RADIO
Austin Meadows 2020 Outlook: Emerging As A Five-Category OF1
5 years agoAustin Meadows production in 2019 made it clear the Tampa Bay Rays won the Chris Archer trade, whether we factor in Tyler Glasnow or not. He slugged 33 HR with 83 R, 89 RBI, 12 SB, and a shiny .291/.364/.558 slash line in his first full season in the American League. The 2019 All-Star hit well at every minor league stop on his way to the bigs, but with just a single-season high of 12 round-trippers, his HR output was surprising to say the least. Meadows seemed to have figured out his power stroke in the second half knocking 17 balls out of the park over his final 50 games. He accomplished this by pulling 14% more of his fly balls in this span, which is the most efficient way to clear the fence. Meadows will continue to bat anywhere between leadoff and third for youthful Rays lineup in arguably the most hitter-friendly division in baseball. His current ADP of 35.5 is still a bit elevated after a late-season power surge, but if he keeps that swing mentality, he’ll put up the counting stats to return value.
