Bold Prediction Has Detroit Tigers Rising Star Doing Something Not Seen Since 1989
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The Detroit Tigers are trying to follow up a magical season that took place in 2024.
After it looked like they were going to miss the playoffs for the 10th year in a row, a late push after the front office decided to sell ahead of the trade deadline resulted in the team making the postseason for the first time since 2014.
They took advantage of their opportunity.
Not only did they knock the Houston Astros out of the playoffs before the American League Championship Series for the first time in seven years, they were also one win away from reaching that round for the first time in over a decade.
The Tigers are looking to follow that up this season.
After their improbable run, there are some high expectations for them to follow that up since this is a young group with the prime of their careers in front of them.
For Detroit to take the next step, they need their young stars to reach their ceilings.
In the field, Parker Meadows is that the forefront of that.
It's no secret for those who follow this team closely that the 25-year-old has one of the brightest futures out of anyone. But the only thing that's held him back from reaching his ceiling thus far are injuries he's suffered.
Taken in the second round of the 2018 draft, he eventually debuted in 2023, later than some expected as a top prospect in the Tigers' pipeline, but he's made his presence felt since being called up to The Show.
Meadows has a .241/.317/.413 slash line with 12 homers, 41 RBI and a 105 OPS+ across his 119 games and 443 plate appearances. His numbers should be even better if he's able to play a full campaign, something that everyone inside and outside the organization is hoping occurs.
While those offensive numbers might be a bit modest, it's his defensive prowess where he shines.
The center fielder has been worth 11 Outs Above Average since his debut, accruing a 1.2 defensive bWAR that has him on track to become one of the best defensive players at his position.
That's why Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press thinks he can do something not seen since the late-1980s.
"The Tigers haven't had a Gold Glove winner in center field since Gary Pettis in 1989. In 2025, Parker Meadows is capable of snapping the drought because of his elite defense. The 25-year-old was worth plus-5 defensive runs saved and plus-7 outs above average across 660 innings there in 2024 ...," he wrote.
Meadows has to stay healthy to accomplish that feat.
But there's no doubt he'll be in the running after what he showed last year, something that could allow him to make history if he continues to perform at a high level in the field.
