Detroit Tigers Emerging Star Has Showcased His High Ceiling Since IL Return

One of the Detroit Tigers young stars has been showcasing his potential since he's returned from his stint on the injured list.

Aug 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows (22) hits an RBI-double against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

As the Detroit Tigers are evaluating their roster during the final two months of the season, wins and losses don't necessarily matter, although the walk-off defeats against the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants in back-to-back games hurts just the same.

Still, from a big picture perspective, this is a time period where the organization can make some judgements about the current players on this team to see what areas the front office should look to improve as they try to build a contender.

One player who has been a standout in recent contests is Parker Meadows.

Since being activated on August 3 following his hamstring injury that had sidelined him since early-July, the former top prospect has been on a tear.

In his five games played, he's gone 10-for-22 with two triples, a homer, and four RBI. He's had multiple hits in all five of these contests, finally flashing the high ceiling that he was projected to have during his time in the minors.

"I think it goes back to having a plan and just sticking to it. At the beginning of the year in the big leagues, it was hard. Once you kind of stop hitting and you're not doing too well, your mind starts going crazy. It's hard to keep a plan. So when I went back down, I told myself I'm going to have a plan and I'm going to stick to it no matter what. So I rolled with it, and I'm going to continue to roll with it. It's trusting myself and my plan," he said according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

Whatever that plan has been, it's clearly working.

Meadows got his first taste of Major League action late last year. He seemed to have a bright future with the Tigers when he slashed .232/.331/.368 across his 37 games.

But like he indicated, that success did not translate to this season in the beginning.

After making the Opening Day roster, he was sent down to Triple-A in early-May when he had a batting average of .096 to go along with 32 strikeouts in 32 games.

Now, the 24-year-old looks like one of Detroit's outfielders of the future.