Battling injuries and setbacks, Max Meyer finally feels healthy and ready to unleash his revitalized arsenal on the mound for the Marlins.
The 2025 Miami Marlins' season ended up way more exciting than anybody anticipated.
Miami progressed from losing 100 games in 2024 to being in the playoff race until late September, and even after the Marlins' elimination, the team still provided joy by knocking the New York Mets out of the playoffs.
Max Meyer was there for all of it, but it was bittersweet because he didn't get to pitch for most of the season.
In late June, Meyer underwent hip surgery that put him out for the rest of the campaign. This type of bad luck has been a theme for Meyer's big-league career. When the Marlins drafted Meyer third overall in 2020, Miami was hoping to get a future ace, with the Minnesota Golden Gopher getting comparisons to pitchers such as Tim Lincecum, who won two Cy Youngs and three World Series for the San Francisco Giants.
Meyer hasn't been what Miami hoped, but it hasn't been his fault.
He made his big-league debut in June 2022, then tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his second start. So when the Marlins made the playoffs in 2023, Meyer didn't get to contribute.
Meyer came back for 2024, but was hampered by the bad hip that ultimately required surgery and ended the season with a 5.68 ERA in 11 starts.
In 2026, Meyer is finally healthy.
"I feel good," he told reporters at Marlins media day Friday. "Had a good offseason, put on some weight, and everything feels good, how it should feel. So I hope that I can just continue that the whole season."
Meyer said his work began at the start of the offseason.
Halfway through the offseason, he was running without any issues.
Of course, Meyer being healthy will only mean so much if he can't pitch well, and he's been working on his arsenal, too.
He said he's spent the offseason developing his sweeper, along with the depth of his changeup, the shake of his sinker, and the vertical on his fastball.
While all of this was going on, the Marlins traded two of their projected starters, including last year's No. 1, Edward Cabrera.
Meyer recognizes the importance of this, but says it doesn't affect the way he goes about his business.
"That's always my goal every season," he said. "I want to be there when they call my name, and I want to contribute when they call my name. I don't want to be sitting on the sidelines anymore, because that was pretty frustrating."
Meyer will miss Cabrera, who is now a Chicago Cub, and Ryan Weathers, who is now a New York Yankee.
But the show must go on, and for Meyer, the show has been routinely interrupted since he got to the majors.
If Meyer can keep the show going with the only interruptions being on the days he isn't scheduled to pitch, he'll have a fair chance to show if he was worth the No. 3 overall pick.
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