Name: Hendry Mendez
Position: OF
Born: November 7, 2003
Country: Dominican Republic
Bats/Throws: L/L
Height/Weight: 6’2″ 175lbs
How Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Brewers. Traded to the Phillies along with Robert Moore for Oliver Dunn on November 14, 2023.
Signed: January 15, 2021
Bonus: $800,000
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
MiLB Free Agency: 2027
Stats
Prospect Rankings
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: High – Mendez’s swing is a real mess leading to poor contact, but *gestures at everything else* is pretty good.
Summary: Mendez fills out a uniform well, has plus raw power (104.6 mph 90th percentile and 111 mph max this year according to Baseball America), has very low chase rates, and very good contact rates. He walked as many times as he struck out (13.9%) as a 20 year old in low-A. He hits the ball on the ground too much, like many Phillies hitting prospects, which limits his game power. Your initial thought would be that he has some swing and timing improvements to make, and for that you would be mostly right. Mendez’s swing is a mess, it consists almost entirely of his arms so he is rarely on time, on plane, or hitting with much force behind the ball. When he does engage his hips, they are often disjointed leading to more timing issues. Much like Justin Crawford, he is at his best on pitches inside because the swing path means he must engage everything in a way that allows him to get some thump. Right now, the whole thing is completely unworkable, but there are enough other things going on that if the Phillies do fix it, he could be a very interesting hitter. On defense he is a slightly negative corner outfield defender, which means that he needs to produce offensively.
2025 Outlook: Mendez will go to AA where the park should be advantageous for power if he can get his swing in a place where he can elevate the ball. He is only 21, so it would not be a bad thing if he spent the whole year at AA.
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: Extreme – Mendez has moved to an outfield corner which puts pressure on his bat. His stats do not indicate his bat will be up to the task, which leaves his potential more dependent on past projection and his physicality.
Summary: The Brewers signed Mendez for $800,000 when the 2021 signing period opened, and he had a great debut in both the DSL and Arizona Complex League. However, in both 2022 and 2023 his swing started to show deficiencies in quality of contact generated. Mendez has the physicality to hit for power, but his swing leads to an enormous amount of ground ball contact (over 60% the last two seasons). Historically, Mendez has had a solid approach and low swing and miss, so if the Phillies can rework his swing there is a chance he can tap into those changes. At one point, Mendez was thought to be a center fielder, but he is now firmly a corner outfielder and will likely see time in both corners going forward.
2024 Outlook: Mendez played all of last season at high A in the Brewers system, but given his struggles, he likely goes to Jersey Shore to open the 2024 season. The big thing will be if the Phillies make swing changes and if they are able to get Mendez to square up the ball more consistently.
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: High – Mendez’s swing is a real mess leading to poor contact, but *gestures at everything else* is pretty good.
Summary: Mendez fills out a uniform well, has plus raw power (104.6 mph 90th percentile and 111 mph max this year according to Baseball America), has very low chase rates, and very good contact rates. He walked as many times as he struck out (13.9%) as a 20 year old in low-A. He hits the ball on the ground too much, like many Phillies hitting prospects, which limits his game power. Your initial thought would be that he has some swing and timing improvements to make, and for that you would be mostly right. Mendez’s swing is a mess, it consists almost entirely of his arms so he is rarely on time, on plane, or hitting with much force behind the ball. When he does engage his hips, they are often disjointed leading to more timing issues. Much like Justin Crawford, he is at his best on pitches inside because the swing path means he must engage everything in a way that allows him to get some thump. Right now, the whole thing is completely unworkable, but there are enough other things going on that if the Phillies do fix it, he could be a very interesting hitter. On defense he is a slightly negative corner outfield defender, which means that he needs to produce offensively.
2025 Outlook: Mendez will go to AA where the park should be advantageous for power if he can get his swing in a place where he can elevate the ball. He is only 21, so it would not be a bad thing if he spent the whole year at AA.
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: Extreme – Mendez has moved to an outfield corner which puts pressure on his bat. His stats do not indicate his bat will be up to the task, which leaves his potential more dependent on past projection and his physicality.
