Detroit Tigers Outfielder Has Been Surginng in Stretch Run

Which outfieder on the Detroit Tigers has been surging in the stretch run?

Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows (22) warms up on deck before batting against Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, September 14, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have been one of the best teams in MLB in the second half of the season, putting themselves firmly in the mix for a Wild Card spot. 

As the Tigers continue to battle for the playoffs, they are currently in the midst of what will be the toughest part of their stretch run. After handling some of the easier teams in baseball and moving up in the standings, Detroit is now playing against the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals in crucial series over the next week. 

If the Tigers are able to continue their winning ways against teams above them in the standings, they are going to find themselves in the playoffs this year. 

While the pitching staff has received most of the credit for the great play of late, the lineup for Detroit has also come alive.

Riley Greene looks like a building block for the franchise in the outfield, but he has received some help of late from Parker Meadows. 

Brian Murphy of MLB.com recently spoke about the play of Meadows and how much of a help he has been for the team in the stretch run. 

“Meadows' late-season surge has coincided with Detroit's charge up the Wild Card standings. Entering play on Saturday, the club was an MLB-best 21-9 since Aug. 11 and just 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Meadows has an .810 OPS with 13 extra-base hits in his 28 games since that date. The Tigers' No. 6 prospect at the outset of the year, Meadows was the team's Opening Day center fielder and batted leadoff early on. However, he went 7-for-73 with 32 strikeouts before being sent to the Minors on May 7. He came back to the big leagues about two months later but suffered a right hamstring strain just three games after being recalled and missed nearly another month.”

Getting some more punch in the lineup has really helped the Tigers go on this current stretch of excellent baseball, as they finally have balance as a team. 

The performance of Meadows has been a big part of that.

In August, the young outfielder totaled a .322 batting average with two home runs, six doubles and eight RBI. He has followed that up in September so far with three home runs and 13 RBI in the month, as the outfielder has started to showcase his power. 

With about two weeks left in the season, the surging Meadows has really helped Detroit in the AL Wild Card race and his play has been an encouraging sign for the future.