Víctor Mesa Jr is baseball royalty in Cuba. His father Víctor, Sr is arguably the best centerfielder in the history of the Cuban Serie Nacional. The are very big shoes to fill for the young outfielder, but one can argue he has filled them simply by making his MLB debut last year with the Miami Marlins.
In 16 games the native of Villa Clara, Cuba with the fish in 2025 Mesa hit .188 with two doubles, a homerun and six runs batted in. Before the season Mesa was designated for assignment by Miami and eventually traded to their cross-state rival Tampa Bay Rays.
Mesa came into camp during March with lofty expectations, but injuries slowed his progress and he eventually ended up in the minors. After hitting a robust .350 at Triple-A Durham he was eventually called-up to the big leagues last month. Mesa homered in his first at-bat with the big club, but has eventually cooled off and is hitting a paltry .176 as of today.
You started off good, but now you hit a slump. What adjustments do you have to make?
I mean, you just keep going, keep working and keep trusting on the work that I’m putting in. Obviously it is true that lately I have not been able to produce like I want, but I feel it’s part of baseball, you know, and I just need to keep trusting in myself, keep working and just like, kind of like come back to basics. And I know I’m going come around at some point.
You have another Cuban here that’s actually a great hitter, Yandy Díaz. Has he offered you any advice on hitting?
I mean, not really, but we talk a lot about baseball, about everything overall. And, you know, he kind of told me the same, just to keep doing my thing, keep trusting in myself and keep doing whatever brought me here, you know, I feel that’s the key.
You’ve played in Miami and in Tampa. Two places have a big Cuban population, What are the similarities and differences of the two cities?
I mean, I don’t know if I’m like the guy who could show you difference right now. I feel that it’s kind of similar, kind of same way, kind of the same, because they have a good amount of Cubans in both cities. But I haven’t been too much in Tampa, so it’s not that I could tell you too much, but obviously I already appreciate the way that they’ve received me and how. They support us as a players here And I love it.
I’ve heard that you were a good soccer player growing up in Cuba. Tell us about your love for soccer.
I mean, yeah, I feel that was kind of good, but, you know, I mean, just something that I do as a hobby and I kind of like it. Obviously, once I got here and I became professional baseball player I kind of like let it go, but it was something that, yeah, it was something I played as a kid. I went to school and then I played baseball and after baseball, I got to play a little bit soccer with some older guys. They were good memories, but it’s been a while since I’ve played.