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Watch: Tigers Star Parker Meadows Officially Back After Insane Gold Glove Play
Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows (22) catches a fly ball against Cleveland Guardians during the fifth inning of Game 1 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers received the huge news on Monday afternoon that their star center fielder Parker Meadows was returning to the lineup from the 60-day injured list.

With a series against the Chicago White Sox on deck and a chance to widen the growing gap in the American League Central, it was the perfect opportunity for Meadows to establish himself back in the Tigers lineup.

For as solid as his bat was last year though especially down the stretch, it's the glove for Meadows that takes a back seat to nobody in Major League Baseball at one of the toughest positions on the field.

In the bottom of the first inning with Detroit already leading 3-0, Meadows had a shot hit short of him by Andrew Benintendi which he somehow found a way to make a trademark diving catch:

For as nice as the catch looked, a look into the advanced stats that made it happen might make it even more impressive.

According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the ball off Benintendi's bat had an absurd expected batting average of .950.

That means that Meadows is not just making incredible plays, in his first inning of the season he took away a ball that was a near statistical guarantee to be an extra base hit.

The future Gold Glove winner made a habit of making incredible plays last year in center field, and after the Tigers dealt with injuries all year so far in the outfield, getting Meadows back provides a massive boost.


This article first appeared on Detroit Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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