Francisco Mejia is improving at essentially everything the Padres have asked.

He may even be progressing faster than expected.

But in the words of one critical observer, the 23-year-old catcher with the rocket arm and bat that launches missiles has a ways to go.

“I think I’ve gotten a little bit better,” Mejia said Tuesday afternoon. “But honestly, I still have to improve on a lot.”


The Padres have seemed adamant all spring that Mejia needs to play catcher on a regular basis in order to continue to develop as a receiver and handler of the pitching staff, and the opportunity to get that playing time is at Triple-A since Austin Hedges has earned the right to be the almost-everyday catcher in the major leagues.

Mejia is doing everything he can to force the Padres into considering him for their major league roster, not only exhibiting the fruit of his hard work behind the plate but being every bit as electric as anticipated beside the plate.

Mejia was 3-for-3 with a home run and a double in Tuesday’s 7-7 tie with the Mariners, upping his spring batting average and on-base percentage in 18 plate appearances to team highs at .500 and .556.

“There’s no question about the bat speed, the hand-eye coordination, the bat-to-ball,” said bench coach Rod Barajas, a former major league catcher who managed Mejia at Triple-A last summer and has worked extensively with him this spring. “He has all that stuff. He is elite in that category. ... His hands are strong. He’s really able to drive the ball.”


The desire to get their hands on Mejia’s bat is the primary reason the Padres traded relievers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to Cleveland last July.

Mejia has hit .293/.347/.452 over six minor league seasons. He hit just .185/.241/.389 in 58 plate appearances after his September call-up last season but did have three home runs and two doubles. His two home runs from the left side came in his first start with the Padres on Sept. 4 in Cincinnati. His other home run was from the right side.

On Tuesday, Mejia also threw out a runner trying to steal second. That is the one area defensively in which he has an edge on Hedges, whose abilities blocking and receiving the ball are among the best in the game.

“He’s got a really, really good arm,” Hedges said. “He can shut down the running game, and that’s important.”


But to the Padres, it is not as important as the communication, wisdom, ball-handling and zen that Hedges brings in working with the pitching staff. Where Hedges’ second half at the plate in 2018 might indicate his offense has become an asset, there has never been a question he was born to wear a catcher’s glove and be the best friend a group of pitchers ever had.

The difference between how Hedges interacts with pitchers during a bullpen session and how Mejia does it is the difference between a church revival and a business meeting.

“He’s unbelievable with that,” Barajas said. “… We tell Mejia to look at Austin, so he can see how Austin goes about it.”

Padres pitchers might actually prefer to go to the mound without a glove than to do so without Hedges being behind the plate. His knowledge of the staff, familiarity with hitters, willingness to listen and adapt plus his ability to impart a sincere sense he cares about their success is valued by all involved.


“I’m honestly just learning from him,” Mejia said. “He’s had a ton of experience in the big leagues. It’s talking to him about pitches, talking to him about pitchers, trying to pick up something every day from him. He’s been teaching me.”

Mejia, who is from the Dominican Republic, is also learning English. After spending time with a tutor during winter ball in the D.R., it is clear he understands more this spring. In limited conversation, he will speak English. When being quoted in an interview, he uses a translator, though he can often respond in Spanish without needing questions translated from English.

“I know I need to keep improving my English to improve the communication (with pitchers),” Mejia said. “I need to get better to improve that interaction.”

Said manager Andy Green: “He’s really opened up this spring.”


The acceleration in Mejia’s actual catching ability is apparent as well — the movement behind the plate and the softer hands.

“We have to keep ironing out the receiving,” said Barajas, who has repeatedly praised Mejia’s work ethic this spring. “He’s gotten better. He can still be a lot better. … All the little things people don’t see in a baseball game, we’ve got to sharpen that up.”

Especially with a young pitching staff, Hedges’ value is immense. To hear Chris Paddack talk about Hedges, for instance, is to know what reverence is.

It helped the Padres have patience when Hedges showed he is no longer a liability on offense.


His batting .255/.303/.491 with 12 home runs and 10 doubles over the final three months of last season, almost as good or better than every other catcher at his position with at least 200 plate appearances in that span, gives the Padres time to make a decision regarding how Mejia fits on the major league roster.

“We’re not rushing anything,” General Manager A.J. Preller said the first week of camp, “especially with somebody we feel has a very bright future.”

Hedges, 26, has done nothing but encourage and help Mejia since the younger catcher’s arrival. And for a player who acknowledges doubt and competition spurred him, it seems probable Mejia’s arrival helped Hedges as well. In 178 at-bats after the Padres traded for Mejia, Hedges hit 10 home runs and eight doubles.

There will come a time this decision is forced.


“Any time you have a switch-hitting catcher with plus tools, good things can happen with that,” Hedges said. “You never know what a guy like that is capable of. It’s really going to just be up to him how those skills play out. But there’s no denying he has them.”

UPDATES:

1:52 p.m.: This story was updated with an Andy Green quote.