KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The season began to deviate from its ideal trajectory in early May. The Detroit Tigers were 19-17 at the time, but their young center fielder had a .096 batting average, was beaten by fastballs in the zone and confused by breaking balls down low.
Management kept fighting back, knowing how much Parker Meadows’ defense and baserunning could mean to the team. Finally, they couldn’t resist anymore. On May 6, the Tigers demoted Meadows to Triple-A Toledo.
By June, the team was below .500 and falling fast. Meadows was in the minors, starting to correct his timing and find a way back to the major leagues. But what if someone had told Meadows he would be doing what he is doing now, making spectacular catches and decisive hits in the middle of a thrilling playoff race?
“I would believe them,” Meadows said Tuesday night, fresh from his recent glory. “Confidence is huge in this game and you have to maintain it.”
On July 4, the Tigers were at rock bottom. That day, Kenta Maeda was beaten 12-3 in Minneapolis. The Tigers were nine games under .500. Their season seemed over and their youthful spirit was permanently wounded.
That night, Meadows was recalled, having worked on keeping his hands higher and making his swing more consistent during his stay in Toledo. Meadows promptly hit a home run in his first two major league games. In his third game after returning, he injured his right thigh and missed nearly a month.
When he returned, the Tigers were 53-58. They sold everything they could before the trade deadline. Their pitching was full of questions, and the final two months of the season seemed to be all about development.
All that has happened since then might not have happened if Meadows hadn’t been at the best of his game. There was the miraculous catch in Seattle, where he leapt into the clouds to steal a lead-winning home run from Cal Raleigh in the eighth inning. There was the night in San Diego, where with two outs in the ninth inning, he hit a 100.7 mph fastball the other way for a lead-winning grand slam and said, “Never pay us off.”
“He’s been through a lot this year,” manager AJ Hinch said recently. “His maturity, I’m very proud of him and for him. He’s a stable player, a stable person. He’s very calm, but it hasn’t been an easy road for him, even though he makes a lot of things look so easy on the field.”
On Tuesday in Kansas City, Meadows was the epicenter of another shaky Tigers victory. With two runners on base in the third inning, Hunter Renfroe hit a two-out line drive to Meadows’ left. The leggy center fielder got to the ball a half-second late, then sprinted gracefully, reaching over his head to catch the ball and likely saving two runs.
As the game progressed, starting pitcher Casey Mize was initially surprised that Meadows even got the ball. Then he asked himself: Why am I surprised?
“The guy can be a superstar,” Mize said later. “He’s got everything. When he catches a ball like that, it reminds you why. He’s a freak out there.”
Oh my Parker Meadows 😱 pic.twitter.com/kg03bkRVVs
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) 18 September 2024
Meadows has made above-average outs and sprints through the outfield with a sprint speed that ranks in the 93rd percentile of all players. Additionally, he wins the eye test with his reach, length, leaping ability and zest for making big catches in big moments.
In another close game in the midst of this terrific playoff push, Tuesday’s catch was another miracle.
“If the ball stays infield, Parker is going to catch it,” Hinch said. “But he’s been hit hard and he’s been hit in most of the stadium. … If he takes the right angle, he’s generally going to catch 99.999 percent of the balls that stay infield. But man, we were holding our breath a little bit because we could have done so much damage.”
By the 10th inning, the Tigers had gritted their teeth and endured another nerve-wracking duel with the Royals. Shelby Miller loaded the bases twice. Beau Brieske threw a dazzling inning as relief pitcher. Tyler Holton continued to dominate and kept the game tied 1-1, although rookie second baseman Colt Keith left the game with a shoulder injury that will require further evaluation.
In overtime, Trey Sweeney was on third base thanks to a Lucas Erceg balk. Meadows faced a flame-throwing right-hander, fought off a 93 mph changeup and smacked it into left field for the winning run. Meadows stood on first base, arms raised to the sky.
The Tigers ultimately won 3-1, leaving them 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the battle for the last wildcard spot in the American League.
“We’re just going to keep doing our thing, playing our game, showing up every day and having fun, talking all day, playing cards and just staying relaxed,” Meadows said. “We’re going to live in the moment and keep being the decisive factor in big situations. This team is really good at that.”
Since August, no one has been better at those moments than Meadows. The Tigers wouldn’t be here without this player, who has a .306 batting average since returning from the injured list. He often sprints around the bases and occasionally slams a ball into the seats. He posted an OPS of .911 in August and an OPS of .850 in September. Since returning from the IL, he ranks 12th among all MLB players in FanGraphs’ baserunning metric.
“He has been an influential player on both sides and can get a lot better,” Hinch said.
Meadows was a hopeless prospect, then an up-and-coming hitter in Double A. He was an exciting young player, then a hitter who seemed outmatched in the major leagues. Right now, he’s the most exciting player on a team that has become one of the best stories in baseball.
Meadows entered Tuesday with an OPS of .856 in games the Tigers win. Based on recent performances, the Tigers’ record when Meadows is in the starting lineup is an astonishing 42-23.
When Hinch heard the statistics, he giggled.
“I will use it tomorrow,” he said.
(Top photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Imagn Images)
