Women in the major leagues no longer a far-fetched idea
Just call her Monet Davis. Melissa Mayeux, a 16-year-old French shortstop, on Sunday became the first female player to be included in Major League Baseball’s international registration list. She could be the first woman signed to an MLB team when she becomes eligible on July 2.
The list is for prospects who meet age and citizenship requirements in places that aren’t subject to the draft (i.e. outside of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico). While the list is open to all players who meet these criteria, those included are typically serious prospects. The consensus seems to be that Mayeux is unlikely to be signed — but as MLB.com’s Lindsay Berra notes, her inclusion on the list “solidifies her status as a legitimate player,” paving the way for her to pursue a baseball career in college and beyond.
Mayeux is a member of France’s U-18 junior national team and its senior national softball team. And she’s caught the eye of Mike McClellan, MLB’s director of international game development. Mayeux is “a legitimate shortstop who makes all the plays and is very smooth and fluid in the field,” he told Berra. “She swings the bat really well and is fearless.”
“Fearless” is a word commonly used to describe another young baseball phenom redefining what it means to throw like a girl: Mo’ne Davis. The hardthrowing teen made a name for herself last summer, overpowering the boys in Little League with her 70 m.p.h. fastball and unflinching confidence. You could very well argue that Davis is the reason Mayeux or other female players could end up on an MLB roster in the future. She’s almost single-handedly transformed the narrative about women in baseball, changing the minds of scouts who previously couldn’t fathom the idea of a woman in the majors.