xPost from Feminists - French teenager may become the first woman to play Major League Baseball

[stevenleser]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/meet-the-french-teenager-trying-to-become-the-first-woman-in-mlb-192452046.html

Major League Baseball is one step closer to having its first female player. On Sunday, 16-year-old French teenager Melissa Mayeux became the first known female to be added to MLB's international registration list.

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.
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(more at above link)

[nc4bo]

1. I am impressed and I wish her well! nt

[FSogol]

2. It is a nice step, but should read professional player. Someone signed that young,

would not play in the majors, but would end up in a development league for years. Only a fraction of players in these leagues make it to the majors. That said, best wishes for Melissa Mayeux.

[stevenleser]

3. I think other women have made single A and maybe even double A. I'll have to check that... nt

[FSogol]

4. I don't think so. A woman played college baseball (as a pitcher), but was

never drafted. (Julie Croteau?) She went on to coach men's college baseball in division 1. There were also women who made a single appearance in the minors or exhibition games as a gimmick.

[stevenleser]

6. Ila Borders played professional baseball but apparently in a level under Single A.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ila_Borders

[FSogol]

7. Yeah, another pitcher. It is surprising that Melissa Mayeux is a shortstop and is garnering

attention. I've been hoping that Mo’ne Davis plays college baseball when he gets to school. She's more interested in playing hoops.

[Gman]

5. Looks like she has a helluva arm

And a good looking swing.

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Put her in an A league.

Or if she is eligible, get her in a college. A junior college would work.

As far as the age, Hispanic players are taken at a very young age. Their ability to handle it depends on the kid.

FWIW MLB needs to reform the way it handles those young Hispanic players. The areas they come from are very poor in many cases. The people in charge of the players can be very corrupt and bribed.

[FSogol]

9. Some teams have improved that system. The Nats run a baseball academy in the Domician Republic

and became the first team to team those kids life skills such as financial planning and cooking in addition to baseball and English. Of course they got burned by that corruption early in their history during the Smiley Gonzalez scandal.

There are pro-leagues lower than single A ball. There are half-season league, the Gulf Coast league, and the Dominican Summer League. Ages for those leagues are 17-20 usually.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. Glad to hear it about the Nats.

The league needs to get behind a restructuring for all clubs.
As you point out, there are many places got her to show what she can do. It will be apparent if she isn't good enough.