Jonathan Meyer is Headed to Spring Training

Jonathan Meyer (photo by Tammy Tucker)

Prior to this fall, quite honestly, I was not that familiar with Jonathan Meyer. But when I saw that the third baseman was part of the Astros delegation sent to the Arizona Fall League, I took a closer look at Meyer.

Now with the news that Meyer will be invited to Spring Training next month, I think we will all become a little more familiar with him.

This fall, Meyer appeared in 14 games and batted .286 hitting one home run and driving in seven runs. Prior to appearing with Peoria, Meyer spent the whole season with AA Corpus Christi. He hit .260 with 15 home runs, 24 doubles, and 68 RBI’s. For Meyer, that is a standard season of minor league production, and probably what you can expect from him going forward.

The 23-year old was a third round pick in 2009 who does have some power which has still yet to fully develop. However at this point, I’m not sure that it ever truly will. But if you are optimistic, some of Meyer’s doubles could still turn into home runs. That is why Houston didn’t have an issue leaving him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, and also why Meyer went undrafted.

I wouldn’t read too much into Meyer being invited to Spring Training, because at this point, the Astros need to see what, if anything, they have in Meyer. Meyer does not appear to pose a significant threat to Matt Dominguez who in all likelihood has a firm grip on the starting job. But a little competition is never a bad thing, and it will be interesting to see what Meyer can do against better competition.

Ultimately though, Meyer will be the starting third baseman in Oklahoma City. There is the possibility he ends up in Houston at some point over the next year or two with Carlos Correa, Nolan Fontana, and Rio Ruiz still two years away. But with the Astros light on upper level depth, Meyer is a player to keep on your radar.