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, U.S.
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 runs	18
Runs batted in	74
NPB statistics
Batting average	.275
Home runs	26
Runs batted in	77
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (1988–1989) Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1990)

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 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.

As of 2021, Meyer works in the security department of a hospital in Maui. He told MLB.com "I don't tell anybody" about his time in professional baseball.[5]