Mesa brothers live up to hype in Minors, AFL

PHOENIX -- In three weeks, it will be 12 months since Victor Victor Mesa and his younger brother, Victor Mesa Jr., sat on the dais with Marlins chief executive officer Derek Jeter and president of baseball operations Michael Hill at Marlins Park on their first official day as Marlins.

The signings marked a new beginning for the Marlins on the international market. It also meant a dream realized for the brothers from Cuba.

So far, the Mesas are living up to their promise. Victor Victor, 23, is honing his skills with the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. Victor Jr., 18, was named the Most Valuable Player of the organization’s Gulf Coast League team.

• Full Arizona Fall League coverage

On Sunday, Mesa started in center field and hit second in the 4-3 victory against the Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch.

“It’s been an incredible year with a lot of learning,” Victor Victor said in Spanish. “Learning the routine was new and all that comes with being a professional player, but thanks to my teammates and coaches, I feel like I’ve adjusted. It was difficult at first, but better now.”

Victor Victor, who has five hits and two runs scored in his first four AFL games, was the top international prospect when he signed last October for $5.25 million. He is now the Marlins’ No. 13 prospect. Victor Jr., who was unranked when he signed for $1 million, is now No. 27.

“It was great and a huge boost for us to sign them,” said Dick Scott, the club’s director of player development. “The international scouting department did a great job identifying them and our organization did a great job getting the money together to sign both of these guys. They will both be big leaguers.”

Like all young players, both are also a work in progress.

The Mesas, who defected in May 2018, had not played in games for several months before they signed so the club has been evaluating them while also getting them up to speed. The Marlins sent Victor Victor to big league camp in Spring Training and it didn’t take long for him to realize he had a lot of work to do to succeed on the highest level.

“At first, I think the adjustment was a little bit difficult for him,” Scott said. “I just don’t think he anticipated the talent being as good as it was and that’s probably because he had not been around and had not seen it. It was not his fault.”

Victor Victor combined to hit .235, drive in 29 runs and steal 18 bases in 116 games at Class A Advanced Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville, where he was promoted on July 30.

“We see the talent that he has,” Scott said. “We promoted him to Double-A and have seen him drive the ball. He’s made some unbelievable running catches in the outfield. I saw a couple of throws that he made this summer that were a solid 60 to 65 arm. It’s all in there and he’ll figure it out. I’m confident of that.”

Victor Victor who has been slowed by leg injuries this season, is playing in Arizona because the team wants him to makeup at-bats lost during the season and face better competition. So far, so good. The outfielder is playing with confidence, both at the plate and on defense, and it’s the club’s hope that his play will carry over into Spring Training.

“He’s been able to go out and get some balls for us and also make the plays coming in and making a strong throw to the plate to throw some guys out,” said Glendale manager Keith Johnson, who manages Miami’s Triple-A team in New Orleans. “His approach at the plate has been pretty solid so far. Hopefully, he will continue to do that. Everything right now seems to be going in a really good direction.”

As for Victor Jr., he hit .284 with 24 RBIs and one home run in GCL play. He also scored 39 runs, hit nine doubles and four triples. And while he might be a few years away from the big leagues, he could play in the Arizona Fall League in the near future.

“That kid is not afraid of anything,” Scott said. “He barrels the ball against lefties and righties. He has a real confident approach. He’s good player. Good defense and solid arm. He’s going to be a big leaguer, too.”