The Phillies gave Michael Mercado a shot to start last year and initially, it went well. He pitched five solid innings in a spot start after his one inning debut, then followed that up with seven of the ugliest innings over three games that one could have.
Now, he’s climbing prospect lists?
When Fangraphs came out and placed him one spot above Justin Crawford, it raised a bit of an eyebrow among people that follow such things. Looking at what Mercado has in terms of stuff, the ceiling is there, but...you have to kind of perform as well.