Marlins Rotation Candidate Strikes Out All-Star Twice in Spring Training Debut

The Miami Marlins gave one of their young pitchers his first spring training start and he came through with a solid outing.

A general view of the cap worn by the Miami Marlins for St. Patrick's Day. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

For Miami Marlins right-hander Max Meyer, Friday was a big day.

The 26-year-old right-hander made his first start of spring training against the New York Mets. Per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola, Meyer had been throwing this spring, but he’s taken his first two turns on the back fields at Jupiter, Fla., which means there were no stats to track.

With enough work on the back fields, Meyer was ready for a heavier workload than most pitchers assume in a spring training debut, as he threw three innings.

Max Meyer’s Spring Training Debut

Miami Marlins pitcher Max Meyer. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

He threw 39 pitches, 26 of which were strikes, so he was efficient. He gave up two hits and no runs, along with four strikeouts. The kicker for the pitcher is that two of those strikeouts were of new Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, who was traded to the team in the offseason from the Texas Rangers for outfielder Brandon Nimmo.

Meyer is among a handful of starters competing for one of two spots in the rotation. Sandy Alcantara is the ace, with Eury Pérez assured of a spot. Manager Clayton McCullough said earlier this spring that Chris Paddack is expected to be in the rotation.

From there, Meyer is competing with Braxton Garrett, Janson Junk, Bradley Blalock, Adam Mazur, Ryan Gusto and Dax Fulton. One of those pitchers, Mazur, is preparing for a surgical consult with Dr. Keith Meister about discomfort in his throwing elbow.

Meyer has been a part of the Marlins’ staff for three years, but he hasn’t started more than 12 games in any of those seasons. Last year he went 3-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 12 starts, with 68 strikeouts and 20 walks in 64.2 innings. That was preceded by 11 starts in 2024, as he went 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA. He struck out 46 and walked 19 in 57 innings.

He made his MLB debut in 2022 as he went 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in two starts. He had Tommy John surgery after those starts and missed the 2023 season recovering from the surgery.

Meyer was the Marlins’ first-round pick in 2020 out of Minnesota. In three minor league seasons he went 10-11 with a 3.17 ERA in 50 starts, with 268 strikeouts and 85 walks in 230 innings. He was a 2021 MLB Futures Game selection and a Baseball America minor league all-star. He was also the Southern League Pitcher of the Year that season.