Meet the French teenager trying to become the first woman in MLB
Major League Baseball is one step closer to having its first female player. On Sunday, 16-year-old French teenage Melissa Mayeux became the first known female to be added to MLB’s international registration list.
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That means Mayeux is eligible to be signed by a club during the next international signing period, which begins July 2.
While anyone can attempt to register for the list, only players who have the potential to be signed actually make the cut. Even if Mayeux isn’t signed by a club, the fact that she was accepted for the list solidifies her status as a legitimate baseball prospect.
Some within the game have been pretty impressed with her skills, according to MLB.com.
MLB Director of International Game Development Mike McClellan has been watching Mayeux play for two years.
“She’s a legitimate shortstop who makes all the plays and is very smooth and fluid in the field,” he said. “She swings the bat really well and is fearless.”
McClellan recalls an at-bat the right-handed Mayeux had during a tournament in Barcelona in April. She was facing a 19-year-old Dominican pitcher who was throwing 91 mph, which is considerably harder than most pitchers in her age group can throw. “She ripped a base hit off of him, just to the right of second base,” McClellan said. “She just went with the pitch, and she looked good doing it.”
Don’t believe McClellan, take a look at some of Mayeux’s highlights.
As MLB.com’s Lindsay Berra notes, it’s unlikely Mayeux will be signed during this period. Even if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be the end of her chances at a pro career in the game.
Should she go unsigned, Mayeux would be eligible to play in the American university system. It is also a possibility that she could be one of the top 25 French players who would make the roster for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, when she will be two years older and likely stronger and faster. That is, if the French team doesn’t — as McClellan puts it — “ring ‘er up.”
Berra also notes that most European prospects sign closer to the age of 18 anyway, so Mayeux still has a few years to continue making her mark.
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Baseball may not welcome its first female member this summer, but Mayeux’s presence on the international registration list is significant. It may not happen now, or even soon, but we’re much closer a time where MLB’s first female player becomes a reality.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
