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The Marlins were expected in almost every Mock Draft to draft left-handed pitcher Asa Lacy out of Texas A&M. When the third pick was called, Asa Lacy and Austin Martin were still on the board. The third pick was a surprise to most as the Marlins selected right-handed pitcher Max Meyer out of Minnesota.
Max Meyer was born to a family where his dad was a football star and his mom played soccer at St. Olaf College. Meyer played four years at Woodbury High School and started three years as a pitcher and infielder. At this time, he was the number 2 ranked player in Minnesota and number 114 nationally by Prep Baseball Report. During his time in high school, he earned achievements such as All-State Selection twice, All-Selection honoree three times, and landed on an All-State Tournament team for the state of Minnesota. While playing baseball, he also played hockey for three years. His hard work led to him being drafted in the 34th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Instead of signing right out of high school, he decided to attend the University of Minnesota.
Max Meyer entered his freshman year in more of a reliever role. he played twenty-six games and would tie the program record of 16 saves in a season. He went on his freshman season to post a record of 2-3 with a 2.27 ERA in 43.2 innings. He also posted 54 strikeouts and a WHIP of .870. A few highlights in his freshman year included: Big Ten Freshman of the Week, a save in his collegiate debut, and struck out 6 batters in the three shutout innings against UCLA in the NCAA Regional.
He entered his sophomore year in more of a starter role but did play a few games in relief. In 11 starts, he posted a record of 5-3 with a 2.11 ERA in 76.2 innings. He managed to have two saves while striking out a team-best 87 batters. He also got to play out in the field and played in 35 games in which 30 he started. He had a line of .256/.323/.314 with one home run, 12 RBI’s, and 15 runs scored. A few highlights from his sophomore year included: All-Big Ten selection, made his 1st career start on the mound against Oregon, and struck out a team season-high 12 batters against Indiana.
Meyer’s junior year was cut short like everyone else’s. Despite the short season, Meyer put up some great numbers. In just four starts, he posted a 3-1 record with a team-low 1.95 ERA and a team-high 46 strikeouts. He was fifth in the nation in strikeouts and led all of the Big Ten. He also played 11 games in the field. He had a line of .185/.214/.222 with four RBI’s and a stolen base. A few highlights in his short junior year included: striking out 10 batters against TCU, threw his first complete game collecting 14 strikeouts against North Carolina, struck out 15 batters (career-best and Gopher best since Glen Perkins) against Utah.
The 6 foot, 185-pound pitcher/outfielder has a pitch mix that could benefit him in the future. He has a mid 90s fastball that has topped 101 mph and has a nasty slider that could be one of the best in his class. He also has a changeup but does not rely on it as much as the fastball/slider mix. Marlins director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik told the media last night that Max Meyer is “The most athletic college pitcher in the draft with the most electric stuff. And he is just about Major League ready.”
The Marlins have a stacked farm system of pitchers already, and Meyer just adds to that. Meyer has a shot to land in the top 10 prospects along with 5 other pitching prospects in the system. Even though most fans saw the Marlins going for Asa Lacy, Max Meyer looks like he could be one of the pitchers for the future in the Marlins rotation.
