Could Parker Meadows Be on a Brenton Doyle Trajectory?

Close your eyes for a second and paint a mental picture of what you want out of a center fielder.

I imagine your first brush stroke started with the player in the outfield chasing down fly balls. Plus defense, and speed to pair with it, is where my mind drifts when I think about center fielders.

The last line of defense with an ocean to cover is not an easy task. However, baseball finds center field defense important enough that glove only guys tend to be roster cockroaches.

Last year, Rockies rookie center fielder Brenton Doyle was looking more like a glove and speed center fielder who might not hit enough. Fast forward a year, and he’s trending toward a 4 WAR player.

Currently starting in center field for the Tigers, Parker Meadows is filling a similar role in Detroit. The 24-year-old, brings speed and defense to the table, but also a career .680 OPS through his first 235 careee plate appearancs.

Will Meadows be able to tap into more offense as he gets acclimated to the big leagues?

Brenton Doyle’s ascent with the Rockies certainly suggests that it could be possible.

Why Doyle is a Good Comp for Meadows

At the surface, the similarities between Parker Meadows and Doyle are clear. Elite defenders in center with limitless range and top notch speed, but with too many strikeouts and plenty of questions about hitting enough to stick.

Doyle has answered those questions while Meadows is still taking the test.

If you dig a bit deeper, you’ll see more comparisons.

We can check the box on both being fast. Over 29 feet per second ranks them within the 90th percentile. The strikeout rate passing 30% is an obvious reason for concern. However, Meadows was around 25% in his first stint in the majors (37 games) in 2023. You’ll see similar numbers in their exit velocities in hard hit rates with 2023 Doyle and 2024 Meadows.

Doyle’s leap this season, simply put, is from him making better contact, more often. He’s cut down his strikeouts while lifting the ball more and finding more barrels. Doyle has cut his ground ball rate by 6% while increasing his HR/FB rate by 5%.

Doyle also made strides in his greatest weakness, hitting breaking balls. In 2023, Doyle hit .151 with a .289 SLG off breaking pitches. A 45.5% whiff rate to go along with it.

This season, .244 with a .467 SLG while cutting his whiff rate to 38%. A few changes and some development show just how much of a leap players with plus tools can make.

Parker Meadows Adjustments

After an 11-game stretch in late April/early May, where Meadows only on had two hits, the Tigers sent him back to Toledo. Meadows looked lost and was doing all he could to stay afloat, but it was obvious a reset was needed. He headed to Toledo with a .096/.224/219 line with only two home runs.

Since returning only July 5th, we have seen a different player. Although it is a small sample, the changes are pretty clear. Let’s start with the numbers. A .378/.395/.703 line with two home runs good for a 204 wRC+ and an 18.4% strikeout rate. Oh yeah, he’s been crushing the ball as well.

The first change I noticed was how Meadows was approaching his at-bats. Compared to the beginning of the season, Meadows is much more willing to swing early in counts.

When he see’s a hittable pitch, he’s ready and attacks. This approach has lead to a drop in his walk rate, but the trade off is worth it.

While we cannot quantify confidence, we can see it. Meadows has looked more comfortable and confident in his at-bats. Instead of looking like he was swimming with concrete shoes, he has a plan of attack and it’s leading to better results.

The next step is obviously just a continuation in the right direction. Getting a larger sample size and determining if post call up Meadows is closer to his everyday version than early season Meadows.

In his handful of games since returning, we have seen firsthand the impact he can make on a game. Whether it be robbing a home run, hitting a home run, or his speed on the basepaths, Meadows finds ways to change the outcome of a game.

Now, to finally answer the questions of if Meadows is on a Brenton Doyle path, I say yes.

Meadows has shown enough quality contact to say a 20 home run season is not out of the question. Getting to the contact consistently is something we’ll learn with time. We already addressed the speed question and the defense, well, example A.

Detroit’s season has many fans questioning this teams path going forward. Parker Meadows has a good chance of being an answer to this lineups struggles.

There’s no doubt in my mind that he has the ability to hover around a 100 wRC+ (league average) and add enough value elsewhere to make him part of this young core going forward. Although he still has more to improve, that should not stop us from being excited.