Cleveland Indians' Oscar Mercado: "The COVID-19 pandemic is serious, stay at home"
The 26-year old Colombian big-league outfielder reached out to fans through a video in his mother tongue Spanish (subtitles in English).
As the world continues to fight COVID-19, Colombian big leaguer Oscar Mercado recently took to social media to reach out to fans.
Mercado referred to the pandemic as "a serious situation" and believes everybody has a "role to play" in overcoming the spread of the coronavirus. In the video post, he also encouraged fans to #StayHome, in accordance with respective national safety instructions.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Mercado in 2013. He represented Colombia at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Following the tournament, he was promoted to the AA Springfield Cardinals.
Mercado was added to the Cardinals 40-man roster before the 2018 season. He was playing at the AAA level when St. Louis traded him to the Cleveland Indians. After beginning the 2019 season in AAA, he was promoted to the Major League club last May.
Mercado appeared in 115 games for Cleveland during the 2019 campaign, playing in all of the outfield positions, mostly as center fielder. He connected for 15 home runs and 54 RBIs while posting a .269 batting average. He also stole 15 bases.
Mercado was born in 1994 in baseball-crazy Cartagena de las Indias, Colombia. He and his family moved to the United States when he was seven. He played baseball at the Gaither High School in Northdale, Florida. He then committed to play college baseball at Florida State University.
