Graduated from Westside HS in Omaha (NE) in 2014, where he was a two-way star...Ranked as the No. 1 outfielder in the state of Nebraska and the No. 4 overall player in the state by Perfect Game in 2014...Went 9-0 as a senior with a 0.97 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 58 innings...Also delivered at the plate with a .440 batting average...Led his school to back-to-back Class A state titles in 2013 and 2014...Started the 2014 title game and tossed a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts...Went undrafted out of high school and went on to attend the University of Nebraska, where his father, Paul, was a first-team All-American for the Huskers in 1986...Paul was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 MLB Draft by the Giants...He went on to play five years in the minors (1986-90), topping out at the Triple-A level...Paul, like his son Jake, batted righthanded and threw left-handed...Was one of only four Major Leaguers to bat exclusively right-handed and throw left-handed in 2022, including teammate Chas McCormick...The two are the first pair of teammates to bat right and throw left since Rickey Henderson and Brian Lesher played together for Seattle in 2000...Henderson is by far the most accomplished player to do so in MLB history, while Jason Lane holds that distinction in Astros history...Lane, McCormick, Meyers and Carl Warwick are the only four players in club history that fit into this exclusive category...At Nebraska, Jake excelled on the mound and in the box...Finished his three-year career as a .307 batter with while going 31-for-36 on stolen base attempts...Compiled a career record of 17-4 on the mound with a 2.61 ERA and 112 strikeouts...Named a third-team All-American in 2017 by Baseball America and the NCBWA...Named one of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year...Captured first-team All-Big Ten honors...Drafted by Houston in the 13th round of the June 2017 draft...Signed by Astros scout Mark Adair...Jake and his wife, Maddie, had their first daughter, Ava, on Dec. 10, 2022...Maddie and Ava were in attendance for Jake's first Father's Day in the Majors on June 18, 2023 at Minute Maid Park...Maddie and Ava traveled from Nebraska to Houston in 2023 to see Jake each homestand, and he credited FaceTime for being able to stay connected with them while on the road...Added to the Astros 40-man roster on July 31, 2021...the 2024 season will be his fifth straight at MLB Spring Training.
2023
Finished his first full season at the MLB level, batting .227 (70x309) with 10 HR, 33 RBI, 16 doubles, five steals and 42 runs in 111 games...According to FanGraphs, led AL center fielders with a 4.7 UZR and ranked third at 7.7 Defensive Runs Above Average...Reached base safely in nine consecutive plate appearances from May 17-21... Had been the first Astros player to reach safely in nine straight plate appearances since Yordan Alvarez (Sept. 10-12, 2021)...Logged his first career four-hit game on June 5 at Toronto, going 4x5 with a home run and two RBI...Had a huge game on Aug. 6 at New York (AL), going 2x4 with two home runs and 6 RBI...Set his single-game career high in RBI...Marked his second career multi-homer gamer, with the other coming on Aug. 14, 2021 at Los Angeles (AL)...Made his first career Opening Day roster and start on March 30 vs. Chicago (AL)...Did not appear in a postseason game but was a member of the Astros' ALDS roster vs. Minnesota.
2022
Played in his second MLB season, batting .227 (34x150) with one home run, six doubles, two triples, 15 RBI and a .582 OPS (.269 OBP. / .313 SLG.)...Started the season on the IL following offseason left shoulder surgery, which corrected an injury sustained during the 2021 ALDS...returned from the IL on June 24 this season and remained with the club thru Aug. 30 when he was optioned to Triple A...While in the Majors, recorded a career-long, nine-game hitting streak from June 30-July 10, batted .364 (12x33) with seven runs, three doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI during the streak...While at Triple A, had a strong season, hitting .306 (44x144) with seven homer and 18 RBI in 38 games... also walked 25 times in those contests...posted a .913 OPS at the Triple A level last season...Was recalled from Triple A on Sept. 29...Made the Astros ALDS roster...scored a run as a pinch runner in Game 1 of the ALDS and started in CF in Game 2 of the ALDS...after that start, did not see action again the remainder of the Postseason.
2021
Made his MLB debut, hitting .260 (38x146) with six homers, eight doubles, 10 walks, three stolen bases and a .761 OPS (.438 SLG./.323 OBP) in 49 games... Had a breakout minor league season at Triple-A Sugar Land and was named an organizational All-Star by MiLB.com...hit .343 (93x271) with 17 doubles, 16 homers, 51 RBI and a 1.006 OPS in 68 games for the Skeeters... Selected to the MLB roster on July 31 in the wake of the Astros trade of CF Myles Straw to CLE... In his second career start and his seventh game overall, went 2x4 with two homers and five RBI on Aug. 14 at LAA...became the second player in franchise history to have a multi-homer game within his first seven career games, joining SS Orlando Miller in 1994...was also the third player in club history to have a five-RBI night within his first seven games, with the last to do so being C J.R. Towles, who recorded eight RBI in his sixth career game on Sept. 20, 2007 at STL... In the postseason, he batted .375 (3x8) with two RBI and a run scored...was on the Astros ALDS and ALCS roster but missed the WS roster due to left shoulder discomfort, an injury sustained in the ALDS.
2020
Did not play in an official game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 shutdown...began the year in minor league camp and appeared in eight Spring Training games as a minor league call up, hitting .333 (4x12) with an RBI...after the shutdown, was added to the Astros 60-man Player Pool and spent the remainder of his season at the Astros alternate training site... did not make an appearance with the Astros and was not in the club's Postseason Player Pool.
2019
Split his 2019 season between Double A Corpus Christi and Class A Fayetteville, combining to hit .249 (107x430) with nine homers and 12 stolen bases...was named a Carolina League Midseason All-Star for his work with the Woodpeckers.
2018
Had his best offensive season as a pro in 2018, combining to hit .278 (117x421) with 31 doubles, eight homers, 46 RBI, 16 steals and a .786 OPS between two Class A levels.
