Prospect Watch
Justin Meis
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 175 pounds
Level: Double-A Altoona
Justin Meis is underway with his third campaign at Double-A Altoona.
From the outside looking in, that could be perceived as somewhat ominous with regard to the 25-year-old plateauing in the minor leagues.
However, the Bethel Park native has gotten off to a nice start out of the Curve bullpen, posting a 2.81 ERA through 10 games, with 18 strikeouts and eight walks in 16 innings.
Granted, Meis recently navigated through his worst appearance of the season, as he surrendered three runs (two earned) over 1 2/3 innings May 7 vs. the Erie SeaWolves, allowing a pair of hits and walks.
But before that, Meis was sporting a 1.88 ERA and had delivered 6 2/3 scoreless innings over his previous four appearances.
Meis, a 10th-round (No. 283 overall) selection out of Eastern Michigan in the 2021 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh, has never been among the Pirates’ top prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline.
He’s also just under two years removed from being converted to a reliever at Altoona in 2023 after serving as a starter through Single-A and early on at Double-A.
Struggles in a starting role prompted Meis’ transfer to the bullpen in 2023, and, after making the deployment change, things appeared to come together for him, as he posted ERAs of 1.88, 2.12 and 2.79 from July-September to close out the campaign.
But in 2024, Meis was unable to maintain that momentum, completing the season with a 6.44 ERA over 37 relief appearances, with batters hitting .280 off him in 64 1/3 innings.
At this point in his career, Double-A has been the ceiling for Meis.
If he’s able to continue along as a dependable relief option with the Curve, the coveted next step in his professional career, a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis, could be forthcoming.