Parker Meadows returns to Detroit Tigers after swing adjustment in Triple-A Toledo
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The 24-year-old made “a little mechanical adjustment” to his swing, with a focus on his hands.
“Just keeping my hands up longer,” Meadows said. “My hands were dropping a little bit, so my swing was uphill. We really worked on being more down and direct to the ball. I was able to do that. Once I got that dialed in, I could really focus on the timing. It’s hard to hit a rising fastball when your swing is uphill.”
For the Mud Hens, Meadows hit .298 with eight home runs, 28 walks and 42 strikeouts in 47 games, stealing 19 bases in 24 attempts. He needed about two weeks in Toledo to make the adjustment, then spent the next six weeks earning his way back to the Tigers.
Meadows is on time for fastballs again.
“We like the adjustment that he’s made,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “There’s been some subtle routine adjustments and swing adjustments that have gotten him to more pitches, and now, the challenge is letting him get back acclimated playing at this level.”
With the Tigers, he hit .077 with a .465 OPS and a 27.7% whiff rate on fastballs. With the Mud Hens, he hit .404 with a 1.259 OPS and a 14.1% whiff rate on fastballs.
He also feasted on high-velocity fastballs at the Triple-A level. On fastballs at 95 mph and above, he hit .308 (8-for-26) with the Mud Hens, compared to .000 (0-for-10) with the Tigers.
What are those tough pitches?
Breaking balls.
It’s an area where Meadows continued to struggle in Triple-A Toledo. He hit just .170 with a 35.3% whiff rate against breaking balls with the Mud Hens. The issue: Meadows is chasing too many of those pitches outside of the strike zone.