Detroit Tigers Call Up Power-Hitting Top 10 Prospect Parker Meadows for MLB Debut
The Detroit Tigers have called up top outfield prospect Parker Meadows from Triple-A Toledo, the team announced Monday.
To make room for Meadows on the active roster, Detroit optioned infielder Nick Maton to Triple-A. Maton was batting .173 with a .593 OPS and -1.4 WAR in 93 games with the Tigers this season.
Meadows will start in center field and bat sixth in his first-ever MLB game against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Meadows is currently ranked as the No. 2 outfielder and No. 10 overall prospect in the Tigers' farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. He was a second round pick out of Grayson High School (GA) in 2018.
The 23-year-old left-handed hitter has grades of 60 run, 55 field, 55 arm, 50 power and 45 hit, per MLB.com.
After narrowly hitting above the Mendoza Line with an OPS under .625 in both 2019 and 2021, Meadows broke out in 2022. Meadows hit .270 with 20 home runs, 58 RBI, 17 stolen bases and an .819 OPS across 127 games with High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie last season.
That performance helped Meadows earned an invite to spring training with Detroit earlier this year. Meadows put up a .317 batting average, a 1.134 OPS, five home runs and 11 RBI in 21 games of Grapefruit League action.
Meadows had spent all of the 2023 regular season with Triple-A Toledo prior to his call-up Monday, batting .256 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, 19 stolen bases and an .812 OPS through 113 games.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound outfielder is the younger brother of outfielder Austin Meadows, who is currently on the Tigers' 60-day injured list with anxiety. The elder Meadows was an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, and he earned MVP votes in 2021 as well.
The younger Meadows is joining a Tigers team that is 57-67 with just over a month left in the season, which puts the AL Central crown and an AL Wild Card spot decently out of their reach.
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