Chicago Cubs to Promote One of Organization's Top Prospects

"A two-way player at Duke, Mervis spent most of his first two college seasons as a pitcher before focusing on hitting in his final two years. A priority free agent after getting shut out in the shortened five-round 2020 Draft, he had offers from several clubs and signed with the Cubs for the maximum $20,000 permitted under pandemic rules. He quadrupled his home run output from nine in his 2021 pro debut to 36 last season while leading the Minors with 78 extra-base hits, 310 total bases and 119 RBIs and ranking second in doubles (40), third in homers (36), fifth in slugging (.605) and eighth in OPS (.984).

Mervis features the best combination of power and contact in the Cubs system, and he took off when he improved his bat path and his swing decisions. His bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame are obvious, but he's more than just a masher. His relatively compact left-handed swing enables him to make consistent hard contact and he did a much better job of handling same-side pitchers in 2022 than he did in his debut.

Though he's a well-below-average runner, Mervis moves well enough to play an adequate first base. He has a strong arm that produced low-90s fastballs with high spin rates and solid low-80s sliders when he pitched in college. He played some third base at Duke but lacks the range to play there or in left field as a pro." 

He is a career .276 hitter in the minor leagues with 51 home runs and 59 doubles.

The Cubs will take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night at 7:40 p.m. ET.