There is a lot of buzz surrounding the Detroit Tigers as they prepare for the 2024 MLB season. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson may be the big names entering Spring Training but it’s a 24-year-old outfielder with high upside that has the fanbase talking.
Parker Meadows may have appeared in just 37 MLB games but impressed during the final stretch of the 2023 season to put his name firmly in the running for the Tigers starting centerfielder job. The left-handed hitter recorded 3 home runs, 13 RBIs, 8 stolen bases and finished with a .331 OBP over 125 at-bats in 2023. During August and September, Meadows displayed a comprehensive skill set. He can run, field, throw, hit, and hit with power.
Meadows spoke with Overtime Heroics senior editor Reggie Roberts in an exclusive interview about some of his influences growing up. Asked about his for favorite players, it’s no surprise that the Georgia native named several former Atlanta Braves players on his list.
“I like watching Chipper Jones,” said Meadows. “When Jason Heyward came up. He was fun to watch. I like Brian McCann. Yep. Those lefty swings.”
Jones, Heyward, and McCann all played different positions but the one common factor among those players is that they are all lefties and all exceptional hitters.
Meadows’ affinity with baseball started at an early age when he named former National League MVP Chipper Jones as one of his top players. The outfielder would have been only nine years old when the eight-time All-Star led the MLB with an incredible .364 batting average in 2008. He would have been only 13 when Jones retired in 2012.
Jones had an illustrious 19-year career with the Braves where he amassed a whopping 468 home runs, 1623 RBIs and finished with a lifetime .303 batting average.
Like Meadows with the Tigers, Jason Heyward worked his way up through the Braves farm system and was considered a true five-tool player. He made his debut for the club at just 20 years old and finished his Braves stint with 84 home runs and 292 RBIs before a move to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Detroit Tigers saw something special in Meadows when they selected him with the 44th overall pick of the 2108 MLB Draft and awarded him a $2.5 million signing bonus to pass on a scholarship from Clemson. Gambling on the highly-rated high school prospect seems to have paid off for the franchise.
During the interview, Reggie Roberts proceeded to ask Meadows about his high school days and what made him such a standout prospect.
“I had a better junior year, I think I hit around .420 my junior year and then senior year. My head got a little bigger. I hit like .350.” said Meadows.
The Tigers’ roster is littered with talented young players. The Minnesota Twins took the American League Central last year after winning just 87 games. If Parker Meadows and this roster can stay healthy, there is no reason the club can’t make a push for a playoff spot in 2024.
