Noble

Meyer

Meyer, the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, had a 2.65 ERA and a 43/23 K/BB ratio in 34 innings for low-A Jupiter. He could rate as one of the game’s very best pitching prospects by season’s end.

Meyer agreed to a $4.5 million bonus, which is significantly underslot for the 10th overall pick. The six-foot-five right-hander from Oregon was committed to the University of Oregon, but will instead begin his climb up through the minor league ranks in the Marlins organization.

A generation ago, before teams relied heavily on draft models that didn’t account for the risk associated with prep pitchers, Meyer might’ve been a top-five overall pick. The 18-year-old right-hander can dial up premium fastball velocity, and also throws a curve and slider. He’s your prototypical projectable 6-foot-5 arm with an exceptionally-wide range of potential outcomes. He’ll be given every chance to make it as a mid-rotation starter, and possibly more if everything comes together, but didn’t quite have the polish to be a slam-dunk top-10 pick. The Marlins have had a ton of success developing pitchers over the last few years, and will embark on a similar project with Meyer, if they can lure him away from his commitment to Oregon.