October 12, 2021. Game 4 of the ALDS between the Astros and White Sox. Jake Meyers leapt at the center field wall in an attempt to rob Gavin Sheets of a solo home run in the bottom half of the second inning. However, he failed to make the catch and, while falling backwards, the center fielder suffered a labral tear in his left shoulder, arguably changing the trajectory of his young career at that time.
To be clear, even amid that 2021 breakout, Meyers’ game as a hitter had holes in it. In those first 163 plate appearances, he recorded a 30.7% strikeout rate, with his hitting metrics partially buoyed by a .352 BABIP. However, you could also see the potential and understand why James Click traded away Myles Straw at the trade deadline to open a roster spot for Meyers. Combine a league-average bat, give or take, with his defense, and you have a valuable player on the roster.
Although Meyers eventually returned to Major League action in June 2022, his offensive numbers didn’t begin to rebound until 2023. And by rebound, I mean he peaked with an 88 wRC+ two years ago, followed by an 86 wRC+ last season. I fluctuate between believing that the past two seasons were always in Meyers’ future or that his shoulder injury significantly altered his trajectory as a hitter. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle of those two thoughts. In any case, 2025 is perhaps his best chance to prove he can stick in the majors as a starting-caliber center fielder. The defense is never in question. It will be his production as a hitter that will ultimately determine his ceiling.
Meyers’ production this season has been relatively consistent with his past two seasons. Entering Saturday’s game with an 80 wRC+ in his 92 plate appearances, it felt like we were seeing more of the same — a valuable defensive center fielder with limited upside due to his below-average bat. That could very well remain the case for this season and beyond. However, his performance against the White Sox today was a tantalizing reminder of his initial potential. At 28, we’ve probably already seen his offensive ceiling, but it is intriguing to speculate what Meyers could achieve if his bat were even roughly league average across an entire season.
Jake Meyers tied a club record with 13 total bases and drove in a career-high seven runs by going 4-for-4 with two homers, a triple and a double — becoming the first Astros player in history to do that — in an 8-3 win over the White Sox.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 3, 2025
It is fitting that arguably Meyers’ best game as a professional occurred at the same place where it was possibly altered forever—four-for-four with two home runs, a double, and a triple. With 13 total bases, he tied a club record. Seven RBI. Yes, he was a single short of the cycle, but this performance today was undoubtedly more impressive. I sincerely hope October 12, 2021 becomes an increasing afterthought for Meyers, with May 3, 2025 being the first game that comes to mind when thinking about Rate Field again.
Frankly, the Astros required this level of production against the White Sox, particularly with Yordan Alvarez scratched this morning due to right-hand inflammation. It also didn’t help matters early in this game when Hunter Brown, arguably the team’s ace pitcher now, had a bit of trouble in the first inning. By the time Yainer Díaz stepped up to the plate for the first time, Houston was already facing a 3-0 deficit. Not a great place to start a game following Friday’s loss. Back-to-back losses to the second-worst team in baseball, with the Mariners riding high at the moment, isn’t an optimal development, even in May.
Meyers took over at the top of the third inning, hitting a solo home run to cut the deficit to 3-1. An RBI triple in the fourth tied it at 3-3, followed by his three-run home run in the sixth, which finally gave the Astros a 6-3 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Zach Dezenzo scored the only non-Meyers run in the eighth, driving in Victor Caratini with an RBI double. Meyers, however, had one more hit up his sleeve, hitting an RBI double to drive in Dezenzo two batters later.
Aside from that rough first inning, Brown looked like his usual self, striking out nine over six innings. Logan VanWey, Bryan King, and Bryan Abreu each threw a scoreless inning to finish the game, combining for four strikeouts. Overall, it was another solid outing for the pitching staff and a palate cleanser after Chicago had scored seven runs against this staff in the previous game. Lance McCullers Jr. will make his long-awaited debut on Sunday and first appearance since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series.