It’s not every day that you see a woman make a true run at a major league roster spot but Melissa Mayeux may be the first to cross the barrier into male professional sports.
She’s still a huge longshot to actually make it to the major leagues, but on Sunday, 16-year-old shortstop Melissa Mayeux from France made history when she became the first female player ever added to MLB’s international registration list. What that means is that, as of July 2, Mayeux will be eligible to be signed by any MLB team. It also means that, in the eyes of many, Mayeux is a legitimate MLB prospect, even though she’s still incredibly young and probably will end up having to play in college before she gets any real big league consideration.
Mayeux seems to be in no rush to make her trip to the MLB. She knows that she needs a lot more experience before she can compete at that level.
“I would like very much to continue playing baseball in France until I’m 18 years old,” she said, “and then have the ability to leave for university or another opportunity abroad. I’d like to stay in baseball as long as possible.”
It’d be an incredible if a MLB team gave Melissa Mayeux a shot at joining a minor league team. There’s been cases of long shots being given chances and making a name for themselves. It’d be worth it for the story alone.
