01/17/2020 - 2020 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament
Menelik is an athletic 2021 OF prospect. In the OF, Menelik starts in a relaxed position, has smooth actions to the ball, and he covers the gaps. He plays through the ball and has good arm strength. At the plate, Menelik starts in an athletic stance, has good rhythm in his load, and has an explosive lower half. He has fast hands and he looks to drive the ball through the middle part of the field. Menelik is highly motivated and we hope to see his progress in the future.
06/01/2019 - 2019 Under Armour Showcase: Baseball Factory's National West
Menelik continues to show as a top prospect on the diamond. In the OF not many balls get down that are hit his way (6.44 60 time). He has the versatility to play all 3 OF spots effectively. At the plate, he continues to shine. He stands in with a solid/strong base and has fluid rhythm to load. Barrel delivery is short/quick with aggression as he connects with power driving (88 mph exit velocity) to all parts of the field. Menelik has the makings of a special type player with the makings of a solid draft pick in 2021.
01/18/2019 - 2019 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament
Menelik continues to show as a top prospect on the diamond. At the plate, he shows an athletic setup. Hands are quick (93 mph exit velocity) and work through an aggressive swing path. He has strength in his swing and shows a feel for the barrel with gap-to-gap pop. In the OF, he utilizes his quick/aggressive feet as he moves well laterally (6.72 60 time), displaying range as he covers a ton of ground. He displays smooth/clean actions with hands/feet working well together through the fielding process as he gets rid of the baseball quickly with accuracy and zip (84 mph velocity) on his throws. Menelik has the makings of a special type player and will get looks from the top college coaches and pro scouts with his baseball abilities.
10/06/2018 - 2018 Under Armour Showcase: Baseball Factory's Futures West
Menelik is an athletic OF prospect who continues to showcase his skills on the field. In the field, Menelik shows efficient footwork and uses his speed taking good angles to the ball. He gets into an athletic position and fields the ball out in front. He makes a clean exchange and gains momentum well on his throws, keeping them consistently on-line to his target. At the plate, this RHH sets up in an athletic stance and takes a short stride. He is smooth getting into his load and drives through well with his lower half. He takes a level swing with fast bat speed which leads to consistent contact and gap to gap pop. Overall, Menelik is a talented prospect who will be one to follow going into his sophomore season.
06/15/2018 - USA Baseball 17U Championships
Menelik continues to show as a top prospect as he continues to improve his baseball abilities. Foot speed has improved as he ran his best 60 time to date, now a superior runner at 6.37. In the OF, he displays smooth, fluid actions. He takes proper routes/angles in tracking down balls and not many balls get down that are hit his way. Transfer exchange is smooth as he zips throws on a line through his target. He has the versatility to play all 3 OF spots effectively. At the plate, he continues to shine through an athletic setup. He stands in with a solid/strong base and has fluid rhythm to load. Barrel delivery is short/quick with aggression as he connects with power driving to all parts of the field. At the event, he was 3 for 9 with a 2B and hit several balls hard. Mental makeup is outstanding as he is a great kid, is very coachable, and works hard to be the best athlete he can be. With 3 years to further develop, Menelik has a big upside and will get looks from collegiate coaches and pro scouts as he continues to develop his baseball tools.
06/02/2018 - 2018 Under Armour Showcase: Baseball Factory's National West
Menelik continues to show a promising future on the diamond. In the OF, he takes proper routes/angles in tracking down balls. Transfer exchange is smooth as he zips throws on a line through his target. A RHH - he stands in with a solid/strong base and has fluid rhythm to load. Barrel delivery is short/quick with aggression as he connects with power driving the ball with gap-to-gap pop.
03/18/2018 - College PREP - Monterey Park (Los Angeles), CA
Menelik is a strong, athletic OF who has a tremendous future on the diamond. Foot speed is excellent as indicated by his 60 time of 6.72. In the OF, defensive abilities are outstanding as he displays smooth/athletic actions. He utilizes his feet well in tracking down balls through proper routes/angles. He works to get behind balls and plays through with momentum to his target. Range is a plus as he reads ball well off the bat and covers a lot of ground. At the plate, he continues to shine, displaying outstanding hitting/power potential through a squared/athletic setup. Hands are quick and work through an aggressive swing path. He works to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields with gap-to-gap pop. Lower half works well through the swing and shows plus barrel accuracy with the baseball exploding off the bat when centered. With 3 years to further develop, Menelik has the making of a special type player and will get looks from collegiate coaches with his baseball abilities.