Jake Meyers Bio
Jacob Berkshire Meyers, known professionally as Jake Meyers, is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Meyers rose through the Astros’ farm system after being selected in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB draft and made his major league debut in 2021. He is a World Series champion, having been part of Houston’s 2022 title-winning roster.
Early Life and Background
Jacob Berkshire Meyers was born on June 18, 1996, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Paul and Laurie Meyers. His father, Paul, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round of the 1986 draft and played several seasons in Minor League Baseball without reaching the majors. Meyers has one sister, Lauren, and grew up in a household with a clear connection to the game of baseball.
Meyers attended Westside High School in Omaha, where he competed in both baseball and basketball. The Westside baseball team captured the Class A state championship during both his junior and senior seasons, and the basketball team finished as state runner-up in his senior year. As a senior, Meyers served as captain of both the Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska baseball team and the Lincoln Journal Star Super State baseball team, posting a 9–0 record on the mound with a 0.97 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 58 innings while batting .440 with 51 runs scored.
Path to Baseball
After high school, Meyers enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he majored in business administration and played college baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as both a pitcher and an outfielder. His father Paul had also attended Nebraska and was an All-American centerfielder in 1986, giving the family a clear baseball lineage. Meyers went 3–1 with a 2.38 ERA as a freshman and continued to develop in both roles.
During his sophomore year at Nebraska, Meyers was named third-team All-Big Ten Conference after leading the team with a .326 batting average and a 1.42 ERA. He was later named first-team All-Big Ten and a third-team All-American by Baseball America and the NCBWA after hitting .297 with 20 stolen bases while going 8–2 on the mound. Following his junior season, the Houston Astros selected Meyers in the 13th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, launching his professional career.
Jake Meyers Career
Early Career (2017–2020)
After signing with the Astros, Meyers was assigned to the Tri-City ValleyCats. He opened the 2018 season with the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits before earning a promotion to the Buies Creek Astros of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. The following year, he returned to the Carolina League with the renamed Fayetteville Woodpeckers and batted .258 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs, earning Mid-Season All-Star honors before a promotion to the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.
Meyers was a non-roster invitee to Astros spring training in 2020 before both the major league and minor league seasons were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lost development time delayed his path to the majors but did not change his trajectory within the organization.
MLB Debut and First Taste of the Majors (2021)
Meyers opened the 2021 season with the Sugar Land Skeeters before Houston selected his contract on July 31, 2021, following the trade of regular center fielder Myles Straw to the Cleveland Indians. He made his MLB debut on August 1 as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of a 5–3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. He hit his first career home run on August 14 against Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jaime Barría and added a grand slam later in the same 8–2 Astros win, then won the YouTube Game of the Week MVP on August 25 for driving in the winning run against the Kansas City Royals.
Across 49 games in his debut season, Meyers batted .260/.323/.438 with six home runs and 28 RBIs while playing primarily center field. His season ended on a difficult note in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, when he injured his left shoulder attempting to catch a home run ball hit by Gavin Sheets. Meyers underwent surgery on November 10 to repair a torn labrum, which delayed his start to the 2022 season.
Return and World Series Title (2022)
The Astros activated Meyers from the 60-day injured list on June 24, 2022, and he promptly contributed at the plate. On July 1, he hit a three-run home run against Michael Lorenzen to spark a 5–1 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He went on to bat .227/.269/.313 with one home run and 15 RBIs across 52 games while playing all 51 of his defensive appearances in center field, where his eight total zone runs ranked fourth among American League center fielders.
In the postseason, Meyers played a memorable role in Game 1 of the 2022 ALDS against the Seattle Mariners, pinch-running in the ninth inning and scoring the lead run on a Yordan Alvarez three-run walk-off home run that produced an 8–7 victory. The blast marked the first walk-off home run in an MLB postseason contest with the home team down to its final out in the ninth inning while trailing by more than one run. Meyers was a member of the Astros team that won the 2022 World Series championship.
