Joe Van Meter

Joseph Andrew Van Meter

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.

• School Virginia Commonwealth University, Arizona State University
• High School St. Dominic High School

• Born October 18, 1988 in Manhasset, NY USA

BR register page

Biographical Information

Joe Van Meter has pitched in the minor leagues, Australia, Taiwan, Mexico and Dominican Republic.

Van Meter was named the top high school shortstop in New York by Baseball America. redshirted as a freshman at ASU; when legendary coach Pat Murphy departed the program, he transferred to VCU. He hit .275/.323/.416 in 2008 and .347/.420/.488 in '09. He broke out in 2010, when he batted .434/.484/.663 with 60 runs and 76 RBI in 61 games, also going 1-0 with a save and a 5.40 ERA. He set the Colonial Athletic Association record for hits (108), set the VCU record for RBI and had the third-best average in VCU annals. He was 10th in NCAA Division I in average (between Rob Segedin and Joe Leonard), tied Chad Oberacker for 4th in hits and tied for 22nd in RBI. He was named All-CAA at third base, though Ryan Soares won the league MVP.

He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 21th round of the 2010 Amateur Draft; the scout was Rick Matsko. Despite having been a star hitter and mediocre pitcher in college, he was used solely as a hurler in the pro ranks. He had a 2.79 ERA in 8 games with the AZL Rangers in 2010, then recorded a 4.15 ERA in 39 games for the Hickory Crawdads in 2011. Van Meter was promoted in 2012, and he had a 2.06 ERA in 25 games with A+ Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He pitched 2 games in AA, but he allowed 7 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Van Meter recorded a 3.62 ERA in 24 games for the Pelicans in 2013, but he still struggled in AA. He allowed 7 runs in 8 1/3 innings with the Frisco RoughRiders, and the Rangers released him in August.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed him to a minor league contract, and he only pitched five games with a 6.50 ERA for the Montgomery Biscuits before he became a free agent again. The Baltimore Orioles signed him, and he had a 4.91 ERA in 9 games with the Frederick Keys, and he was released in June. Van Meter then pitched in the independent leagues for 6 seasons. He was with the Kansas City T-Bones to wrap up 2014 (2-1, 6.03 in 7 G). He split 2015 between them (4-3, 3.00 in 23 G) and the Sioux Falls Canaries (2 R in 2 IP) then spent 2016 with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (5.73 ERA in 9 G).

He was 4-2 with a save and a 2.57 ERA in 55 games for the '17 York Revolution, then was 3-0 with a 4.63 ERA for the Perth Heat in the 2017-2018 Australian Baseball League. Back with York for 2018, he whiffed 86 in 84 2/3 IP and had a 5-3, 3.93 record. He allowed five runs in 3 1/3 IP for the 2018-2019 Yaquis de Obregón. He was 10-6 with a 2.30 ERA and .96 WHIP for the 2019 High Point Rockers. He tied Duke Von Schamann for 5th in the Atlantic League in wins, was 4th in K (between Darin Downs and Mitch Atkins), broke Bryan Rekar's 16-year-old league record for WHIP and led the league in ERA (.51 ahead of #2 Atkins). Daryl Thompson beat him out for Pitcher of the Year, though.

The veteran hurler was 3-4 with a 2.75 ERA for the 2019-2020 Águilas de Mexicali. He was 5th in the Mexican Pacific League in strikeouts (62, between Luis Payan and Arturo López). In 2020-2021, he switched Eagles, to the Águilas Cibaeñas‎ of the Dominican League; he had a 2.20 ERA in four games. In the 2021 Caribbean Series, he was stellar, allowing one unearned run on three hits in six innings to beat Edgardo Sandoval and the Federales de Chiriquí as his team won the title. He spent the summer in Mexico, posting a 5-2, 3.49 record for the Toros de Tijuana. The following winter, he had a 1-1, 2.81 record for the Águilas Cibaeñas.

The Fubon Guardians signed him in 2022. Van Meter didn't pitch too bad, but the Guardians' offense was weak (they finished 44-72 and averaged 3.25 runs per game, easily last in the loop), so he had a league-leading 14 losses (one ahead of Chih-Wei Hu). He also collected 6 wins with a 3.89 ERA in 23 starts. Van Meter only used 15 games to collect 10 losses, and that was the fastest in CPBL history. He tied Jake Brigham for 4th with 110 strikeouts and was 8th in ERA (between Dylan Covey and Ryan Bollinger). He was 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA back in the Dominican League in the winter.

He left Taiwan after the 2022 season, and he joined the Algodoneros de Union Laguna of the Mexican League; he had a 5-1, 3.94 record for them. After several winters in the Dominican, he pitched that winter in Mexico.