Washington Nationals Use One "Dunn" Pick In 2011 MLB Draft To Select Alex Meyer From The U Of Kentucky.

"It's been a long process for me when I got to Kentucky," Alex Meyer, the Nationals' second 2011 1st Round pick said when asked about what he still needed to improve on as a pitcher, "and the fact that I really didn't really quit growing until this last year, and things really improved for me quite a bit in this last year obviously, but there's still quite a bit that needs to be fixed up and tuned up a little bit, which moreso, I think it's matter of strengthening up my body a little bit still, but moreso, it's going to come down to repeating my delivery and having a consistent arm slot to deliver my pitches and once that happens, I feel like a lot of things will fall in place for me, the control will continue to improve and everything should turn out pretty well." 

"It's been tough, especially in high school, I didn't start growing, I guess I was average height all the way up until I was a freshman, that's when I really started to grow, in high school. Since then, I played outfield moreso than anything growing up, and then I really started to pitch in high school, and I was really trying to figure everything out, what necessarily I needed to do to be successful on the mound, and mechanics were a huge part of it for me, and with growing and everything it made everything difficult for me to, like I said, to repeat my delivery and everything, but it's kinda slowed down this year, I quit growing, I'm getting stronger, and since that's happened it's made everything easier for me, but I'm still not where I'm going to be, but I'm excited with the improvements I've made over the last year." 

The 6'9'', 220lb right-hander described his own arsenal to reporters during a teleconference this afternoon. "I feel like I throw a firm fastball that can range anywhere in the mid-to-upper 90's at times, and I think I have a really, really good breaking ball, which this last year at Kentucky worked really well for me. I felt like I could throw it whenever I wanted to, and had a lot of swing and miss with it, so it was a really good pitch for me, which it always has been. But the biggest addition I think has been my changeup that I've been throwing. This last year, I felt like I was able to throw it also at any point in time, especially when guys were sitting on a fastball, and when you're able to throw that thing and keep them off-balance, that's like, thinking about what pitch might be coming and stuff, opened up a lot of doors for me, and it's a pitch that's going to continue to get better. But obviously, like I said, this year it really opened things up for me. It made it, I don't want to say it made it easier for me to pitch, but it made things less complicated at times. 

The thought of one day pitching with Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann, Meyer says, "Is awesome to think about. The Nationals are obviously an organization that's on the rise, that's been doing things the right way here, ever since I can remember, and you know, it's an exciting moment for the organization and even for me, like you said, to think about playing with those guys, I don't know how it can get much better than that." Meyer said he was aware the Nats were tied to him with the 6th pick and had a feeling if he got to no.23 the Nationals would select him.

Meyer was drafted by the Boston Red Sox, but decided to attend the University of Kentucky, where he was 13-12 over three seasons, striking out 253 in 211.1 total innings pitched as a Wildcat. In 2011, Meyer was (7-5) in 14 starts and 101.1 IP, over which he walked 46 (4.09 BB/9) and struck out 110 (9.77 K/9). Asked about his decision to forego signing after he selected in the 20th Round by the Red Sox in 2008, Meyer said it was a decision that, "Mostly was in my parents' hands at that point, and letting them try to help me out with the whole process, and really, it was moreso their decision than anything, which at the time, I was ready for whatever they thought, but going to college, I would say benefited me, it was the best decision that I could have made at the time, and even looking up today, obviously I feel like it worked out for me so far."