2025 Fantasy Baseball: Parker Meadows Profile, Preview, Predictions
In this story:
In 2024, Parker Meadows ended up being a fantasy bust. His bat had more value at AAA, but the high-stakes fantasy market expects a long look in 2025.
PARKER MEADOWS GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM IN THE NINTH pic.twitter.com/9aoayvegaq
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 6, 2024
OF – Parker Meadows, DET (ADP – 181.3)
There wasn’t much major league excitement in the bat of Meadows over his first three seasons in the minors. He only .224 over 902 at-bats with 124 runs, 19 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases. Meadows grew into his body in 2022 and 2023, leading to a much more powerful hitter (.263 with 158 runs, 39 home runs, 123 RBIs, and 36 steals over 935 at-bats).
Last season, he made the Tigers’ opening day lineup out of spring training, but his empty bat (.096/9/2/11 over 73 at-bats with 32 strikeouts) led to a demotion to AAA in early May. Meadows regained his form in the minors (.292 over 202 at-bats with 39 runs, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases). Detroit slipped back in their starting lineup over the final two months, leading to much better results (.296/28/6/23/5 over 186 at-bats). His strikeout rate (20.9) was much improved.
His exit velocity (86.8) and hard-hit rate (31.1) weren’t assets. Meadows had a career-high fly-ball rate (47.9), much higher than his total at AAA (40.8%). He tends to hit many infield flies (easy outs) with strength in his launch angle (18.7 in the minors – 20.1 at AAA in 2023). His strikeout rate (25.5) for the season with the Tigers was below the league average.
Fantasy Outlook: Anyone drafting Meadows this season must decide if his bat is good enough to secure a top-two slot in Detroit’s lineup. His walk rate (8.4) in the majors supports a top-of-the-order opportunity. He's improving with 20/20 potential, so it’s all about his value in counting stats. His batting average projects to be a slight liability early in his career.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
Follow Shawn__Childs