The Detroit Tigers Are Continuing Their Youth Movement By Calling Up Parker Meadows

If your last name is Meadows and you're part of the Detroit Tigers organization, odds are you've had a very bizarre journey. Parker Meadows, prior to the 2022 season, was becoming something of an afterthought. Initially drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft, Meadow struggled mightily in his first several years down in the minor leagues. He did lose a year of development because of the Covid season, but it wasn't until his age 22 season when he started to turn it on. Meadows put up solid numbers across two leagues last year, and he spent his entire season in 2023 in Toledo with the AAA ball club. His numbers aren't overwhelming, but they are pretty. He has a .337 on-base percentage and .812 OPS. He also clubbed 19 home runs in 113 games.

Meadows currently ranks 10th on the Tigers' list of top prospects. He's 23 years old, which is a bit old for a prospect to be making his Major League debut. That's a nitpick, though. Twenty-three isn't exactly ancient. He revamped his swing following the 2021 season, and it's paid off for him. He was definitely a late bloomer down in the Minor Leagues, and hopefully, that translates to the Major League level. His defense is solid as well. The Tigers already have their franchise centerfielder in Riley Greene, but by all accounts, Parker Meadows will be a solid corner outfielder in Major League Baseball.

This is what Tigers fans have been clamoring for. We want to see the young guys. In 2023, it worked. I hope the days of us being crushed by seeing prospects never develop are long gone. Scott Harris, to his credit, has shown an ability to develop young talent at the Major League level. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter have all shown a ton of promise. The farm system is deeper than it's been in a while. No one will call it elite, but a player like Parker Meadows inspires a lot of hope. He went from being an afterthought to being a guy that Tigers fans couldn't wait to see at the Major League level. 

If the Tigers want to be successful and compete for the American League Central next year, it won't require a full-on revamp. They need depth pieces. There's a good core of hitters in the middle of their lineup that will be here for a long time, but they are bogged down consistently by players at the bottom of the lineup who don't contribute anything. If they can get league-average production from somebody like Meadows, it makes the future much brighter. It would be wonderful if he and his brother could play in the same outfield here pretty soon.