Meyer gave up only one hit over five scoreless innings for Single-A Jupiter on Saturday, walking two batters and striking out a career-high nine.
Still only 19 years old, Meyer flashed the upside that made him a first-round pick in 2023. He's struggled with his control to begin his first full professional season, posting a 19:15 K:BB through 19 innings, but that's in part due to the Marlins having him work on his changeup -- per Alyssa Gomez of MLB.com, Meyer threw 15 changeups among his 85 pitches, but only one went for a strike. The right-hander has already improved his velocity from when he was drafted however, and he topped out at 96.2 mph with his two-seamer. Miami won't push Meyer too aggressively this year due to his age, but if his changeup becomes an effective third pitch to complement his fastball and slider, he could make a quick rise through the system beginning in 2025.
Meyer made his first appearance for Single-A Jupiter on Saturday, allowing two hits over three scoreless innings while striking out four without walking a batter.
The 10th overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, and the first prep pitcher selected, Meyer dominated St. Lucie for 39 pitches (25 strikes) while flashing his plus fastball and slider. The 18-year-old made two quick appearances for the Marlins' Florida Complex League affiliate before a promotion to Single-A, but the organization isn't likely to push him too hard in his pro debut. As the team has shown with Eury Perez, however, age is less important than talent when it comes to being pushed up the ladder by the Marlins, so if Meyer continues to deal for Jupiter, an aggressive assignment to High-A to begin 2024 would be on the table.
