Bryce Meccage is one of the top high school pitchers in the country. After showing an intriguing pitch mix and potential last summer, the New Jersey prep right-handed pitcher has taken a step forward this spring.
Meccage has a quality work ethic and a strong passion for the game. He has developed into a top prospect in July’s MLB draft, with scouts projecting him as a likely early-round pick. Besides his status as a draft prospect, Meccage is a Virginia commit.
The talented right-hander credits his development into a professional prospect to the support system around him. His father, Jeremy, pitched collegiately at Iowa before being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and then was the Princeton pitching coach for 10 years. His mother, Melisa, was a two-time All-American field hockey player at Iowa and then coached for over a decade at the Division I level.
Besides his parents, Meccage also speaks highly of the impact of his uncle, Justin, who is the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen coach, and Princeton baseball coach Scott Bradley.
“It’s a pretty unique opportunity,” Meccage said. “The best thing about my situation is that my dad played professional baseball for a couple of years, and my uncle is in the big leagues right now. Having those connections and seeing what pro baseball is like helps. My mom and dad being around colleges so much gives me a really comfortable feel for both options that could present themselves. It’s a dream come true and super cool.”
Meccage is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-handed pitcher who throws a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup from an athletic and repeatable delivery and over-the-top arm slot.
The righty boasts a quality fastball and slider combination. Last year, Meccage’s fastball was in the low 90s. After he added 30 pounds to his frame in the offseason, the additional strength allowed him to move down the mound more efficiently and led to an uptick in velocity. Meccage has sat 94-97 mph and touched 98 mph this spring. His fastball features induced vertical movement, and he locates it well in all quadrants of the strike zone.
Meccage’s slider is his top pitch. He locates it well and uses it as his strikeout pitch. He mixes in a 12-to-6 curveball and worked on its shape in the offseason, so it is a distinctly different pitch than his slider, he said. Both pitches feature high spin rates.
Meccage attacks the strike zone with his pitch mix and boasts a ton of projection due to his size, increasing velocity and overall quality of his pitch repertoire.
“The biggest thing for me has been my competitiveness,” Meccage said. “Having the ability to go out there with a chip on my shoulder no matter the circumstance has been huge. I go out on the mound and am confident, regardless of who I pitch against or how many scouts are behind the plate. Going out there and having the dog mentality has helped me.”
Meccage is working on developing a changeup. He switched to a new grip this year. It sits 87-90 mph and is a pitch he can throw against righties and lefties. It features quality movement and plenty of potential, but Meccage is working on developing consistency and better command with his changeup.
“It’s a fairly new pitch,” Meccage said. “Sometimes it’s more like a screwball. It’s nasty, but it’s a month old now. So, the location of it has been kind of hit or miss. But the movement is an arm-side drop, and I can throw it against righties or lefties. Once it clicks at the next level, whether that’s the college or pro level, it’s going to be a good pitch for me.”
Meccage has tons of potential and figures to make more strides in his development at the next level, whether that’s in college or the pros. In addition to his status as a top draft prospect, Meccage is a Virginia commit.
His recruitment process started as a freshman during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the recruiting limitations imposed by the pandemic, Meccage spent a lot of time speaking with coaches over the phone.
The relationships he developed with the Virginia coaches stood out to him. He also respects the staff’s ability to prepare pitchers for the professional ranks.
“I made my decision based off how much I liked the coach because that was the only thing I had to gauge with them because I couldn’t go to campus, do camps and they couldn’t meet me because of COVID,” Meccage said. “Once I got there, I knew it was what I wanted. Great school, great stadium, and great area. It checked all the boxes. It also was close to home, which was important.”
Read more in-depth stories on top 2024 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for nine years. He has interviewed 518 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
