Mena joined the White Sox as a $250,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019 and zoomed through the Chicago system, reaching Triple-A at just 20 years old in 2023. He was added to the 40-man roster that offseason and then traded to the D-backs for outfielder Dominic Fletcher. Playing in his first season in the Arizona system, Mena finished with a 4.61 ERA, 102 strikeouts and 46 walks in 95 2/3 innings for Triple-A Reno and got a cup of coffee and the start for his Major League debut on July 3. He didn’t pitch again after July 25 due to a right forearm strain but is considered good to go for 2025.
The youngest pitcher to throw more than 90 frames at Triple-A last season, Mena should be graded on somewhat of a curve, and he showed up to camp with good added weight and strength. That’s promising because he already added velocity in 2024 and was showing a four-seamer and a sinker around 92-94 mph. His velo has been up another tick in 2025. Both pitches were extremely hittable without stellar movement in Triple-A, though, and Mena needed to rely more on his mid-80s breaking pitches to get whiffs. His curveball drops sharply downward while his slider shows decent sweep but can bleed into the curve. Mena lands both well out of a high three-quarters slot, and batters have trouble reading it out of his hand. The curve has become the better of the two and has been used almost like a primary pitch in '25. An 89-91 mph changeup gave him an armside offspeed option but doesn't have much separation at all.
Mena doesn’t look like he’s overthrowing out of an athletic delivery, but because he’s so reliant on breaking pitches, he can run into control issues if hitters don’t chase them outside the zone. His age means he should still have a long leash as a starter, and improving fastball quality would be a big help.
Mena signed with the White Sox for $250,000 in July 2019 as the most prominent pitcher in his international class. A little more than four years later, he reached Triple-A in his age-20 season, was placed on Chicago’s 40-man roster and was then traded for outfielder Dominic Fletcher as the Sox looked for Major League-ready offense. Mena was the only age-20 pitcher to meet the qualifying standard at Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, posting a 4.85 ERA with 156 strikeouts (14th-most in the Minors) over 133 2/3 innings. His 15.9 percent swinging-strike rate was second-best among 89 qualifiers at the top two levels, regardless of age.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander added velocity during his stay in the Chicago system but was around 90-94 mph with his fastball in 2023, topping out at 95 without enough movement to be effective against upper-level hitters (which is why he only threw it 39 percent of the time last season). The whiffs came much more prominently from his secondaries, starting with a low-80s curveball with sharp downward movement. His similarly low-80s slider had more horizontal break but could bleed into the curve at times too. His upper-80s changeup averaged 13 inches of horizontal movement at Triple-A, and that helped it get more whiffs than should be expected for a cambio at that velo.
Mena walked 11.3 percent of his batters faced at Double-A, a bit of a surprise for a pitcher with solid athleticism and a nearly effortless delivery. Control issues can come from a pitcher who relies too much on breakers and offspeed, so a better fastball and improved confidence in the heater would go a long way. Mena can take more time to develop at Triple-A with Arizona and work toward his ceiling as a legit MLB starter.
The highest-priced pitcher in Chicago's 2019 international class, Mena signed for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic. The pandemic delayed his pro debut until 2021, when he posted a 7.82 ERA but topped the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in strikeout rate (11.5 per nine innings) as one of its youngest starters (age 18). He dominated Single-A in the first half of last season, held his own in High-A and made three starts in Double-A as a teenager as part of the organization's Project Birmingham.
Mena showed improved velocity during his full-season debut, with his fastball sitting at 92-94 mph and touching 96 with riding action after parking at 90-92 the year before. His best pitch, a plus downer curveball, went from the upper 70s in 2021 to the low 80s last season. He added a harder, sharper slider last year that shows promise but needs more work, as does a mid-80s changeup that features some tumble but needs more separation from his heater.
With his athleticism and low-effort delivery, Mena has the potential for solid control and command. His strike-throwing has taken a step back since he arrived in High-A in mid-2022, however, and he has gotten knocked around when he struggles to locate his pitches. He has the upside of a mid-rotation starter and his feel for spinning the ball could make him a useful bullpen piece.
The most expensive pitcher in the White Sox 2019 international class, Mena signed for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic. The pandemic shutdown pushed his pro debut to 2021, when he was one of the youngest starters (age 18) in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Though he logged a 7.82 ERA, he topped the ACL in strikeout rate (11.5 per nine innings) and showed the potential for a solid three-pitch mix.
Mena works in the low 90s and reaches 95 mph with his fastball, which should add more velocity as he gains some needed strength. His best present pitch is his upper-70s curveball, which features true downer break and grades as a plus pitch at its best. He flashes some feel for a mid-80s changeup, though it gets too firm and he doesn't fully trust it yet.
Mena is athletic and his delivery doesn't have much effort, but he's still learning to repeat his mechanics. When he gets out of sync, the quality and command of his pitches deteriorate and he gets whacked, but that has happened far less frequently in 2022. His success this season, when he dominated Single-A for two months before getting promoted to High-A at age 19, leads credence to the idea that he can become a No. 4 starter.
The top pitcher signed by the White Sox in their 2019 international class, Mena turned pro out of the Dominican Republic for $250,000. The cancellation of the 2020 Minor League season delayed his debut until this summer, when he served as one of the youngest starters (age 18) in the Arizona Complex League. Though he got knocked around by Rookie-level hitters, he showed the potential for a solid three-pitch mix. After reaching Triple-A in his age-20 season, Mena was added to Chicago's 40-man roster in November and traded to the D-backs for Dominic Fletcher three months later.
Mena's best present offering is a downer curveball that grades as plus at its best. He currently works in the low 90s with his fastball and his projectable 6-foot-2 frame bodes well for velocity gains in the future. He also has some feel for a changeup that is still a work in progress.
Mena throws a decent amount of strikes for a youngster but lacks consistency with his command, which is why he got hit hard in his first taste of pro ball. He's athletic and should be able to repeat his delivery and locate his pitches better as he gains more experience.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's batted balls allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
24.08
2
1.1
1
0
2
0
0.0
2025
21.03
1
0.7
0
0
1
0
0.0
Player
23.06
3
1.8
1
0
3
0
0.0
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's batted balls allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's batted balls allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
0
1
1
1
1
2
1
0
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
0
1
1
0
2
1
1
2025
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
Player
3
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
1
0
1
1
2
2
3
1
1
3
2
2
3
2
3
2
1
2
1
0
3
2
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's batted balls allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
