Josh VanMeter


Josh Michael VanMeter is an American professional baseball left fielder and infielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.

Career

San Diego Padres

VanMeter graduated from Norwell High School and was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 5th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Padres, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Illinois State University. He spent 2013 with the Arizona League Padres where he slashed.278/.378/.348 with ten RBIs in 44 games. In 2014, he played for the Fort Wayne TinCaps where he batted.254 with three home runs and 39 RBIs in 116 games, and in 2015, he returned to Fort Wayne but played in only 25 games due to injury. He spent 2016 with both the Lake Elsinore Storm and San Antonio Missions and compiled a combined.251 batting average with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 124 total games between the two teams.

Cincinnati Reds

On December 9, 2016, VanMeter was traded to the Cincinnati Reds as the player to be named later for Luis Torrens. The Reds assigned him to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and he spent the whole 2017 season there, batting.255/.326/.352 with five home runs, 54 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 132 games. VanMeter spent 2018 with both Pensacola and the Louisville Bats, slashing a combined.260/.337/.454 with 12 home runs and 59 RBIs in 128 total games between both teams. He returned to Louisville to begin 2019.
On May 5, 2019, VanMeter was promoted to the major leagues for the first time, and made his major league debut against the San Francisco Giants. On July 20, against the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit his first major league home run.