Anthony
Meo
RHP
/ Coastal Carolina
Bats-Throws: R-R
Height/Weight: 6-2/185
Hometown: Cranston,
R.I.
Previously
Drafted: Nationals ’08 (43)
Birthdate: Feb,
19, 1990
SCOUTING
PROFILE: Meo stamped himself as a potential first-rounder for
this year’s draft by going 13-2, 2.60 as a sophomore as the staff
ace for a 2010 Coastal Carolina team that was the best in that
school’s increasingly-relevant baseball history. With Meo leading
the way, Coastal narrowly missed making its first appearance in the
College World Series, losing out to state rival South Carolina, the
eventual national champion, in super-regional play. Typical of almost
every Coastal Carolina player, Meo was a prominent out-of-state
recruit. He was a big fish in a small pond at Rhode Island’s
Cranston West High, leading that school to back-to-back state titles
as a sophomore and junior. That ended a drought of 30 years, and
essentially ended a decade-long period of dominance by traditional
Rhode Island prep power Bishop Hendricken High. Meo weighed a
43rd-round offer from the Washington Nationals out of high
school, and his decision to attend Coastal Carolina should pay off
handsomely in this year’s draft. He went a combined 22-4, 2.75 with
66 walks and 162 strikeouts in 174 innings in his first two seasons
with the Chanticleers, and ended the 2011 regular season at 8-3, 2.42
with 28 walks and 99 strikeouts in 93 innings. His success in college
has closely paralleled Coastal Carolina’s rise to prominence in
national baseball circles in recent years. Meo has succeeded mainly
with a fastball in the 92-96 mph range, peaking at 98, and an 87-89
mph slider. He has been the quintessential power righthander who
lacks finesse in his approach, and will need to harness his fastball
control and command as he progresses. In particular, he still needs
to develop his changeup to give him a reliable third pitch, and
continue to refine his delivery in order to fine tune his command. At
this point, Meo will likely be drafted as a projectable starter. But
his ability to refine his changeup and smooth out his mechanics at
the professional level may ultimately determine whether he’ll
remain a starter or become a closer as he makes his inevitable climb
to the big leagues.
Projected
Draft Position: Late first round /
compensation round.
Perfect
Game Events Attended
2007 WWBA World Championship