Marlins prospect Meyer is motivated to ‘dominate’

Marlins prospect Meyer is motivated to ‘dominate’

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By Joe Frisaro @ManOn2nd

JUPITER, Fla. — A fire burns inside Miami Marlins’ pitching prospect Max Meyer whenever he steps on the mound.

Actually, his competitive drive is present in whatever athletic endeavor Meyer is participating.

Growing up in Minnesota, Meyer was never afraid to mixed it up on the ice, while playing hockey. On the mound, his mission is to dominate.

‘I’m a little too competitive, I feel like,” Meyer said on Tuesday afternoon. “If it’s a bad day, I’ll be pretty pissed off. If it’s a good day, I’ll want more out of myself. It’s hard to be like that, but every single time out, I just want to dominate. That’s what I’m going to be like for the rest of my career.”

Domination is exactly what Meyer did on Tuesday morning, facing batters in a live batting practice session on Field 2 of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex.

Meyer threw 20 total pitches in a controlled situation. He struck out every batter he faced. His fastball touched 97 mph, and his slider reached as high as 90 mph. He mixed in some changeups, a pitch that will loom big for him. Having that consistent third pitch will help determine if Meyer becomes a reliable starter or winds up as a reliever.

On a chilly Tuesday morning, Meyer was locked in, and didn’t give the hitters much of a chance. Aside from the obvious strikeouts, another takeaway was he threw strikes. When you’re pounding the zone facing batters for the first time in months, that’s a good sign.

“I compete in everything I do,” Meyer said. “My brother, he’s a couple of years older than me. I always wanted to be better than him, and make my dad say, ‘Atta boy, Max.’ He pushed me throughout my life, and all my buddies back home, too. I got in some scraps in hockey, for sure.”

In fairness, Meyer also quickly admitted that the hitters are not yet up to speed at the plate. After all, it’s still Feb. 1. One of the purposes of this camp is to help get everyone sharp before Minor League camp opens in a few weeks.

The Marlins are conducting their winter development camp for invited prospects who are not on the 40-man roster.

While there is a lockout at the MLB level, the Minor League season is progressing as normal.

The fact remains, Meyer is one of Miami’s more advanced prospects. He may end up reaching the big leagues in 2022. But for now, he’s not yet on the 40-man roster.

The third overall pick out of the University of Minnesota in 2020, Meyer spent much of 2021 at Double-A Pensacola, before making a couple of starts to finish off the year at Triple-A Jacksonville.

The numbers show Meyer had a strong first full season of pro ball in ’21. He logged a personal high 111 innings, with all but 10 of them coming at Double-A, before his late-season promotion.

Meyer combined for a 6-4 record with a 2.27 ERA in 22 total starts. At times, he was overpowering, striking out 130 total, with 42 walks.

According to MLB Pipeline, Meyer is Miami’s No. 3 prospect, and he’s listed 30th on their Top 100 prospect list.

But not every ranking outlet is as high on Meyer.

Keith Law of The Athletic doesn’t have Meyer listed at all on his Top 100 list, which has triggered Marlins’ Twitter on social media.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Meyer has been made aware of his standings and snubs. He uses them as motivation.

“It pisses me off,” Meyer said. “I just want to show everyone. I’ve kind of been counted out my whole life. I know I got drafted third overall, but I only had one offer, and it feels like my rankings sometimes go down. So, does anyone trust me? So that’s why I go out every single time and I just want to absolutely dominate.”

For the most part, you can take any prospect ranking list for what it is. They aren’t going to please everyone, and that’s ok. But keep in mind, in this case, whether it is Pipeline or The Athletic, their respective lists are well thought out and researched. And still, the two lists vastly differ.

Law ranks Marlins’ right-hander Eury Perez 64th, while Perez didn’t make the cut on Pipeline’s Top 100.

On the other hand, Marlins outfield prospect JJ Bleday isn’t on The Athletic’s ratings, but he’s 71st, according to Pipeline.

At ManOn2nd, our sources are high on Meyer, but actually like Perez better.

The question with Meyer, from what we hear, is whether he will have the consistent three-pitch mix to be a starter. If not, there are some we’ve spoken to who believe Meyer would be a lock-down closer, based on his fastball and slider and competitive nature.

Ultimately, players decide their futures.

From what we saw on Tuesday, Meyer is clearly ready to compete in 2022.

“My stuff was pretty sharp today,” Meyer said. “It feels good to just be out there.”

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One thought on “Marlins prospect Meyer is motivated to ‘dominate’

  1. Pingback: Offishial news, 2/2/22: Minor League Development Camp; Pablo López interview | Miami Sports Today

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