After missing the first two months of the season, Parker Meadows didn't miss a beat in his first game back with the Tigers. He's been searching for his rhythm ever since.
Meadows doubled, tripled and scored three runs -- and made a typically terrific catch in center -- in his season debut as part of the Tigers' rout of the White Sox earlier this month. He's 5-for-44 (.114) since, with one extra-base hit: a three-run homer last week in a win over the Orioles. That wasn't the spark anyone hoped it would be, at least not in the box score. Meadows has since gone 1-for-14.
The Tigers are not about to panic. A.J. Hinch said Thursday before Meadows singled, walked and scored two runs in Detroit's 9-2 win over the Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader that the Tigers will be "very patient" with their 25-year-old center fielder as he tries to find his groove at the plate. Lest anyone forget, he looks as smooth as ever in the field.
"First off, he can impact the game and contribute to a win in a lot of ways that don’t include his four at-bats," Hinch said on 97.1 The Ticket. "He smoked two balls the other day and didn’t get anything to show for it. He patrols center field as a huge contribution to a win. We’re going to be very patient with him and get him up and running."
Hinch is right: Meadows has been victimized by some bad luck on balls in play. He lined out twice and scolded a ground-out in the Tigers' loss to the Reds last Saturday. He lined out twice more in their win over the Pirates on Tuesday, the first time on a 104.9 mph missile to the warning track in right. He lined out to left on another hard-hit ball Thursday, before getting a rest in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
If a few of those balls fall, Meadows might be, say, 5-for-his-last 14. And we might not even be having this discussion.
"I just want to remind everybody, we look back, Colt Keith’s OPS is probably as good as anybody’s the last month, and he had a rough April. Javy went through a spell of 40 or 50 at-bats where things weren’t great for him. Riley Greene, I got asked a lot of questions when he was punching out and not doing well," said Hinch. "It’s just not perfect for everybody all year."
Indeed, Keith's OPS was .518 through the Tigers' first 30 games. It's .867 since, second on the team to Greene, who himself went through an 0-for-23 slide in April and since has an OPS of .892. Baez closed May in an extended slump, and has an OPS of .942 in June. Meadows has said his early at-bats have felt like an extension of spring training, as he searches for his timing. It just so happens to be the middle of the season.
The recent signs are encouraging, even if the results haven't reflected it. This is the same player who posted an .840 OPS in the final two months of last season and sparked the Tigers on both sides of the ball in their historic run to the playoffs. The sooner Meadows rediscovers that version of himself, the better, but the Tigers have the luxury of time with a 9.5-game lead in the division.
"If he’s contributing to a win and putting in the work and he's making some adjustments and we’re seeing him hit the ball hard, the hits will come," said Hinch.
In the meantime, he reiterated, "we’re going to be very patient."