Keith Law - Meisner is a super-projectable right-hander with a great 6-foot-7 frame and lots of room to fill out, but who already flashes plus velocity with a delivery that has more effort than you'd like to see. Meisner's four-seamer sat 92-94 early in the year, although it was very true; he has good shape on the 75-76 mph curveball however its rotation isn't that tight yet, and he doesn't have great feel for his low-80s change. Meisner comes from a high 3/4 slot with a moderate stride -- he could step more toward the plate given how long his legs are -- and has a head-whack at release, to the point where he's facing the ground briefly as the ball approaches the plate. This is an immediate 'kill' for some teams (meaning they won't take a player with this kind of head violence).
Meisner dealt with some adversity leading up to the draft as well. He was suspended from school and in turn the playoffs for skipping class – something Meisner said was a bad decision on his part. He said not being able to pitch in the playoffs was tough to cope with, but he used it as a learning experience. “It killed me in the beginning,” he said. “I sent out a text to every person on the team. I said ‘It’s very disappointing. I know you’re going to need me in the playoffs but I made a mistake. It hurts me to see I can’t be with my team.’ I pitched all year just to be in the playoffs. That’s the goal is to win state. I had all of my friends and family there saying ‘You can’t do anything about it. You have to move on to the next step. You’ve got the draft coming up in a couple of weeks. Work out, work harder, get better, just fly right and do everything well and look forward to the next day and don’t dread on it.’ LINK
Meisner, who scouts kept a close eye on all season long,
is expecting to get drafted and intends to sign on with the MLB team that drafts
him and start his minor league career.
The other back-up plan, Meisner said, is to sign with a junior college – Grayson, Howard or Navarro. If the right-handed pitcher elects to pitch at Texas Tech, he’ll have to stay for three years until he’s eligible for the draft again.
The other back-up plan, Meisner said, is to sign with a junior college – Grayson, Howard or Navarro. If the right-handed pitcher elects to pitch at Texas Tech, he’ll have to stay for three years until he’s eligible for the draft again.
Choosing between school and chasing his dream of playing in the majors was a difficult decision to make for Meisner. The chance he has to improve in the minors, however, is something Meisner said he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s extremely hard to make a life decision like that,” he said. “The main thing I thought about was, when you get drafted, they pay for your college in a separate account. They put that money up so you can go back. You can take classes online. You can always go back to Texas Tech. The only thing I’m going to miss out on is playing college baseball.”
Jonathan Mayo - Meisner is a rare Texas pitcher who remains projectable. Listed at 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, Meisner has touched 94 mph with his fastball, but more typically throws it around 90 mph. As he physically matures and learns to be more consistent in his delivery, scouts expect his fastball to eventually sit around 94 mph instead of just touching it. He also throws a curveball and changeup, both of which have a chance to be Major League-average offerings. Meisner has clean arm action, but struggles to repeat his delivery, which affects his command and velocity. He is committed to Texas Tech.
Todd Gold: I like the Meisner pick for the Mets, continuing a big draft. Floor for Meisner is Doug Fister, but could develop beyond that comp as stuff comes along.
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