Meyer revealed Friday that he's been dealing with sciatica but is hopeful of being past the issue, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
It's not clear exactly when or how long the sciatica was a problem, but Meyer noted that it was affecting his velocity and command. He feels healthy now and tossed two innings in Friday's Spring Breakout game versus Cardinals prospects, allowing run run with one strikeout and maxing out at 95 mph on the radar gun.
Meyer registered a 5.18 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 42:32 K:BB in 40 innings across 11 appearances for High-A Beloit.
Meyer was the consensus top prep righty in last year's draft, and it's an accomplishment for him to have logged 74 innings this season while climbing to High-A as a 19-year-old. However, his 16.3 percent walk rate at Single-A and 17.9 percent walk rate at High-A are dangerously high marks, even given his youth. He walked between two and five batters while never logging more than five innings over his last 10 starts. Meyer's got very strong stuff, but his control isn't ready for the upper levels.
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Marlins' Noble Meyer: Jumps to High-A
Rotowire
The Marlins promoted Meyer from Single-A Jupiter to High-A Beloit on Monday, FishonFirst.com reports.
Meyer was strong through eight starts at Jupiter this season, cruising to a 2.65 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 43:23 K:BB across 34 innings. He's proven that he's ready for the next level, as opposing hitters are batting just .149 against the 19-year-old right-hander so far in 2024.
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.
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