Mejia topped out at 98 miles per hour on his four-seam fastball, which had a whopping 20 inches of induced vertical break on average.

This type of switch is immensely difficult, and being able to throw with such velocity and break in your first session is spectacular. Having good bullpen arms throughout the year is always a critical piece to maintaining a quality roster and ensuring the regulars do not wear out too early.

Having a new player enter the fray who clearly has some quality pitching traits is helpful, and if he can produce at the minor league levels starting off the 2025 season, maybe he could be someone Washington turns to at some point this year.

Regardless, it will be intriguing to see how this plays out for Mejia, as he looks to prolong his career and give himself one more shot at the MLB level.