LAKELAND, Fla. — The door is open for Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows and infielder Andre Lipcius to make their MLB debuts in the 2023 season. Impressions matter, and the prospects have been stating their individual cases for opportunities on the Opening Day roster.
Development matters, too.
That’s why Meadows and Lipcius aren’t currently expected to make the big-league team despite successful performances through 30-plus plate appearances in spring training. The Tigers, using several methods for their evaluations, are keeping the spring stats in perspective with 16 days until Opening Day.
“There are going to be guys that are opening up eyes that change the trajectory short term and long term,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “In sports, we can get really fixated on ‘earning it’ meaning a statistical number or a certain performance. There’s still a development path for guys.”
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The Tigers, stingy with their roster decisions, added Meadows and Lipcius — along with three other prospects — to the 40-man roster in November, thus protecting them from the Rule 5 draft.
Meadows, a former second-round draft pick and the younger brother of Austin Meadows, fixed his swing and finally started timing up fastballs last season. The 23-year-old revived his status as a top prospect, hitting .270 with 20 homers in 556 plate appearances.
He is one of the most exciting players in the farm system.
But Meadows hasn’t played above Double-A Erie.
“Honestly, I’m not thinking about that at all right now,” Meadows said about the Opening Day roster after blasting two home runs Saturday, including one in a left-on-left matchup. “I’m just going out there, playing my game and supporting all my teammates. I’m just out there having fun. Whatever happens, happens.”
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In spring training, Meadows is hitting .300 with four home runs, three walks and 11 strikeouts in 33 plate appearances. Lipcius, meanwhile, is hitting .273 with three homers, zero walks and three strikeouts in 33 plate appearances.
Aside from games, the Tigers are evaluating their ability to follow the scouting reports, as well as the types of pitches that they’re able to consistently hit hard and types of pitches that they’re unable to consistently put in play.
In 2022, Meadows had an 83.3% contact rate on four-seam fastballs and sinkers. He also had a 67.4% contract rate on curveballs and sliders and a 62.3% contract rate on changeups and splitters. Another thing: Meadows, a left-handed hitter, posted a .196 batting average against left-handed pitchers.
The jump from Double-A to MLB is massive, and his sample size against top-tier pitchers is limited at this point in his career.
“This time of year, you certainly can do a lot of good for yourself,” Hinch said, reaffirming the developmental steps. “We’re watching Lip get more versatile. We’re seeing the different dynamics of Parker in the outfield, in the corners and also in center field.”
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Unlike Meadows, Lipcius has played at the Triple-A level.
The 24-year-old, a former third-round draft pick, hit .277 with 12 home runs, 86 walks and 89 strikeouts over 134 games last season for Double-A Erie (88 games) and Triple-A Toledo (46 games).
The Tigers added Lipcius, a right-handed hitter, to the 40-man roster because he dominates the strike zone, as exemplified by his elite plate discipline with a 15.4% walk rate and 15.9% strikeout rate.
His approach is mature beyond his years.
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From a developmental standpoint, the Tigers want Lipcius to feel comfortable playing first base along with his natural third base and second base positions.
Right now, he isn’t polished at first base.
“Not as great as I wanted to,” Lipcius said of his defense. “I hate making errors, so anytime I see errors, it’s not what I want. In this past week, I’ve been getting more comfortable. It’s just getting the confidence to play all those positions when your name is called.”
Lipcius played first base at Tennessee throughout the 2017 season, his freshman year in college, and in the Cape Cod League during the summer after his sophomore year. He also played seven innings at first in Double-A Erie last season.
“Now we need to see him on defense sharpen up areas for him to be a contributor in the big leagues,” Hinch said. “It’s so easy to go to a singular thing and say, ‘Can this guy hit in the big leagues, and is that the reason he would be up there?’ We still want to figure out where he can best fit on the other side.”
It remains unlikely that Meadows and Lipcius will play for the Tigers as members of the Opening Day roster when March 30 rolls around. Instead, they’ll probably report to Toledo. But they are setting themselves up for opportunities at the highest level this season.
They could be the first position players promoted.
“We’ll never turn our back on guys doing positive things in the games,” Hinch said. “We just keep it in perspective.”
Free Press columnist Jeff Seidel contributed to this report. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.