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After being selected as the Marlins’ first-round draft pick on Wednesday night, Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer joined broadcasters Kyle Sielaff and Glenn Geffner to describe his emotions, his communication with the club throughout the 2020 MLB Draft process, how he developed into a premium pro prospect and much more. You can watch the entire conversation on Periscope beginning at the 1:59:41 mark.
On his first reaction to getting drafted: “You lose words when stuff like this happens and that’s kinda where I’m at right now.”
On talking with the Marlins leading up to the draft: “I had a really good meeting with them, I think, three days before the draft. They gave me a lot of tough questions, and they liked what I had and I liked what they had to offer. They were at a couple big games that I pitched—my Oregon one and then my North Carolina one. They were pretty fired up and I’m fired up right now, too.
On realizing he could be drafted highly: “I’d say just the strength gains I made over my sophomore year. I put on like 20 pounds and my velocity jumped up and I was like, ‘Alright, we got a shot of doing something special.’ I wasn’t really focused on the draft—I was focused on our team maybe being able to contend to get into (the College World Series).”
On his signature slider: “I started throwing it a bunch senior year of high school. I flip the grip around a little bit. I got pretty good feel on the mound and I can make adjustments, so if one grip isn’t working, I’ll switch over to the other.”
On being “undersized” for a starting pitcher: “I’ve heard it a bunch my whole life. But when I get out on the field and I see all these big boys, I just love to compete against them. It fires me up when people around me are also doing really well because that just brings my game to the next level.”
On stay fit during COVID-19 shutdown: “I got hooked up with a private facility so I was able to get my five-days-a-week lifting program in that I did over the winter getting ready for the season, so I was able to stay in shape. I’m starting to ramp up throwing again, so I’m gonna be back here soon off the mound. I can’t wait to get back on it.”
On his readiness for potential 2020 MLB debut: “Whenever they need me, I’ll be ready to go. I’m just waiting on a call.”
On hobbies: “Just started to get into hunting. I love to fish every chance I can get. I hit the golf course—I’ll probably be golfing a lot. Just doing anything outside with the boys or whatever we can think of.”
On the best advice he’s received: “Just bet on yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t be anything. Dreams come true and they came true today for me.”
On professional career goals: “The first thing that I want to do is I want to win championships. I want to win World Series—that’s my main goal. Whether it’s me being (an MVP) or All-Star games, I don’t care. I want to get a ring on my finger.”