dig the long ball

Time to issue a record watch at Trustmark Park. Ernesto Mejia has 17 home runs, two shy of the Mississippi Braves’ single-season record of 19, set by Matt Esquivel in 2007. The M-Braves start a five-game homestand on Tuesday. The TeePee isn’t a homer-friendly yard as a rule, but Mejia, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound right-handed slugger, hasn’t had much trouble reaching the fences there. Nine of his bombs have come at home. The record could fall there this week. Mejia, a 25-year-old Venezuelan in his seventh pro season, isn’t listed among Atlanta’s top prospects. He strikes out a lot (100 times already in 2011), and his defense at first base is average at best. But he has to have raised some eyebrows this year — and not just with his power. He’s hitting .302 overall and has 64 RBIs (the team record is 80) and 57 runs. He left the Braves’ organization in 2010 and played in the Kansas City system before re-signing with Atlanta last off-season. The Braves have Freddie Freeman at first base in the big leagues and Mauro Gomez, another right-handed slugger, at that position in Triple-A, so Mejia’s chances of advancement with Atlanta appear slim. But he might make a valuable trading piece down the road. In the meantime, fans at the TeePee will be digging the long ball.