Starting job secured, Meyers 'in a really good place'

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- One of the announcements the Astros made this past offseason that got a lot of attention didn’t actually involve a trade or free agent signing. They declared that a player already on the roster was all but guaranteed a starting job, and it created some buzz, given that this part of the roster was always somewhat in flux.

Jake Meyers, who had to fight for every bit of playing time his first three seasons in the big leagues, is the de facto center fielder entering the 2024 season. That pushes Chas McCormick, who played 59 games in left and 55 in center in ’23, to left field, though he could move over occasionally when designated hitter Yordan Alvarez plays there.

Meyers has always been a confident player -- even through some darker times, when a gruesome shoulder injury during the 2021 postseason led to surgery, and subsequently 69 games missed in ’22 -- but this spring might be a little different for him, given that it’s his first with a concrete understanding of his role. That peace of mind, which first percolated over the winter when general manager Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada said Meyers would be a starter, allows a player to prepare for the season without added pressure, which can be distracting.

“I think it can help a little bit,” Meyers said. “Just really what I’m trying to focus on is the day-to-day process. Focus on how I can get better every day.”

Meyers, the Astros’ 13th-round pick in the 2017 Draft, has played in 213 Major League games, spanning three seasons. He spent his first full year in the big leagues last season, logging 309 at-bats over 112 games. He’s still evolving offensively -- cumulatively, he slashed .235/.296/.379 over those three seasons -- but it’s his defense that keeps his value at a premium level.

Among AL center fielders, Meyers ranks fifth in defensive runs saved (12) and sixth in defensive runs above average (13.8) since his debut in ’21, per Statcast.

• Projecting the Astros' Opening Day roster for 2024

Spring Training statistics are not always indicators of what’s to come in the regular season, but it’s worth noting that Meyers has shown some pop in camp. He homered in his first at-bat and singled in the seventh inning of the Astros’ 6-5 loss to the Mets Wednesday night, and with two weeks remaining until the regular season, he has a 1.150 OPS this spring.

“He’s in a really good place,” Espada said before the game. “His swing is different from last year. Success also helps build some confidence. Like I told him in the winter, he’s going to play. I think when he’s healthy, he’s a very good player. He’s a very valuable player to our team. It’s showing so far in camp.”

Meyers is modest about where he fits in on a roster full of stars, and he keeps things general when asked about what adjustments he’s making at the plate. But when prodded about what challenges come with being a young player trying to establish himself with an organization that not only gets to the postseason every year, but has played in seven straight AL Championship Series (and won the whole thing twice), Meyers lights up. He welcomes that kind of pressure: “I absolutely love it.”

“My entire life, I’ve been competitive,” he said. “I’ve just wanted to win, and so getting put in this situation with the Astros, it’s a dream come true. It’s the perfect situation for me.

“Being in this kind of culture -- it’s hard for me to understand how special it is, because this is the only clubhouse I’ve ever been in. I’m grateful to be here. I know this is the type of baseball and type of culture I want to be in.”

Every young player who enters the Astros’ orbit encounters these sky-high expectations. McCormick has been through this too; it’s a topic over which he and Meyers, who sit next to each other in Houston’s spring clubhouse in West Palm Beach and are personal friends, have bonded. McCormick has always been one of Meyers’ biggest supporters, even (and especially) through the years when they competed for playing time.

Count McCormick as the first who will be rooting for his teammate to have a big year, and who’s looking forward to having a first-hand view as part of what is expected to be one of the stronger defensive outfields in the AL.

“He looks really good this camp,” McCormick said. “I can tell he’s hungry, and he has a longer leash this year, which is huge. There’s a lot of confidence and support in this organization, and that’s big.”