First-rounder Meyer adjusts to odd times
Put yourself in the shoes of Max Meyer for a moment.
You’re 21 and have just been drafted No. 3 in the MLB draft. Instead of heading out to some small-town rookie ball or Single-A team, you’ve been summoned to join a 60-man roster with the Miami Marlins, prepping with everyone else for a season’s start that could be in question. You’ve moved to a city nearly 2,000 miles from your hometown and the only state you’ve ever called home amid a global pandemic. You’re holed up in a hotel, being tested for coronavirus regularly and working out with new teammates.
And oh, yeah, you might just pitch in the major leagues before you ever step foot in the minors.
“I haven’t been away from home much, going from Minnesota and then playing at the University of Minnesota,” he said Tuesday. “It’s definitely a little weird, but I feel like I’m adjusting pretty good right now. But anything I ever need, my parents always have my back.”
Meyer signed his contract last week and was added to the 60-man squad, where he is part of the group in Jupiter preparing as reserves for the team in Miami. The team is scheduled to start its season in just over two weeks. Placing Meyer, the lone draftee added, in Jupiter stems both from his relative maturity as a pitcher and the necessity of getting more reps, since the minor league season was canceled.
“That’s the most athletic college pitcher in this draft, with the most electric stuff, and he’s just about major league ready,” Marlins director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said on draft night.
That athleticism was on display for the first time Tuesday, when Meyer threw roughly 20 pitches from a mound in a controlled environment. He did not face a live batter, though outfielder JJ Bleday stepped into the box to see a few pitches up close and personal.
“Definitely I guess kind of the juices were flowing a little bit being the first time back on the mound and especially in the Marlins’ uniform, it was pretty special,” Meyer said. “But yeah I just kind of did the same thing I have been doing my whole life — just get out there, stretch and throw as normal and get out there on the mound.”
For Bleday, Meyer’s athleticism stood out immediately, a calling card for the undersized 6-foot right-hander.
“That was the first thing I noticed right off the bat was how athletic he is,” Bleday said. “He’s got confident body movements. He pounds the zone. And he’s calm, cool, collected on the mound. As a position player, that’s what I love to see out of a guy, out of a pitcher. That’s huge. That speaks volumes on how athletic you are.”
Jorge Guzman said he and Meyer — both capable of hitting triple digits on the radar gun — joked about the other taking care of his arm.
“I think Max is pretty cool,” Guzman said. “He talks with everybody. He’s very nice with everybody here. So far, we’ve been seeing each other, great teammate.”
Meyer said he spent his down time after the suspension of the collegiate season bulking up — lifting weights and “eating a lot.” He got up to 200 pounds and hopes to keep that weight on in the South Florida heat.
For a player who under normal circumstances would be comfortably adjusting to professional life, this is still about the process more than the results.
That’s not the case for others, hoping to turn this unprecedented situation into an opportunity.
“You don’t want to rush your process to the big leagues although you gotta look at this opportunity as, ‘Hey, you’re basically in AAA. If something happens, you’re getting called up,’ ” Bleday said. “You’ve got to make sure you’re ready to go.”
For now, Meyer’s routine stays simple: arrive at the ballpark early, go through workouts, abide by the testing and behavioral protocols, head back to the hotel, play some video games.
Meyer says he’s not been told to prepare to pitch in the big leagues, nor is that his immediate aim. Yet.