There have been countless movie series that have been milked to the bone, but more often than not, the original remains supreme. Off the top of the dome, though, The Godfather and Toy Story were two that were able to go to infinity and beyond. For Halloween, the OG will forever remain the pinnacle, and that was where we were first introduced to Michael Myers, the hockey mask-wearing killer that never rushed. No situation was too big and the lights were never too bright. If Team USA was down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning with only one out left, there is no one else I’d want at the plate. Disregard the fact that Myers has a career 0 plate appearances but he did connect with Steve Haley’s head 11 times in Halloween (2007) with an aluminum bat then got more swings in Halloween Kills (2021). Max Meyer is thankfully not as violent as Michael Myers, but he has hit five batters in his career, so you never know. That said, Meyer has dealt with multiple injuries that have derailed his career early on, but he’s bounced back every time. Is it now his time to shine?
Max Meyer is 27 years old, 6-foot, 196 pounds, and throws from the right side. He was a highly-touted prospect and was selected by the Miami Marlins with the third overall selection in the 2020 MLB draft, garnerning a signing bonus of $6.7 million.
Throughout his minor league career, the strikeout rate was well over 25%. There were control issues, though, which put the K-BB% often in the high teens.
Meyer received his first taste of the big leagues in 2022, making two starts and pitching a total of six innings. Unfortunately, he experienced elbow discomfort and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2023 season.
In 2024, he pitched 58 Triple-A innings then racked up 57 in the bigs. And the results were gross – 5.9 FIP, 18.5% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate – but not surprising coming back from Tommy John.
Last season, things started off well. Through five starts, the FIP was 2.5, the K/9 was 12.3 with a 2.1 BB/9. Only three home runs were served up, and he went at least 5.2 innings in every start. The wheels fell off after that, or more specifically, the hip. Meyer underwent left hip labral repair surgery in June, but the results starting from late April show that it may have been an issue then.
From April 27 to June 2, Max Meyer made seven starts, allowing five, five, five, three, one, four, and four earned runs over that span. The FIP was 6.16, K/9 was 7.01, while the BB/9 was 3.38. He allowed nine home runs.
Well, through three Spring Training appearances, Max Meyer looks to be back in top form. Granted, it’s a small sample size of seven innings, and it’s Spring Training, but he has not allowed an earned run on three hits, walked only one, and struck out 12 batters.
Currently, he’s projected to be in the starting rotation as the fourth option. The health concerns are real, but the ADP of 301 from NFBC drafts in March mitigates much of the risk. The four-seam fastball isn’t a whiff machine (around 14% over the last two seasons), but the slider is exquisite. Last season, the pitch had a whiff rate of 42.7%.
