Things started off normally enough for Max Meyer when the college baseball season opened in February. The junior out of Minnesota was trying to add another season’s worth of scouting footage to his portfolio in preparation for the 2020 MLB Draft. Just as he had done his entire collegiate career, Meyer dominated, cruising with a 1.95 ERA through four games. The coronavirus cancelled the season in mid-March, but that small sample of excellence solidified him as a first-round draft pick. A very high first-rounder, as it turns out—the Marlins took him third overall.
Less than one month later, he is already throwing off the mound at the organization’s alternate training site in Jupiter, Fla.