By Joey Johnston
(c) Tampa Bay Rays. Originally published July 1, 2019.
Whenever possible, Rays rookie outfielder Austin Meadows likes to fish. That’s his happy place. Since he was small, if not at a ballpark, he was probably on one of the lakes near his Georgia hometown.
“It’s my favorite thing to do,’’ Meadows says. “It’s quiet and peaceful. You can wind down and think. And you wonder, ‘What am I going to get today?’ ‘’
For Rays fans, there’s no mystery.
Meadows, 24, has become quite the catch. Maybe even the catch of a lifetime.
In his first full season with the Rays, Meadows often flashes the qualities of a five-tool player. He runs well. He hits to all fields. He has power. His arm is a weapon. And he’s a great defender.
Bats left. Throws left. Does everything right.
Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier summed it up with this early June proclamation: “Austin Meadows is the best player in baseball right now.’’
Meadows, acquired last season in a trade with the Pirates, was third in the initial All-Star Game balloting for American League outfielders. As summer began, he was among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
“He’s just absolutely balling out,’’ Rays pitcher Ryne Stanek says. “What a pleasure to watch. I don’t think it’s possible for him to do any more for us.’’
And his most impressive quality won’t be found in a boxscore.
Meadows — polite to a fault, humble and courteous — knows how to made a good first impression.
Just follow the pattern of his life.
“As soon as he could walk, he was a natural,’’ says his mother, Staci. “He knew which way to run. He was fast. He hit it hard. He had good hand-eye coordination.’’
“When I first met Austin, he was just 16, but I saw a guy who was mature beyond his years and had a good head on his shoulders,’’ says his wife, Alexis. “We had an instant connection.’’
Then there was Opening Day on March 28.
Meadows, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound leadoff batter, homered to the opposite field on the fourth pitch. It came off Astros right-hander Justin Verlander, the former Cy Young Award winner and seven-time All-Star.
A fourth-pitch homer.
Quite the introduction.
“I think I started watching Verlander when I was in middle school,’’ says Meadows, a lifelong fan of the Atlanta Braves who grew up idolizing Chipper Jones, now a Hall of Famer. “I’m pretty sure I blacked out running the bases. We had an enormous crowd. People were going crazy. It was a moment I won’t forget.
“I think it meant something. I hope it set a tone for our whole team. It showed we’re here to compete. It’s like a lot of things this season. Things are happening that I used to just dream about.’’
Kenny and Staci Meadows had some dreams, too. They wanted boys. They wanted ballplayers.
“Let’s face it, our guys never really had a choice,’’ Meadows’ mother says with a laugh.
Genetics had stacked the deck.
Kenny played football and baseball at Morehead State, where he earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first-team honors as a third baseman.
Staci, meanwhile, played softball. She began at Georgia Southern, then transferred to Georgia State. Her bat had some pop. She won a “best hitter’’ award at a Penn State tournament and vaguely remembers a walk-off home run somewhere in Alabama.
“That was all a long, long time ago,’’ says the mother, now a third-grade teacher.
But the love never faded. These parents foresaw a life of driveway whiffle ball, Little League weekends, travel-ball tournaments and maybe, just maybe, something bigger.
Their wishes came true. All of them.
Meadows had a stellar amateur career. He earned a spot on Team USA, then led a gold medal-winning performance at the IBF 16U World Youth Championships in Mexico. He became prep baseball royalty while starring for Grayson High School in the suburban Atlanta town of Loganville, Ga. He signed a scholarship with Clemson University. Ultimately, Meadows’ future became clear-cut when the Pittsburgh Pirates made him the ninth overall selection at the 2013 amateur draft.
Meadows’ younger brother, Parker, followed in those cleat marks in 2018, when he became a second-round pick of the Detroit Tigers. Parker began this season in the Class A Midwest League.
“Both of our boys have enjoyed it,’’ says the father. “They never dreaded playing or going to practice. They have always loved it.
“We exposed them to everything. Austin played soccer, basketball, football. He even liked to golf. He was good at a number of things. But I think he realized his future was in baseball.’’
