May 18: The Pirates have announced Meadows’ promotion and Marte’s placement on the DL.
May 17: The Pirates announced tonight that they’re planning to promote top outfield prospect Austin Meadows tomorrow. Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic first reported that the Bucs were planning to call up the long time top prospect. Biertempfel adds that he’ll be stepping into the roster spot of Starling Marte, who’ll land on the disabled list with a right oblique strain.
Meadows, 23, has long rated as one of the game’s most promising outfield prospects. The ninth overall pick in 2013, Meadows entered the season ranked among the game’s top 50 prospects, per Baseball America (44), MLB.com (45), Fangraphs (47), Baseball Prospectus (34). After a down season at the Triple-A level in 2017, Meadows is hitting .281/.326/.380 with a homer and eight steals (in nine attempts). He’s struck out in just 20 of his 131 plate appearances but also drawn just seven walks.
The promotion will give the Pirates their first regular-season look at Meadows against Major League pitching. Hamstring injuries throughout his minor league tenure likely delayed Meadows’ timeline, and while he still has yet to truly overpower Triple-A pitching as he did at the Double-A level, there’s plenty of reason for optimism regarding his bat. Scouting reports on Meadows credit him for having an above-average to plus hit tool with average power and plus speed. Those wheels serve him well defensively, also, as he’s capable of playing center field, though more recent scouting reports on him forecast a potential move to left field when all is said and done.
It’s possible that this is merely a short-term promotion for Meadows, but oblique injuries tend to keep players on the disabled list for around a month, so he may also get a reasonably prolonged look in the outfield with Marte on the shelf. With Andrew McCutchen now in San Francisco and Corey Dickerson only controlled through 2019, Meadows will be fighting to show the Pirates that he deserves the long-term spot in the outfield that the organization has long hoped he’d eventually claim. For the time being, it seems likely that Meadows will man center field, with Dickerson and Gregory Polanco flanking him in the outfield corners.
As for Marte, his loss shouldn’t be undersold. Though the 29-year-old disappointed fans and the organization alike in 2017 when he was slapped with an 80-game suspension following a failed PED test, he’s bounced back extraordinarily well in 2018, hitting at a career-best .308/.366/.503 pace with six homers, five doubles and an NL-best four triples — all while racking up 10 steals in 13 tries and walking at a career-high 8.6 percent clip. That’s quite a lot of production to subtract from the lineup and leaves Meadows with some sizable shoes to fill, though if he can simply hold his own at the plate in his first exposure to MLB pitching and play capable defense in center field, the Pirates will surely be pleased with that outcome.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mmmm….Meadows is having a blah 2018 compared to others on the AAA roster.
Really? Are you referring to of Bostick or Luplow? Neither have the same ceiling.
But he’s a consensus top 100 prospect for a reason
I hope that this lasts no more than one week..The Pirates tend to look for opportunities to bring their young players up for a short stretch or “cup of coffee” to give them a feel for what major league life and games are like.
Hopefully Meadows will not be totally overwhelmed by this assignment.I think that Rodriguez will still get some of the starts but Meadows needs to get his feet wet sooner rather than later.
Marte is a tough player to try to replace.Meadows may be the only true centerfielder other than him in the organization.It is not a good position for which to run out of acceptable players.
Hey that lesser known guy they got from the Astros *Jason Martin* might be a diamond in the rough.
He is playing extremely well but I think that the Pirates figured that he was a good minor league player who could eventually fit well as a fourth outfielder.He may well end up being more than that based on his current play in AA.
The fine play of Gerritt Cole does not surprise me as he has matured and gone to a very good team who wants him and may very well want to keep him.However,this trade I think was a good one for both teams as these four players were all very good extra players in the loaded Astros farm system.
What a disastrous season for the Pirates. Everyone knows they are trying to tank and here they are in first place. Everyone knows that Nutting “doesn’t want to win”. He must be so upset.
The vindictive, know nothing media that told the town the team would win 58 games this year aren’t quite sure how to respond given how obviously their narrative fell apart.
The “Super Genius” is literally just regurgitating his 2016 rants and hoping that no one can read a calendar or a win-loss column. He’s forced to complain about the moves of the 2016 off season, explaining for the umpteenth time that Nutting and the front office DISMANTLED a 98 win team by getting rid of 7 key players by the trade deadline of the following season.
Key players like…
AJ Burnett and Aramis Ramirez. Sure, they retired but the Super Genius would have blackmailed them with pictures of them with hookers to force them to unretire. Super Genius knows all about hiring hookers. A team that really wanted to win would have ignored the players wishes and demanded their returns.
JA Happ and Pedro Alvarez. They let these two players go for NOTHING. NOTHING. If they wanted to win, they would have never let such great players walk for NOTHING. Now, sure, the Super Genius had no idea who Happ was when they got him and said he was a bum and that getting him was proof that the team didn’t want to win, but after they let him go he so keenly noted that letting him go was now proof that they didn’t want to win. And unlike every other dolt on Earth, the Super Genius knows that Pedro Alvarez is still a stud and not some one dimensional AAA warm body (yes, he seriously lists Pedro as a good player they let go…to this day).
Neil Walker, Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon. OK, so, remember when letting players walk to free agency for nothing was proof that the team didn’t want to win? Well, forget that, because now the team trading players before they leave as free agents and getting something for them is proof that they don’t want to win. Sure, Walker is a few days away from a DFA, Liriano is an innings eating scrub on a bad team and Melancon is a broken shell of himself signed to one of the worst contracts in all of baseball, but…OBVIOUSLY if the Pirates really truly actually wanted to win they would have kept all of those bad players on their roster.
