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Ex-Greensburg pitcher Alex Meyer gets first taste of MLB

Manny Randhawa
Manny.Randhawa@indystar.com
Alex Meyer made his MLB debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 26, 2015.

CINCINNATI – Getting an invitation to spring training by a major league team is cause for celebration for most minor league baseball players. For Greensburg's Alex Meyer, the celebratory mood didn't make it to the field.

Meyer got a phone call as he walked through the door of the Minnesota Twins' spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on the first day of camp.

His grandfather had died.

"He was always one of my biggest fans," Meyer told The Indianapolis Star as he sat in the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ball Park last week.

"He paid for a lot of my stuff to be able to (play baseball), whether it was to play in a high school tournament, to go play in a summer league, or if it was going to a showcase or something. So without him, I don't think this would have been possible."

What Meyer didn't know on that emotional February 21st, was that the first half of the 2015 season would become the most trying period of his professional career, full of enough peaks and valleys to span multiple seasons.

Meyer, a star pitcher for Greensburg High School and the 2008 Indiana Mr. Baseball, reportedly turned down a $2 million signing bonus from the Boston Red Sox to play at the University of Kentucky. The 6-9, 225-pound right-hander was drafted by the Washington Nationals, signing for $2 million, in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft, 23rd overall.

After the 2012 season, Meyer was traded to the Twins. And after retiring the only two batters he would face out of the bullpen on June 25th for Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, there was a message waiting for him in the dugout.

"I came in and my pitching coach told me I was done, and told me right there I was going to the big leagues tomorrow," Meyer recalled. "It was kind of a surreal moment because you've worked to get up to this point."

It was also bittersweet for Meyer.

"I would have loved if this would have happened last year, when my grandfather was here, just because of everything he had done," Meyer said.

Meyer made his major league debut the same day he joined the Twins. Minnesota manager Paul Molitor summoned Meyer out of the bullpen in the first inning after starter Trevor May allowed five earned runs before he could get the second out of the game.

Meyer didn't fare much better, allowing four runs on three hits, including two home runs, over 1 2/3 innings. He was returned to the minors on Saturday, having made one other appearance on June 29 against the Reds. He gave up one run in one inning of work against Cincinnati.

The disappointing stint in the majors was the latest in a series of ups and downs for Meyer. After losing his grandfather in February, Meyer began the season at Triple-A even though he had gone into spring training with a chance to compete for a spot in Minnesota's starting rotation.

Meyer was rated by Baseball America as the No. 62 prospect in baseball and MLB.com had him No. 3 in the Twins organization. Meyer moved quickly through the Single-A and Double-A levels, and in his first exposure to Triple-A hitters in 2014, posted a 3.52 ERA and averaged 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

But Meyer began having control problems this season. He was unable to locate his 98 mph fastball, which led to an inability to use the biting curveball he also has in his repertoire. The result was a 7.09 ERA in 39 1/3 innings for Rochester.

The Red Wings moved Meyer to the bullpen, and suddenly he was back to his dominant self. He posted a 0.53 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 17 relief innings; opposing batters hit .188 against him over that span.

"Probably just a mindset thing more than anything, just attack the batters instead of trying to nibble around the plate too much," Meyer said of the turnaround.

But once he reached the majors, the control issues resurfaced.

"It's not a big secret if you're pitching behind in the count and guys really only have to protect against one pitch in particular (the fastball)," Molitor said of Meyer's difficulties. "You can see when he does get ahead, the breaking ball becomes more effective and they chase it more. It just doesn't work that way conversely when he gets behind."

Meyer immediately recognized the jump in sophistication of hitters at the big league level.

"It's not like Triple-A or Double-A where you're able to throw it by guys because you can overpower them," he said. "That's not going to happen as often. So it's just about getting strike one, getting back to basics, keeping the ball down, and start from there."

Knowing what he needs to do to right the ship again, Meyer can draw inspiration from a source he's looked to throughout his baseball life. If this was last season, Meyer would have found his grandfather in the stands at Great American Ball Park, just an hour from his hometown.

But while he knew he couldn't survey the seats to find his grandfather last week, Meyer wasn't discouraged.

"I know he's watching from where he is and he's rooting like crazy for me," Meyer said with a smile. "He's probably yelling at me from there, telling me to throw strikes."