WBN’s International Player of the Week is Tomateros de Culiacán First Baseman Joey Meneses in Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico.
Meneses, 32, is leading the league in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS. His numbers are ten home runs, 48 RBI, a .573 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .968 in 171 at-bats this season.
He went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in a 7-3 win against Aguilas de Mexicali last night.
Meneses spent three MLB seasons with the Washington Nationals from 2022-2024. The left-handed Mexican slugger signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets this offseason on November 26.
Last season, he had ten home runs, 30 RBI, and an OPS of .793 in 194 at-bats. On July 5, he was optioned to the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings.
He elected free agency after the season.
His career MLB numbers are 29 home runs, 165 RBI, and a slash line of .274/.322/.408 in 1,114 at-bats.
Meneses took a long road to show, signing a MiLB deal with the Atlanta Braves out of Mexico when he was 19 in 2011.
He played in the minor leagues for 11 seasons in the Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Nationals minor league farm systems. He was finally called up to the MLB in 2022 to make his debut.
In 2019, he played 29 games with the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
He also played in the World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico in 2023. He hit two home runs and drove in six runs in 27 at-bats in the WBC. Mexico was eliminated in the semi finals of the WBC in a 6-5 loss to Japan at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Meneses has extensive international experience, having played 12 seasons with Tomateros de Culiacán. He has also played for Team Mexico in the Caribbean Series five times but never won it.
His career international numbers are 59 home runs, 346 RBI, and a slash line of .281/.346/.434 in 1,992 at-bats.
