Meyer ready to throw 'nastiest stuff possible' in 2025 return

JUPITER, Fla. -- THROW. NASTY. STRIKES.

Those three words are emblazoned at the top-right corner of the Marlins¡¯ daily Spring Training schedule above the last names of the pitchers in camp. It¡¯s a mantra that Marlins right-hander Max Meyer has bought into.

¡°I'm just going out there and just throwing the nastiest stuff possible and getting after [it] every single time,¡± Meyer said. ¡°I'm excited for all these guys, too. I love watching these guys. I love watching [throwing partner Ryan] Weathers. ¡­ It's so fun to watch him succeed, and with the big offseason that he had. It's been just fun to watch all these guys. And I just can't wait to try to roll out dog after dog.¡±

Meyer, who turns 26 on March 12, is in a good mindset entering Spring Training.

In his return from August 2022 Tommy John surgery, Meyer looked impressive during Grapefruit League action but made the 2024 Opening Day rotation because of injuries to others on the pitching staff. After a dominant three-start stretch (2.12 ERA) to open the season, he was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville to monitor his workload. When Meyer came back, however, he struggled to the tune of a 7.20 ERA in eight starts and ended his campaign on the injured list with right shoulder bursitis.

As the Marlins hired coaches and player development director personnel over the offseason, new pitching coach Daniel Moskos and director of pitching Bill Hezel held introductory phone calls with the pitchers, including Meyer. Moskos continued to have conversations with the righty before presenting a powerpoint plan of objectives.

¡°The biggest thing for me was just getting him to be excited about baseball again,¡± Moskos said. ¡°It's tough when you do nothing but dominate and be really, really good at the game, and then all of a sudden you're not. It can rock your world a little bit.

¡°The first order of business: Build that relationship, and then learn what makes him tick, and then use that to get him back on board with loving and showing up to the field every day. Knowing that there's cool stuff to work on, and then getting back to being really, really good at what he knows he's good at.¡±

Since Meyer was predominantly a two-pitch guy (four-seamer and slider with a work-in-progress changeup), Moskos identified grips for a sinker and sweeper that would work well in Meyer¡¯s arsenal based on his arm path and delivery.

So, Meyer tested them out while beginning his throwing progression in January. With access to Trackman, Meyer could remotely work with Moskos on pitch design and shape. He also got rid of fat and added muscle with heavy lifting.

¡°My slider is going to be more down in depth and my sweeper's going to come across the plate,¡± Meyer said. ¡°I feel like with the movement, there's definitely a big separation between those two. They're not just looking for that hard [stuff] down when they¡¯ve got to prepare for something else and then worry about a hard fastball, too. So I'm just excited.

¡°My change is going to be a really good pitch, too, one of my best pitches. I feel like all my pitches are one of my best pitches right now. I just have crazy confidence in them that I haven't had a lot in the past going through the injury. I just feel strong, feel 100%, feel better than I did in college. So, yeah, I feel good.¡±

Meyer showcased his revamped arsenal -- and facial hair -- in Friday¡¯s live batting practice on a Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex back field.

¡°Very impressive,¡± manager Clayton McCullough said. ¡°Max had a really, really solid day. The excitement that he and our group had from some of the offseason conversations and the work he put in showed on the first day. The velocity was great, the mixture of having multiple breaking balls to be able to access the zone. He threw some really, really nasty ones to some left-handed hitters that got under some bats.

¡°You could just kind of see some of his swag on the mound and a real level of confidence. So, probably couldn't ask for a better first time there attacking hitters in a competitive manner for Max in camp. It was a really encouraging day.¡±