Meadows was a standout football player at Grayson, serving as a wingback and punter for a 15-0 team that captured the 2011 Class 5A state championship at the Georgia Dome.
His football teammates included Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, an All-American at Ole Miss and first-round NFL draft choice, and New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher at Clemson.
“Some of those years, we had 10 or 15 guys who signed Division I football scholarships,’’ Meadows says. “I liked football, but I knew I was a baseball guy.’’
After batting .535 as a Grayson senior, Meadows was ranked as the draft’s No. 3 position player and No. 5 overall player. He was invited to New York for the MLB Network draft show, but opted to stay home where he could celebrate with family and friends.
Finally, the call came. He was a Pirate. A brilliant future was predicted.
But a difficult journey was ahead.
Once professional baseball began for Meadows, he was haunted by physical woes. There were constant hamstring issues, including an injury that knocked out most of his 2014 season. There was an oblique strain and an orbital fracture in his right eye, suffered when he was hit in the face with a baseball while playing catch during spring training.
“It was very hard, honestly,’’ Meadows says. “It seemed like I was hurt every year. But dealing with that helped me to get where I am now.
“I realized, ‘This is my profession. I’ve got to take care of my body.’ Whether it was building muscle, a better diet or getting proper sleep, I took things more seriously.’’
At times, his path to the big leagues seemed like a trek across the desert.
“Austin grew up, pushed forward and did not give up,’’ his father says. “It’s not a walk in the park, even for a top 10 pick. There are so many adjustments you need to make.
“You go in there as a young kid and you’re trying to take away the jobs of men. Not everybody looks at that nicely. There is a dark side of baseball. Prospects don’t really get it until they go through it.’’
Once healthy, though, Meadows hit a higher gear. His tools were obvious. He went 2-for-4 in his big-league debut on May 18, 2018, then homered two days later.
His star was rising.
And then?
“I was watching TV in the weight room in Pittsburgh,’’ Meadows says. “I saw my name go across the bottom. It just popped up on the screen.
“I didn’t know anything at all. Everything changed from there. I was like, ‘Is this real?’ ‘’
His mother, preparing for another elementary-school year back home in Georgia, had just decorated a classroom display with logos of the Pirates and Tigers, the teams for her two sons.
She noticed a text message from Meadows: “I think I just got traded.’’
It was real.
At the July 31 trade deadline, the Pirates sent Meadows, right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow and right-hander Shane Baz to the Rays, who surrendered ace pitcher Chris Archer, the team’s Opening Day starter for four seasons running and holder of its single-game and single-season strikeout records.
After the initial shock wore off, Meadows got excited.
“There’s nothing but love for Pittsburgh,’’ Meadows says. “I grew up in that organization. I learned things that helped me get to where I am today.
“But I was happy to go to the Rays. They wanted us that bad. They gave up Chris Archer to get us. To be in that position, I was truly honored.’’
Glasnow, who began 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA in eight Rays starts before landing on the injured list this season, will always be linked with Meadows because of the trade.
Also because they spent plenty of time together in the Pirates’ organization.
“I actually remember the first day Austin came over (after signing in 2013),’’ Glasnow says. “It was Pirate City, field 3. He hit a triple and just floated around the bases. I was like, ‘Who in the world is this kid?’
“I was shocked at how athletic he was. Some people have seemed shocked this season at how good Austin is, but I’ve seen it since Day One. I’ve been on the Meadows train for a while. There just aren’t a lot of guys his age who are as advanced and consistent as he is.’’
Meadows gave sneak previews last season when he was initially sent to Triple-A Durham. In 27 games, he batted .344 with 10 homers (including a three-homer game against Charlotte) and a .771 slugging percentage. He helped the Bulls to the International League title and still proudly wears his championship ring.
“It was one of the best times I’ve had in baseball,’’ Meadows says. “I was new, but felt like I had been there five years. There was so much camaraderie. It really made me glad to be a Ray.’’
There was also joy at the big-league level. Meadows was on the way — and future teammates were glad.
