INDIANAPOLIS — The sample size is small in the grand scheme of a season, but this was a slump by his standards.
Austin Meadows made his Triple-A debut on the road. And his second series with the Indians came at Gwinnett, a stadium that sits about 10 minutes from where he grew up. Meadows didn’t have a hit in that series, going 0-for-19.
But outside of that series at Gwinnett, Meadows has shined with the Indians — at least when he’s been in the lineup. And that hasn’t been often lately. Meadows was not in the Indianapolis lineup on Monday. He last played at Toledo on June 30, and has not been in the starting lineup in six of the last seven games. But he did pinch-hit against Gwinnett on June 28.
“He’s just banged up a little bit,” Indianapolis manager Dean Treanor said. “I just want to make sure that he’s completely healthy and ready to go.”
Treanor did not elaborate on what was bothering Meadows, but said it’s nothing serious. The one game Meadows has played fell in the middle of the last seven-game stretch.
When Meadows has been in the lineup, he’s been impressive as he transitions to the Triple-A level. Except for that four-game series at Gwinnett. Indians manager Dean Treanor had a simple way to describe his struggles in that series.
“He was 0-for-pass list,” Treanor said.
Meadows had about 80 tickets left for family and friends for each of those games at Gwinnett. He had a lot of people to greet during the series. And he pressed to perform well in front of his personal cheering block, a group that looked even larger than it normally would, as the Braves averaged just 2,331 people for the four-game series and rank at the bottom of the International League in attendance.
“I think that’s a good learning lesson for me — experiencing those people and feeling that pressure as well,” Meadows said. “I think down the road that’s good for me and I’ll learn from it for sure.”
Outside of that one series, what Meadows has done at Indianapolis can be summed up simply: he’s hitting for extra bases. Meadows is hitting .239 in Indianapolis. But he’s hitting .419 [11-for-27] outside of that Gwinnett series. That includes two home runs, two triples, and three doubles.
The hitting struggles at Gwinnett went beyond just pressing to perform well in front of family and friends. Meadows is going to be pitched differently at the Triple-A level, which is something he will have to realize and make adjustments to as he progresses.
“When you look at young players they always want to pitch you inside,” Treanor said. “So, that’s what happened in Gwinnett. We talked about it and it’s a matter of him making an adjustment and understanding that [this] is probably how he’s going to be pitched until he shows you can’t pitch him there.”
The pitchers at the Triple-A level are more experienced, as several have major league experience, better command than pitchers in Double-A, and can throw off-speed pitches for strikes at any point in the count, Meadows said.
“You’ll see more guys pitching backwards in the count,” Indianapolis hitting coach Butch Wynegar said. “Whereas in Double-A they might see that 2-1 fastball a majority of the time, here you may see a 2-1 changeup, a 2-1 cutter in. Just that kind of thing.”
One of the first things Wynegar told Meadows was that the 21-year-old had just one chance to make a good first impression. And he’s done just that.
Meadows was in the dugout watching Buffalo reliever Ryan Tepera pitch. Wynegar asked him what he noticed from how Tepera was attacking left-handed hitters. He was throwing a slider and cutter inside against lefties, Meadows said. That was the answer Wynegar wanted to hear.
“He’s a good student of the game and he’s a lot like Josh Bell, but is two years younger,” Wynegar said. “Josh Bell is a real student of the game. For [Meadows] to be 21 and in Triple-A, that’s pretty young.”
During his short time in Triple-A, Meadows has shown signs of being able to make adjustments. In a game at Gwinnett, Meadows grounded out twice against starter Manny Banuelos.
Five days later Meadows doubled to centerfield in the only at-bat against Banuelos.
“As far as his swing goes there’s not really a whole lot to talk about right now,” Wynegar said. “It’s a matter of learning the cat and mouse game between the pitchers and hitters — understanding what Triple-A level is all about.”
Meadows has shown the ability to hit Triple-A pitching in his short time with the Indians. As long as he overcomes his nagging injury — which isn’t considered to be very serious — he should continue to adjust to a different level of pitching and continue his upward swing through the organization.
