Excellent defensively, Melvin struggled at the plate, batting just .233 over his ten major league seasons. In 1987 he threw out 40% of the opposition’s would-be basestealers (second-best in the NL) as the Giants’ part-time catcher, nailing Tim Raines and Vince Coleman twice each. He also hit a career-high 11 home runs that year, but batted just .199.
After three seasons of splitting time with Mickey Tettleton (1989-90) and Chris Hoiles (1991) behind the plate for the Baltimore Orioles, Melvin was traded to Kansas City for Storm Davis. He batted a career-high .314 in 1992 but played in only 32 games, never again seeing regular action in his three remaining seasons.