Summary: The Brewers signed Mendez for $800,000 when the 2021 signing period opened, and he had a great debut in both the DSL and Arizona Complex League. However, in both 2022 and 2023 his swing started to show deficiencies in quality of contact generated. Mendez has the physicality to hit for power, but his swing leads to an enormous amount of ground ball contact (over 60% the last two seasons). Historically, Mendez has had a solid approach and low swing and miss, so if the Phillies can rework his swing there is a chance he can tap into those changes. At one point, Mendez was thought to be a center fielder, but he is now firmly a corner outfielder and will likely see time in both corners going forward.
2024 Outlook: Mendez played all of last season at high A in the Brewers system, but given his struggles, he likely goes to Jersey Shore to open the 2024 season. The big thing will be if the Phillies make swing changes and if they are able to get Mendez to square up the ball more consistently.
Season Reports/Highlights
Summary: Mendez entered the season with one of the ugliest swings you have ever seen and probably the best approach of any hitter in the system at the plate. His swing is still too flat, but he has cut his ground ball rate dramatically and hit more balls in the air. He has above average raw power, and if he can get the ball in the air more he should be a 15-20 home run hitter. If he can maintain the good approach and contact rates with that sort of improvement he should be a plus hitter in left field. He isn’t a great defensive player, but he can stick in the outfield for now. Mendez has come a long way this year, and at just 21 years old there still may be more potential.
Trade Deadline Thoughts: Mendez is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and probably needs to be protected while also being unlikely to contribute much to the 2026 Phillies. That is the demographic the Phillies often trade from. Since his swing does need work he isn’t going to appeal to all teams at the deadline, but there is a chance a team thinks he has untapped potential or just does not care about batted ball data enough to value him in a deal.
7-17 1 2B 1 3B 1 HR 4 RBI 1 BB 2 K 1 SB
I try to avoid writing up the same player twice, but if you hit for the cycle you get to break the mold. On Friday, Mendez pulled off the feat in 8-5 loss and in only 4 PAs after starting with the triple in the first and ending with the double in the 8th. They were Mendez’s only 3 extra base hits of the week, but it was also a week cut short by what looked like a back injury early on Sunday as he was tagged after sliding in safely at home. When I last wrote about Mendez he was rapping up a May where he was hitting for more power, and in June he has not hit for the home run power, but he also weirdly now has 3 triples. Overall since we last spoke about Mendez in detail he is hitting .284/.358/.463 with 10 walks to 6 strikeouts. His number of times (and success) facing a lefty has grown as well, including his home run in his cycle. He still has a lot of work to do, but he has gone from a player we were worried was stuck forever in poor habits to one that might be a top 10 prospect in the Phillies system.
OF Hendry Mendez (19) – Mendez has been a bit of a mystery box since coming over in the Oliver Dunn trade. His walk and strikeout rates have always been excellent, and his exit velocity numbers have all been perfectly fine. The problem is he never not had an ugly swing that smashed the ball into the ground. This year his ground ball rate is a totally reasonable 51.9% with a swing that is flatter and more under control through the zone. His walk (11.1%) and strikeout (13.0%) rates continue to be excellent. He had 6 doubles in April, but he turned that into 4 doubles and 4 home runs in May. Mendez is not a good fielder or runner on the bases, so his bat will be his path to a major league feature. He still needs to get the ball in the air more and has historically struggled against lefties. However, he looks to actually be showing a growth path towards being a major league hitter.
7 G 7-22 1 HR 5 RBI 5 BB 5 K .318/.444/.455
If you liked Justin Crawford’s penchant for hitting hard ground balls, but wish it came with more plate discipline and a worse defensive profile, then Hendry Mendez was the prospect for you. Mendez has consistently posted good walk and strikeout rates, with this year’s 10.9% BB% and 14.5% K% being another solid entry. He already is left field only defensively, and while he doesn’t need to be a DH right now, he is going to be a negative in the field. Prior to 2025 his best full season ground ball rate had been 59.9% in 2023 when he was in the Brewers organization. It has crept up a bit in recent weeks, but this year he stands at a 51.7% ground ball rate, with career highs in both line drive and fly ball rates. He has enough power that the fly balls are turning into home runs, and even with a modest 13.3% HR/FB rate he has 4 home runs in 40 games, 1 off of his career high of 5 from 2022. Mendez does struggle against LHPs, but Reading has seen so few lefties that he has only 17 plate appearances against them this year. His home runs are also split evenly between Reading’s friendly confines and the road. Visually it looks better as well. His swing is still not geared for damage in the air, but it looks more on balance, it just comes through the zone incredibly flat. Previously he would show impressive pitch recognition coupled with a swing that made you question if this was his first time holding a bat. Mendez will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, which may become more relevant as trade talks come up, but he is also only 21 so this bit of improvement may not be the end of his growth.
