Oops! All Astros: Jake Meyers

We’re looking at all 316 players who appeared in the Astros’ system in 2022. Most are still with the organization, but a few are not.

Jake Meyers is a six-foot, 200 lb. left-handed throwing righty batting centerfielder from Omaha, NE. Born on June 18, 1996, he was a 13th round choice of the Astros back in 2017, with the 391st overall selection. Taken out of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Meyers signed a deal that included a $125,000 signing bonus.

Meyers made his major league debut last year with Houston, and split the season between the Astros and the Sugar Land Skeeters. Early returns were promising, as he slashed out a .260/.323/.438 line with six round-trippers and 28 RBI. He hit .343/.408/.598 at Triple-A, with another 16 bombs and 51 RBI. He stole 13 bases in 16 attempts in total between the two levels.

Meyers started the 2022 season on the injured list while he recovered from shoulder surgery. He injured his left shoulder making a leaping catch. On June 3, he joined the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Over 14 games, he was 13-for-52 with three jacks. In his final Triple-A contest before getting promoted, on June 22, he went four-for-four with two solo home runs in a 13-7 win against the Tacoma Rainiers.

Moved to the Astros in time for the June 24 game, Meyers soon went on a nine-game hitting streak from June 30 through July 10. He was 12-for-33 during the streak. He appeared in 47 games for the Astros during that time, slashing a disappointing .209/.255/.320 with only a single homer and 50 strikeouts in 149 PA, whiffing just over a third of the time.

Moved down to Sugar Land once again, Meyers again was too much for Triple-A pitching, slashing .337/.451/.544 in 24 contests. He also drew 19 walks against 16 strikeouts, which seems pretty encouraging. He hit .500 over his final seven games at the level before once again getting promoted to the Astros on September 29.

Meyers appeared in six games for Houston through the rest of the regular season, going five-for-13. In the postseason, he was limited to two appearances in the ALDS. In Game One, he entered in the bottom of the ninth as a pinch runner and scored when Yordan Alvarez hit his walk-off three-run shot for an 8-7 Houston win. In Game Two, he started in centerfield and went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts.

Defensively, Meyers appeared exclusively in centerfield through 2022, playing 402 ²⁄₃ innings and fielding at .992 with two errors in 121 chances. Advanced metrics show he’s near-elite level, worth eight total zone fielding runs above average in his short time in the outfield. Unfortunately, his offensive output paled in comparison, at .227/.269/.313 at the major league level.

Meyers shows serious offensive chops at the highest level of the minors and struggles with major league pitching. His utility as a fielder is solid, but only in centerfield this year. His skillset would translate to either corner spot. For the Astros, he’s currently no better than a fifth outfielder.