SAN FRANCISCO — Paul Meyers understands first hand exactly how difficult it is to reach the major leagues. He was an All-American center fielder at the University of Nebraska who was selected by the Giants in the fourth round of the 1986 draft. By 1988, his defense had already propelled him to Triple A. In 1989, he was back in Triple A for another go-around. It was as high as he got.
Advertisement
So when his son, Jake, called him Friday afternoon to tell him he had been called up from Triple A to the Astros, it was particularly emotional. “Surreal” was how Paul described being at Oracle Park on Saturday and Sunday for Jake’s first two games in an Astros uniform. Naturally, the team was playing his former organization in interleague play.
“It’s a dream come true, as it is for Jake,” Paul Meyers said just before Sunday’s game. “It’s awesome knowing that your kids are achieving their dreams.”
Jake Meyers, whose call-up coincided with the Astros’ trade of Myles Straw to the Indians, made his debut a few hours later, striking out against Jake McGee in a pinch-hit appearance with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Astros’ 5-3 loss to the Giants. His role is the backup to Chas McCormick, who was elevated to starter when Straw was dealt before Friday’s trade deadline. With Straw gone, however, Meyers is the best center-field defender on the roster.
Whether the 25-year-old Meyers will hit enough to stick long term as a major leaguer is the big question. The Omaha, Neb., native broke out offensively in Triple A this season with a 1.006 OPS in 304 plate appearances. The power surge transformed him from more of an upper-level organizational outfielder into a legitimate prospect.
“I knew he was an athlete, first and foremost, but the progress that he has made over the past couple years in terms of refining his swing, getting his at-bats to the point where he can use that athleticism effectively to impact the baseball in the right way on the field, those are the things that have really caught my eye over the past couple months,” Astros general manager James Click said on Sunday. “It’s something that (assistant GM Pete Putila) and I actually discussed a few days ago when we were considering these moves, and he showed me a lot of information on Jake Meyers that made me very comfortable that he could be a very effective big leaguer very soon.”
Advertisement
His physical maturation into a 6-foot, 200-pound frame played into his improvement in the power department. Paul Meyers, who coached Jake until he reached high school, said they are a family of late bloomers.
“He had kind of the physical skills down (from a young age). He needed size,” Paul said. “He was both a pitcher and a hitter when he was young. I just felt like if the size would come then he’d have a chance, but that’s up to somebody else. But he worked hard at it from a young age. Probably his best attribute is his competitiveness.”
Jake Meyers pitched in addition to playing the outfield at Nebraska, too, but playing a great center field was his entry to pro ball. He’s been in the Astros’ minor-league system since they drafted him in the 13th round in 2017, but he got virtually no prospect attention before this season. Perhaps the buzz would’ve come sooner had there been a minor-league season last year.
“The (alternate training site in 2020) was big for me,” Jake Meyers said. “I got to spend a little bit of time facing some big-league arms now for us, like Luis Garcia and some of the other guys who are in the ‘pen, see that type of pitching.”
Said Paul Meyers: “It’s hard work and dedication and determination. Those are hard things to evaluate in the draft. He’s never been considered ‘the guy.’ He’s always been the guy who just shows up later, who you just realize, ‘Oh my gosh, here’s Jake.’ It’s always been his M.O.”
Jake’s style as a player is similar to his father, who was a speedy center fielder. Taking after Paul, Jake is the rare player to bat righty but throw lefty.
“He said that’s what I naturally did,” Jake said. “I picked up a baseball and threw it left-handed and picked up a bat and swung it right-handed, and he didn’t want to change it.”
Back when he played, Paul actually finished out his career as a left-handed pitcher. It happened because of a mop-up appearance he made in Triple A in 1989. The team was out of arms. He had pitched in high school and had a strong arm from the outfield, so he got the ninth inning.
Advertisement
“I faced Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carlos Baerga and a guy by the name of Jerald Clark who played in the big leagues with San Diego, and I was throwing it pretty good,” Paul said. “So the next day the manager came up to me and said, ‘Hey, the Giants just called.'”
As it turned out, the higher-ups liked what they had seen. So much so that they wanted him to start over in Single A and try his hand at pitching full time. Being one level from the majors and not wanting to go backward, he asked if he could finish out the final month of the season or so and then discuss it.
“Well, I was playing center field and went into the gap to get a ball and went up against the fence and busted my (left) shoulder up,” he said. “So I ended up getting surgery. Teams called and I was in spring training with the Dodgers for a little while and I just couldn’t throw it like I used to. I ended up signing back with the Giants and then pitched in High-A ball (in 1990), which was fine, but then my shoulder gave out.”
After he retired from playing, Paul became an assistant baseball coach at Nebraska. He later moved into an administrative role at the school. Now he oversees business development for a business solutions firm in Omaha. The Meyers are very much a baseball family; in addition to Paul and Jake being pro ballplayers, Paul’s cousin, Chad, was a utility player for the Cubs from 1999-2001 and played briefly with the Mariners in 2003.
“Because I was a left-handed thrower, right-handed hitter, (the Giants) made me a switch-hitter right away,” Paul said. “So I went through the minor leagues trying to switch-hit. But I kept going up so quickly because of my defense. I was hitting just right-handed at the end of my career and then that’s when I really felt like, ‘Something happens and I’ll get a chance.’
“It never happened, and that’s how it goes. That’s why I think it was so emotional for Jake and I when he told me (he had been called up). I was there. I know it takes something special.”
(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57kXBrbm5jZnxzfJFqZmlwX2V%2FcLbApJxmpZWusrO%2FjJpkpZmkmnqjuM6opJ6qXZu%2FsLmMmmSnnZKnrrS3wGaZmquVl66tuIyfmKahnK56rq3KnqpmmaOpv7C%2FjJ2cm62kYsSqwMdmm5qcXaS7brTAp5to