Detroit Tigers: Parker Meadows proved that he's come a long way in 2023

Detroit Tigers should be excited about Parker Meadows.

The Detroit Tigers invested in the long run when they drafted and signed Parker Meadows with their second-round pick from the 2018 MLB Draft. The Georgia native has come in and really stepped up during his time with the organization.

While his brother played in the bigs elsewhere when Parker was drafted, they have been reunited in Detroit, lest Austin Meadows has not rejoined the lineup, but Parker made his debut in 2023, leaving the opportunity for the Meadows-Meadows combo in the outfield.

Though that may be unlikely to happen in the future, Parker Meadows has undoubtedly made a case for him sticking around to help patrol the outfield grass for the Tigers lineup. Meadows is 23 years old and has started to come into his own, showing how he can benefit the Tigers.

As a prep prospect, he was exceptional but had some flaws in his game that needed to be cleaned up as he worked through the levels of the minor leagues. Meadows worked really hard during his time with the Tigers organization on the Road to Detroit and was able to morph himself into an intriguing youngster.

Meadows had an issue with his swing-decisions, being someone who would chase often and chase badly. It's something that needed to be cleaned up within his game, and he was able to get that done in the minors. There's still room to keep improving, but he was able to improve upon that vastly so far.

On top of that, Meadows has continued to fill out the frame and improve his athleticism, becoming a pretty agile and exciting defender to add to the outfield and patrolling the outfield grass. His speed and agility in a 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame is impressive.

As was mentioned, Meadows made his debut in 2023. He played in 37 games, logging 145 plate appearances where he hit .240/338/.376, with four doubles, two triples, and three home runs with 13 RBI to his credit.

Meadows got his first taste of the big leagues, and he made the most of it. He has a chance to be an impressive player with the Tigers organization. After coming into the organization and struggling a bit, Meadows was able to kick things into gear.

He's come a long way. At one point, I thought Meadows might be a bust and never shake the swing-and-miss issues, becoming a fizzle-out guy. But, he was able to make some changes and make some strides, working through the ranks to find himself in Detroit.

Meadows is someone the Tigers will start relying on moving forward, giving him more chances to prove himself with the team.