Now, most people would follow baseball would say that anyone who criticized the Melancon for Felipe Rivero (now Vasquez) trade from a Pirates’ perspective would have to be a Super Moron but…no, just ask him, he knows better.
Meanwhile, the guy whose employees keep leaving his site and then talking about what an awful person he is on Twitter is so flummoxed that he can no longer do basic math…
There are 53 markets in the U.S. with at least one major-league sports franchise, and Pittsburgh ranks 24th among those, which is obviously well into the upper half. Within Major League Baseball, where this small-market nonsense is misapplied most often, the Pirates rank 23rd of 30 but also just barely behind St. Louis, Denver and Cleveland. Within the NFL, the Steelers rank 21st out of 32. Within the NHL, the Penguins rank 19th out of 30.
Where’s the “small” in that?
…
Pittsburgh’s one of the bigger cities in America, and it’s above-average size for those with a major-league sports franchise.
Get it right.”
Yeah, people…get it RIGHT. Pittsburgh is “above-average size for a major-league sports franchise”….even if all 3 of it’s major pro teams are in the bottom half of market sizes for their respective leagues.
Oh, and never mind that the average incomes and corporate base are much smaller and pretend those don’t factor into anything.
I should really stop criticizing the fans…they have no chance with this local media. Only Fangraphs can save them.
What? Bro, Austin Meadows just got called up.
I see you noticed my less than subtle crowbar.
The one guy hangs up on anyone who criticizes him, the other guy deletes the comments and I don’t use Twitter, so…here we are…
I apologize to anyone I “triggered” with written content longer than a Tweet.
Um…dude. Take a breath.
That was a tin foil hat moment for you big guy.
Great, just a great follow up
“Tin foil hat?”, I don’t think so. Everything he said is true.
Admitting that what I said is true means admitting that they were duped by charlatans who know nothing and have agendas. I won’t hold my breath.
Better to just keep claiming that a first place team is “tanking” and “doesn’t want to win”.
FWJBT, I was by no means duped. MM has said more than once that people should not listen to his show to actually learn anything about sports. As you know, he has chosen the “heel “ role. Some just don’t realize that. Keep speaking the truth, my brother.
You are aware that the phrase “tin foil hat” tends to refer to nonsensical conspiracy theories, right?
What conspiracy did I allege?
I remember laughing at a fat guy for having to use 2016 material to criticize a 2018 team and laughing at a bad guy for thinking that 23 of 30, 21 of 32 and 19 of 30 constitute “above average” rankings and pretending that Winnipeg and Jacksonville changes the Pirates 23 of 30 ranking somehow…but I don’t remember alleging any conspiracies.
Don’t look too deeply into it pal, I was just calling you crazy. Because you went off on a misplaced tangent. Like crazy people do.
This is what happens when you drink and internet.
Show me on this doll where MM hurt you.
Chill dude. You actually typed more words than Steve Adams did for this article.
I have to make a comment about this comment as I follow the Pirates closely and have been a a fan for 57 years.
I do not share the invective but I also do not read local media as I no longer live in the area.
I generally agree with Josh’s comments and need in my mind to end this 2015 story.
Burnett-retired
Ramirez-retired
Alvarez-sorely missed his power,but had no position to play
Liriano-they had to trade him to save $19M as he was one of the worst pitchers in the N in 2016
Melancon-had to trade him because of the impending contract amount(got a pretty good player in return)
Walker-they could have kept him and signed him but his injury history was clearly too extensive and Niese had been for years a fairly good pitcher
Happ-the Blue Jays signed him for what the Pirates were paying Liriano.Happ pitched very well in 2016 and OK in 2017,and is pitching fairly well this year.I think that Pittsburgh did not want to take a chance on digression but they did need to replace Burnett.
We shall see how this year ends up but the Pirates are consistent in their conservative approach but do pounce on opportunities when available.I questioned whether they should have traded McCutcheon as the return was not great but the Cole trade netted four good players,
Let’s see what they do at the trade deadline if the team is still in the playoff race.
Dude are one of those no talent bloggers he talks about? You don’t really believe the pirates are using all revenue to win do you? Let’s see where they are mid July! Let’s see what they do at the deadline. MM is right about the pirates, but by all means keep drinking the kool aid
Fwjbt, while I tend to agree with most of what you say and can empathize with your disdain for the media and fans, I want to heed warning. You’re crossing into caseyspartner territory in obsession.
anything is better than max moroff and sean mendoza rodriguez with their robust batting averages.
Moroff hit very well the second half of last year and is playing because he has some power and is a fine fielder.It is a moot point as he will be sent down when JHay comes off the disabled list.
SRod is truly a Swiss Army Knife and Hurdle’s favorite but I know why.I cannot recall a utility man who is as fine of a fielder in as many positions as SRod.He does have some power and is a good base runner and a fine teammate who always shows up to play with gusto.I am truly bummed out that he has not simulated his 2016 hitting results but that year now unfortunately seems to be the outlier.It is difficult for me to do also but I try to look past the batting average,which I doubt will ever be very high as he strikes out a lot,and appreciate him for all of the things that he still does do well.
Will be interesting to see how they use Meadows. Leadoff hitter?
Batting 7th tonight.
Starlin Marte is injured so, the best possible option is to give the Pirates’ top prospect a chance to see mlb pitching and exposure to the speed of the game.