Establishing Himself (2023–2024)
Meyers built on his late-2022 momentum during the 2023 season. On May 22, his running catch of an Owen Miller fly ball at the warning track at American Family Field helped preserve a 2–1 Astros lead and was later recognized with the MLB Play of the Week Award on May 30. He collected his first career four-hit game on June 5 at the Rogers Centre against the Toronto Blue Jays, and on August 6 he homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead Houston to a 9–7 win at Yankee Stadium.
In 2024, Meyers played a career-high 148 games, batting .219/.286/.360 with 20 doubles, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases across 513 plate appearances. He ranked third in the American League in double plays grounded into with 17. Defensively, he finished fifth in the AL in total zone runs with 15, led his position in fielding percentage at .997, and was second among center fielders in total zone runs while placing third in games and putouts.
Houston Astros Era (2021–Present)
Meyers has spent his entire MLB career with the Houston Astros since his August 2021 call-up. On January 9, 2025, the Astros signed him to a $2.3 million contract for the season, avoiding arbitration. He remains a regular in the Houston outfield and a key contributor to the team’s defense up the middle.
Driving Style and Strengths
A right-handed batter and left-handed thrower, Meyers is one of only a handful of switch-handed position players in the major leagues, sharing that distinction with Astros teammate Chas McCormick. His father Paul also batted right-handed and threw left-handed as an outfielder, suggesting a deep family familiarity with the unusual profile. Meyers is recognized for his center-field defense, his contact-oriented approach at the plate, and his ability to play all three outfield spots.
Notable Events and Milestones
Meyers’ 2022 ALDS Game 1 walk-off sequence, scoring the tying run before Yordan Alvarez’s walk-off homer, stands as one of the most memorable moments of his career. In 2025, he became the first Astros player to record two home runs, one triple, and one double in a single game, doing so on May 3 against the Chicago White Sox while tying a club record with 13 total bases and setting a career high with seven RBIs.
Jake Meyers Career Wins
Meyers has been a steady contributor for the Houston Astros since 2021, helping the franchise reach and win the 2022 World Series. While individual game-by-game win totals fluctuate by season, his postseason contributions and his 2022 championship ring stand as his signature team results.
Major League Highlights
In the major leagues, Meyers’ top regular-season highlights include a six-RBI, two-homer game at Yankee Stadium on August 6, 2023, and his career-high seven-RBI performance against the Chicago White Sox on May 3, 2025. In the postseason, his pinch-running appearance in Game 1 of the 2022 ALDS set up one of the most dramatic walk-off moments in recent MLB playoff history. He is also a 2022 World Series champion.
Other Wins and Performances
At the minor league level, Meyers earned Mid-Season All-Star honors in the Carolina League in 2019 with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers after batting .258 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. He was also a first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American selection during his time at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Jake Meyers Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Jake Meyers comes from a baseball family. His father, Paul Meyers, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round of the 1986 MLB draft and spent several seasons in Minor League Baseball. Paul attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he was an All-American centerfielder in 1986, and Jake followed him to the same program. Meyers also shares his father’s right-handed-batting, left-handed-throwing profile as a position player.
Personal Life
Meyers married Maddie Lammel, a second-grade teacher, in December 2021. The couple welcomed a daughter, Ava, in December 2022. Meyers continues to make his home in the Houston area while playing for the Astros.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season began on a positive note for Meyers, as he and the Astros avoided arbitration with a $2.3 million contract signed on January 9, 2025. He remained a fixture in the Houston outfield and continued to produce at the plate. On May 3, 2025, Meyers delivered one of the most memorable performances in franchise history, becoming the first Astro to hit two home runs, one triple, and one double in a single game against the Chicago White Sox while tying a club record with 13 total bases and setting a career high with seven RBIs in an 8–3 win.
Through the early portion of the season, Meyers remained a dependable defensive presence in center field, building on his 2024 form in which he led his position in fielding percentage and ranked among American League leaders in total zone runs. His switch-handed profile, his base-running instincts, and his improved power output gave Houston another dimension in the lineup.
Looking ahead, Meyers’ combination of defensive range, on-base ability, and growing power made him an important piece of the Astros’ postseason push in 2025. With his arbitration case settled and his role secure, he entered the season’s second half focused on helping Houston return to the playoffs and compete for another championship.
