Jesuit arm goes 10th overall

Oregon commit and former Jesuit high school star Noble Meyer was drafted 10th overall by the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

At 6-foot-5, Meyer has been on scout’s radar since his early high school days, and he has steadily added velocity to his fastball and shot up draft rankings.

This past spring, Meyer posted an ERA of 0.33, struck out 128 batters and walked just 19 over 63 innings, leading Jesuit to the 6A state title game and earning Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

At No. 10, Meyer was the first prep pitcher off the board, and he is the highest Oregon player to be drafted since Adley Rutschman was taken No. 1 overall in 2019.

“I have no words,” Meyer told MLB Network after hearing his name called, donning a Marlins hat and jersey. “I’m on top of the world right now.”

MLB Pipeline’s scouting report of Meyer noted the increase in his velocity while also highlighting his slider, saying “it’s a future strikeout pitch that travels laterally with good depth.”

The report also added that “he has all the ingredients to be a future frontline starter.”

While committed to Oregon, Meyer is likely to forgo college given the Marlins history of developing pitchers and that the slot value for the 10th overall pick is just under $5.48 million.

While McMinnville has faced Jesuit several times since Meyer’s arrival onto the high school scene, Mac coach Todd Peterson said they never faced Meyer on the bump in any of those games.

Meyer is the second Jesuit arm to be taken in the first round in the last four years. In 2020, the Philadelphia Phillies selected Mick Abel with the 15th overall pick.

Abel, then an Oregon State commit, went on to sign for $4.08 million, coming in around $200,000 over slot value.

Abel is now in Double-A Reading and is the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies organization with an estimated Major League Arrival of 2024, according to MLB Pipeline.

On Saturday, he earned the win in the MLB Futures Game with a scoreless inning.