“We were drafted the same year (2013) and I played against him quite a bit in the minors,’’ Stanek says. “To me, he was a known commodity. I mean, all those homers in Durham … but I wasn’t surprised. He has been a big-time prospect basically his entire life.
“Everyone knew the potential. Then when he came up here and immediately produced, most people are like, ‘Wow, we really have something here.’ But it’s not a shock to me. I got excited when I heard he was coming here. I knew what kind of player he was.’’
Rays manager Kevin Cash got clued in when pitching batting practice to Meadows.
“He’s a strong kid,’’ Cash says. “He has one of those unique swings. It doesn’t look like (the ball) is going, then it keeps going and going.’’
Going, going, gone. Sometimes, it’s an Opening Day clout against Verlander. Sometimes, it’s a shot to the fifth deck of Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
Back in June, Kiermaier said Meadows belonged in the conversation with other outfield luminaries, guys like Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich.
That’s a mouthful. But Meadows has backed up the praise.
“For such a young guy, Austin makes the game look easy,’’ Kiermaier says. “Beautiful swing. Just an easy guy to root for. Great attitude each and every day.
“People don’t realize how hard he works and how much he truly cares about his craft. He’s a soft-spoken guy, but such a competitor. On top of all that, he’s such a great person.’’
He’s such a great person.
If Meadows’ parents had a dollar for every time they heard that statement about Austin, they’d probably be retired. It never gets old.
“We always taught our boys they are more than a baseball player,’’ the mother says. “You want them to have character and care about others. You want them to be coachable, block out the noise and focus on the game.
“Some of the things they saw in travel ball, the attitudes, the throwing of bats and helmets, the cursing, they were aware of it. They knew that’s not what you want to display out on the field.’’
Meadows’ father, his coach until age 15, emphasized the same standards.
“It was all very positive and it still is,’’ the father says. “I was never a dad to say, ‘Why did you swing at that pitch? Why did you do that?’ I tried to keep him focused and positive all the time.
“Baseball is an up-and-down game. You’ve got to ride the wave when you’re doing well, then hopefully limit the down time. When you start getting attention, there’s added pressure to perform. That’s part of it, too. You just have to keep your perspective and know there’s another day.’’
Even better, some of those days involve fishing.
Meadows says he loves the Rays — and he loves living in the Tampa Bay area’s fertile outdoor landscape. Georgia’s freshwater lakes remain his roots, but he has learned about saltwater fishing, too.
The best part? He gets to share it all with his wife.
“Alexis supports me in every way,’’ Meadows says. “She has been through the ups and downs. Having her by my side makes all the difference.’’
She happily fishes, too, but usually asks for help when it comes to baiting the hook. It’s a nice newly married life, nights at the ballpark, long walks around the water, palm trees, sunsets.
“Coming here has been a blessing,’’ she says. “Austin just loves it so much. I’m so happy for him because he deserves it.’’
They dated for six years and everyone knew they were destined for marriage. Still, he planned a special occasion at a luxurious hotel property in Asheville, N.C.
While they admired the scenery, at the right moment, he caressed her hand and dropped to one knee. She began sobbing. Of course, he had a photographer ready to chronicle everything.
Their everyday life isn’t quite that dramatic. But here’s what she likes the most. Meadows has remained the same guy. He practically blushes when asked about the proliferation of No. 17 Meadows jerseys spotted at Tropicana Field.
“He’s just nice,’’ she says. “He would be that way if he wasn’t a ballplayer.’’
Meadows doesn’t take his work home. When he leaves the ballpark, it’s about fishing, listening to music, card games with his wife and playing with their puppy.
From the first moment, she knew he was special, right down to the shared values and morals. Soon, she had a sense of everything that was important to him.
So her gesture wasn’t surprising during their Atlanta wedding last December. On the groom’s cake, the icing included a fish decoration that looked like it was coming out of the water.
These were her words:
“To My Catch Of A Lifetime.’’
In this honeymoon of a season for Austin Meadows, grateful Rays fans share that notion. Introductions have been made. First impressions were outstanding. Now there’s the anticipation of a nice long ride. It feels like the ground floor of something really big.
