AMARILLO, Texas (KTSM) – For the second year in a row, Coronado graduate Ivan Melendez is the talk of the baseball world in the Lone Star State.
One year after winning the Golden Spikes Award for the Texas Longhorns, Melendez’s first full season in the minor leagues has been a big success. El Rey hit his 30th home run of the 2023 season on Wednesday in a 17-6 Amarillo Sod Poodles win over the Arkansas Travelers. Melendez has also now homered in three straight games.
His 30 minor league home runs have come across two levels of the sport. Melendez hit 18 bombs in High-A Hillsboro, setting the Hops’ single-season home run record.
After getting called up to Double-A Amarillo in early July, Melendez has continued his tear, hitting 12 home runs for the Sod Poodles in that time, while hitting .300 with 32 Double-A RBI.
For the season, in 83 games across two levels of MiLB, Melendez is hitting .279 with the 30 home runs and 75 total RBI.
A top-10 prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system, the 2022 second round pick could be playing his way into Triple-A by season’s end. Even if he doesn’t, he’s proven that he can swing it with the best in Minor League Baseball.
