Yermín Mercedes
February 14, 1993
Yermín Francisco Mercedes (born February 14, 1993), nicknamed ”The Yermín-ator” is a Dominican professional baseball catcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. On April 4, 2021, he set a major league record as the first baseball player in modern MLB history to begin a season with eight consecutive hits. He has also hit the longest home run of the 2021 MLB season to date, a 485-foot (148 m) home run against the Kansas City Royals on April 8, 2021.
March 03, 2011
Mercedes signed as an international free agent with the Washington Nationals on March 3, 2011. He spent the 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons with the DSL Nationals, hitting .302, .327, and .255 respectively. On August 24, 2013, Mercedes was released by the Nationals organization.
2014
Mercedes spent the 2014 season in independent baseball. He played for the Douglas Diablos and the White Sands Pupfish of the Pecos League, and for the San Angelo Colts of the United League Baseball. In 2014 between the three teams he batted .385/.424/.701 with 17 home runs.
September 08, 2014
On September 8, 2014, Mercedes signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization. He spent the 2015 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds, hitting .272/.302/.456/.758 with eight home runs and 42 runs batted in (RBIs). He split the 2016 season between Delmarva and the Frederick Keys, hitting a combined .345/.404/.570/.974 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs. Mercedes split the 2017 season between Frederick and the Bowie Baysox, hitting a combined .276/.340/.455/.795 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs.
2020
Mercedes and his wife, Alejandra, were married in 2020.
August 01, 2020
On August 1, 2020, Mercedes was called up to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut the following day as a pinch hitter, grounding out in his only plate appearance.
April 02, 2021
Mercedes recorded the first hit of his major league career on April 2, 2021, when he hit a single against the Los Angeles Angels. In the same game, he became the first player in Chicago White Sox history to record five hits in their first major league start. The following day, Mercedes had hits in his first three at bats, becoming the first player since at least 1900 to begin a season with eight straight hits. On April 5, Mercedes was named the American League Player of the Week after batting 9-for-14 with a 1.643 OPS, .643 average and six RBIs. On April 19, Mercedes made his first pitching appearance during a game against the Red Sox. Mercedes was named the American League Rookie of the Month for the games played in April.