Summary: Mendez entered the season with one of the ugliest swings you have ever seen and probably the best approach of any hitter in the system at the plate. His swing is still too flat, but he has cut his ground ball rate dramatically and hit more balls in the air. He has above average raw power, and if he can get the ball in the air more he should be a 15-20 home run hitter. If he can maintain the good approach and contact rates with that sort of improvement he should be a plus hitter in left field. He isn’t a great defensive player, but he can stick in the outfield for now. Mendez has come a long way this year, and at just 21 years old there still may be more potential.
Trade Deadline Thoughts: Mendez is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and probably needs to be protected while also being unlikely to contribute much to the 2026 Phillies. That is the demographic the Phillies often trade from. Since his swing does need work he isn’t going to appeal to all teams at the deadline, but there is a chance a team thinks he has untapped potential or just does not care about batted ball data enough to value him in a deal.
7-17 1 2B 1 3B 1 HR 4 RBI 1 BB 2 K 1 SB
I try to avoid writing up the same player twice, but if you hit for the cycle you get to break the mold. On Friday, Mendez pulled off the feat in 8-5 loss and in only 4 PAs after starting with the triple in the first and ending with the double in the 8th. They were Mendez’s only 3 extra base hits of the week, but it was also a week cut short by what looked like a back injury early on Sunday as he was tagged after sliding in safely at home. When I last wrote about Mendez he was rapping up a May where he was hitting for more power, and in June he has not hit for the home run power, but he also weirdly now has 3 triples. Overall since we last spoke about Mendez in detail he is hitting .284/.358/.463 with 10 walks to 6 strikeouts. His number of times (and success) facing a lefty has grown as well, including his home run in his cycle. He still has a lot of work to do, but he has gone from a player we were worried was stuck forever in poor habits to one that might be a top 10 prospect in the Phillies system.
OF Hendry Mendez (19) – Mendez has been a bit of a mystery box since coming over in the Oliver Dunn trade. His walk and strikeout rates have always been excellent, and his exit velocity numbers have all been perfectly fine. The problem is he never not had an ugly swing that smashed the ball into the ground. This year his ground ball rate is a totally reasonable 51.9% with a swing that is flatter and more under control through the zone. His walk (11.1%) and strikeout (13.0%) rates continue to be excellent. He had 6 doubles in April, but he turned that into 4 doubles and 4 home runs in May. Mendez is not a good fielder or runner on the bases, so his bat will be his path to a major league feature. He still needs to get the ball in the air more and has historically struggled against lefties. However, he looks to actually be showing a growth path towards being a major league hitter.
7 G 7-22 1 HR 5 RBI 5 BB 5 K .318/.444/.455
If you liked Justin Crawford’s penchant for hitting hard ground balls, but wish it came with more plate discipline and a worse defensive profile, then Hendry Mendez was the prospect for you. Mendez has consistently posted good walk and strikeout rates, with this year’s 10.9% BB% and 14.5% K% being another solid entry. He already is left field only defensively, and while he doesn’t need to be a DH right now, he is going to be a negative in the field. Prior to 2025 his best full season ground ball rate had been 59.9% in 2023 when he was in the Brewers organization. It has crept up a bit in recent weeks, but this year he stands at a 51.7% ground ball rate, with career highs in both line drive and fly ball rates. He has enough power that the fly balls are turning into home runs, and even with a modest 13.3% HR/FB rate he has 4 home runs in 40 games, 1 off of his career high of 5 from 2022. Mendez does struggle against LHPs, but Reading has seen so few lefties that he has only 17 plate appearances against them this year. His home runs are also split evenly between Reading’s friendly confines and the road. Visually it looks better as well. His swing is still not geared for damage in the air, but it looks more on balance, it just comes through the zone incredibly flat. Previously he would show impressive pitch recognition coupled with a swing that made you question if this was his first time holding a bat. Mendez will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, which may become more relevant as trade talks come up, but he is also only 21 so this bit of improvement may not be the end of his growth.