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Austin Meadows Discusses McCutchen Rumors, Injury History, Offseason Routine

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BRADENTON, FL – The biggest story this offseason for the Pirates has been the possibility of Andrew McCutchen getting traded. The Pirates came close to a deal with the Nationals during the winter meetings, and teams continue asking about McCutchen. However, the Pirates have held onto McCutchen, and currently plan on keeping him for the 2017 season.

There are several factors driving a potential McCutchen trade, but one of the big ones would be his replacement. Austin Meadows made the jump to Triple-A last year, and could arrive in the majors in the second half of the 2017 season, at the earliest. The 2013 first round pick is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and just received an invite to MLB Spring Training by the Pirates. He’s got the chance to be an impact player, and you can see why the Pirates would be comfortable replacing McCutchen with Meadows for their long-term outfield.

So naturally, Meadows has been mentioned as the future replacement for McCutchen in almost every trade rumor or analysis of such a move.

“I try not to get too wrapped up in it,” Meadows said today, while preparing for the first day of mini camp in Bradenton. “It’s definitely an honor to be up there in that conversation with some of those guys. I just try to stick to my game and work hard, and try to get better each and every day in the baseball aspect of things. I’ve got to stay healthy, and I’m looking forward to what can happen.”

Meadows hasn’t spent a lot of time with McCutchen, playing with him briefly during Spring Training in 2015. He did say that, from his limited interactions, McCutchen is a “great guy” who is “funny and humble”. But Meadows also knows the business side that involves the Pirates moving that great guy to make room for him.

“I think that’s just the business of it,” Meadows said. “We kind of all understand how it works. We just go out there and play our game, and let those guys kind of handle what they do best up there. We just kind of worry about what we have to worry about, and not get ahead of ourselves too much. Whatever happens with him or with any of us, you’ve just got to keep playing.

As far as his game goes, Meadows is about as safe of a prospect as you can get in terms of making the adjustment to the majors. He has a quick, compact swing that allows him to hit for a high average, and he’s added some power in the last year. He has a great approach at the plate, and also adds some speed to his game to get a few extra bases on hits or through steals. Defensively, he’s got enough range to play center field, although he’ll probably be in a corner in Pittsburgh, with Starling Marte being the future center fielder.

The one red flag with Meadows would be his injury history. He missed a lot of time in 2014 with a hamstring injury, which sidelined him for half the season. He was healthy for all of 2015, including the Arizona Fall League after the season. He had a freak injury in 2016 where a ball skipped up and hit him in the eye during Spring Training, causing him to miss the first month of the year. But the concern would be the month he missed with a hamstring issue in the middle of 2016, and missing the end of the year with an oblique injury.

The Pirates were playing it safe with the hamstring, and it came on a different leg than the previous injury. It’s hard to say if Meadows would have missed as much time in the majors. But when you miss half a season previously with an injury, and then you have two small injuries two years later in your three and a half year career, the questions about being injury prone come up.

I asked Meadows if there was anything he did differently this offseason to try and avoid the injuries. He spent the offseason staying on top of his rehab, but didn’t make any major changes, outside of one addition to the program.

“I’ve incorporated some yoga into my stuff, trying to help my flexibility,” Meadows said. “That’s kind of new for me. That’s a key goal this offseason, to be a little bit looser in all aspects of my body. So that’s kind of the main difference this offseason.”

Meadows started doing yoga when he was in Bradenton doing his rehab work last year. He does that two or three times a week. Time will tell if this helps him, and whether there should be valid concerns for his injury history. But it’s not like Meadows is held back from the big leagues right now by injuries and a workout routine. He still has a few things to work on before he’s ready.

The biggest thing would be his adjustment to the upper levels. Meadows had a great season at the plate in Altoona, hitting for a .976 OPS. He didn’t do as well in Indianapolis, with a .757 OPS, although that result wasn’t horrible for his first run through the level. The key going forward will be adjusting to more advanced pitchers.

“It’s a little bit different up there,” Meadows said. “Older pitchers, a little more experience. You’ve got to be committed to a zone up there in the strike zone. Be patient, but also be aggressive as well. It’s definitely a learning curve for me.”

Meadows also has been getting work at the corner outfield spots, preparing him for his future in Pittsburgh. That is less of an adjustment for him, due to his history.

“I’ve played some in the instructional league, in the fall league,” Meadows said of playing the corners. “I played left field in high school. So I’m kind of used to it. I didn’t have a problem adjusting to it. I was pretty comfortable in left.”

Eventually, the Pirates will move on from Andrew McCutchen, whether that’s this offseason, or following the 2018 season. At that point, Meadows will take over, and should maintain a very dynamic long-term outfield when paired with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. For now, Meadows is looking forward to the 2017 season, with a goal of staying on the field.

“I’m definitely looking forward to a full, healthy year this year.”

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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