Joey Meyer (baseball)

Tanner Joe Meyer (born May 10, 1962) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He played two seasons in the majors, 1988 and 1989, for the Milwaukee Brewers. He also played one season in Japan for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in 1990.

Joey Meyer
Designated hitter / First baseman
Born: (1962-05-10) May 10, 1962
Honolulu, Hawaii
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 4, 1988, for the Milwaukee Brewers
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1989, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average.251
Home runs18
Runs batted in74
Teams

Drafted by the Brewers in the 5th round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, Meyer showed prodigious power in the minor leagues. In his first season of minor league ball for the Beloit Brewers in 1984, he hit 30 home runs in 475 at bats, earning Midwest League MVP honors. He moved his way up the minor league ladder, continuing to hit for power, culminating in his hitting 29 home runs in just 79 games for the Denver Zephyrs in 1987. Meyer holds the record for the longest home run in professional baseball history at 582 feet, which he hit June 3, 1987 at Denver's Mile High Stadium.[1][2] There have been longer home runs reportedly hit but not measured by accurate methods.[3]

Meyer made his major league debut with the Brewers on April 4, 1988. His power numbers did not translate into major league home runs, as he hit just 11 in 103 games for Milwaukee. He did, however, strike out 88 times, compiling more strikeouts than hits. He did have one significant accomplishment on August 9, when he became the first and only player to hit a walk-off home run off of Roger Clemens.[4]

He again struggled in the majors in 1989, striking out 36 times in 147 at bats while hitting 7 home runs. Meyer wound up splitting that season between the Brewers and Denver. His final major league game was on September 30, 1989, and he was released after the season. He played in 1990 for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales, where his power numbers were once again impressive, as he hit 26 home runs in 104 games. He returned to the United States, and was signed to a minor league contract by the Minnesota Twins. During spring training, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and spent the entire season with their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. That was his last year in professional baseball.

References
  1. "Sports of The Times; Joey Meyer's 582-Foot Homer". The New York Times. March 22, 1988. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  2. "The mystery behind Joey Meyer's 582-foot home run at Mile High in 1987". The Denver Post. July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2009-11-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/tht-live/50th-anniversary-hickmans-blast-ends-craigs-long-losing-streak/
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