Nick Meyer (baseball)
Nicholas Joseph Meyer (born February 18, 1997) is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He played college baseball at Cal Poly, and previously played for the New York Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays organizations.
| Nick Meyer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Free Agent | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: February 18, 1997 Westminster, Colorado, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Teams | |
Early life and high school
[edit]Nicholas Meyer was born in Westminster, Colorado on February 18, 1997. Meyer was born with a condition called pre-axial polydactyly, and was born with two left thumbs. He underwent surgery to have the extra thumb removed when he was two years old. This would cause Meyer to lose flexibility in his knuckle, and to this day, he cannot bend his left thumb all the way.[1]
Meyer attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where he played football and baseball.[2] Ironically, Meyer didn't begin catching until his junior year, while his brother Joshua played catcher on the varsity team ahead of him. However, once he took over, he was a natural.[3]
Meyer considered joining his brother Joshua at Grand Canyon University, but ultimately decided to attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obisbo.[1]
College Career
[edit]Freshman year
[edit]Meyer was in the starting lineup as a true freshman on Opening Day 2016 for Cal Poly. He would play 51 games his freshman year, hitting .301/.374/.370 with 21 RBIs.[4] He would also have an impressive 41.5% CS on the defensive side of the ball. For his efforts, Meyer was named the Big West Conference Freshman Field Player of the Year.[5]
Sophomore year
[edit]Though he hit only .255/.316/.330, Meyer played in all but one of Cal Poly's 56 games as a sophomore with 49 starts behind the plate.[5] Despite this, Meyer would continue to be a force defensively, with a .985 FLD%, and a 40.9% CS. Meyer would win his 2nd consecutive John Orton Golden Glove award.
For the summer, Meyer was selected to be a member of the 2017 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.[6] In these games, Meyer had an OBP of .350. Additionally, he threw out three of five base stealers while playing in 15 of Team USA's 20 games.[7]
Junior year
[edit]In his final college season, Meyer had his best season yet, hitting .337/.394/.411 in 51 games. During the season, Meyer made a name for himself as a tremendous contact hitter, as he struck out just 19 times in 215 at bats.[4] He continued to be a standout defensively as well, being named the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.[8]
Professional Career
[edit]MLB Draft
[edit]Before the draft, Meyer was considered a Day 2 selection in the 2018 MLB Draft. Meyer was taken with the 170th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.[9]
In order to entice him to forgo his collegiate senior season, the Mets offered Meyer a $350,000 signing bonus, roughly $65,000 over the MLB-assigned slot value of the pick he was selected at.[10]
Meyer would play the rest of the summer in Coney Island with the Brooklyn Cyclones and hit .226/.275/.270 in 43 games.[11]
St. Lucie Mets
[edit]In 2019, Meyer would play 64 games with the St. Lucie Mets. In those games, he hit .182/.250/.225. [12] Defensively however, he would continue to shine, throwing out 33 of 42 base stealers for a CS% of 44%.[11]
Tully Monsters
[edit]In 2020, the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19. Meyer would be able to play professional baseball that summer, playing for the Tully Monsters in the City of Champions Cup, a four-team pop-up league in Illinois.[12] He would hit .247/.357/.360 in 27 games with the team.[11]
Binghamton Rumble Ponies / Syracuse Mets
[edit]In 2021, Meyer would begin his season in AA, with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Meyer had a hot start to the season in Binghamton, hitting .375/.432/.375.[13] The team would take notice, and call him up to their Triple-A Affiliate, the Syracuse Mets. Meyer would continue his hot streak with the Triple- A club and hit .282/.349/.333 while up with Syracuse.[14] The team would send Meyer back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A throughout the season and he would finish 2021 hitting .251/.337/.324 in 62 games with the teams.[10]
In 2022, Meyer would once again split time in Binghamton and Syracuse. He appeared in 72 games between the teams in the 2022 season. Meyer would end up hitting a combined .267/.360/.359 with Syracuse in his first two seasons with the team. [11]
In 2023, with the New York Mets holding an abundance of catchers on their roster, Dick Scott would try Meyer out at several positions during the season.[11] These positions included third base, first base, left field, right field, second base, and of course his typical position of catcher. Meyer would continue to shine defensively at each of these positions.[11]
In addition to his efforts on the field, Meyer was a clear fan-favorite. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Meyer was voted the Syracuse Mets 2023 Twin Trees Most Popular Player, as voted on by the fans.[15] The fans are clearly drawn to his notorious mustache and his relentless work ethic after spending several years with the Triple-A team. [16]
On November 1, 2023, the New York Mets released Meyer.[17]
Tampa Bay Rays
[edit]On January 29, 2024, Meyer signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was released by the Rays organization on March 27.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sypa, Steve (2018-06-05). "2018 Mets draft profile: Nick Meyer". Amazin' Avenue. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Nick Meyer - 2018 - Baseball". Cal Poly. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ Piersall, Rob (2018-08-11). "MMO Exclusive: 2018 Sixth Round Pick, Catcher Nick Meyer". Metsmerized Online. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b "Scouting The Draft: Nick Meyer, C". metsminors.net. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b "Nick Meyer - 2018 - Baseball". Cal Poly. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ Manuel, John (2017-08-22). "2017 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Top Prospects". College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Nick Meyer | USA Baseball". usabaseball.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Big West Announces Baseball Honors". bigwest.org. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Nick Meyer Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b Sypa, Steve (2023-11-18). "2023 Mets Minor League In Memoriam: Catchers". Amazin' Avenue. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b c d e f "Nick Meyer Amateur, College, Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b Sypa, Steve (2021-03-07). "Spring training will be a learning experience for Nick Meyer". Amazin' Avenue. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Nick Meyer Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Nick Meyer Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Mets sixth-round Draft pick Nick Meyer has enviable flow, and an even better mustache". MLB.com. 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Mets Release Nick Meyer, Chase Estep, and Many Others". metsminors.net. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Transactions". MiLB.com.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Cal Poly bio