Melissa Mayeux is a 16-year-old shortstop for the French U-18 team. She is obviously a female, which makes history because she, as of Monday, was added to the MLB International Registration List. Her addition means she can now be signed by any of the 32 Major League teams.
The cultural impact of this event is immense as Mayeux is breaking down barriers by being added to the MLB International Registration list. It will be global news if, not when, a team signs her. She probably does not understand the vast significance and impact that this has. One of her coaches since he joined the French national team when she was 15, Boris Rothermundt, said, “Melissa just wants to have the most opportunity she can in baseball; she is not at all thinking about being the first female on the list."
Mayeux just wants to continue to play baseball as long as possible. She said, "I would like very much to continue playing baseball in France until I'm 18 years old and then have the ability to leave for university or another opportunity abroad. I'd like to stay in baseball as long as possible."
According to MLB.com, Director of International Game Development Mike Mclellan saw her at a tournament, and she got a base hit off a 19-year-old male pitcher who was throwing 91 mph.
Mayeux is also a member of the French National Softball Team. She is one of four players to be selected to participate in the European Elite Camp from France. In the history of the camp, 76 players have been signed by Major League teams, and only two have made it to the Majors, so the odds are highly stacked against her. If she goes unsigned, she can play at a university in America.
