With the graduation of electric starting pitcher Eury Perez, pitcher Max Meyer is now the top-ranked prospect in the Miami Marlins farm system. He's also No. 53 in the entire sport.
Unfortunately, the hard-throwing righty has been out all season recovering from Tommy John surgery but the team did get some good news recently about his rehab and recovery.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Meyer (elbow) could recover in time to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, Baseball America reports.
ANALYSIS
He underwent Tommy John surgery last August and is unlikely to be a full-go until October. The AFL runs from early-October through mid-November, so it wouldn't be surprising if Meyer isn't quite ready in time, but he should at least be a full participant in spring training.
It would certainly be good to see him throw in the AFL but you understand if and why the team would want to be cautious with him.
The 24-year-old was drafted third overall in the 2020 COVID-year draft out of Minnesota.
In two minor league seasons, he's 9-8 overall with a 2.77 ERA. In 58 innings at Triple-A in 2022, he struck out 65 batters. He actually did make a brief cameo at the major league level in 2022 as well, going 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in six innings.
The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
Meyer's slider wasn't quite as dominant as advertised in his pro debut but returned to wipeout status last year, sitting in the upper 80s with outstanding horizontal action and two-plane depth as well. His fastball added a couple of ticks of velocity, parking at 94-96 mph with riding action, and he has reached double (triple) digits in shorter stints in the past. He also upgraded his feel for his changeup, which is a bit firm in the upper 80s but features good fade and serves as a solid third pitch.
His lack of size did lead to concerns about Meyer's durability, and his elbow reconstruction will create more questions, though he does have the strength and athleticism to remain a starter.
The Marlins currently hold the top spot in the National League wild card race. They are 45-34 on the season.
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