ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The positive takeaways were almost nonexistent. The Detroit Tigers, outscored 21-3, lost three straight games to start the season against the Tampa Bay Rays.
In the first game, though, outfielder Austin Meadows received an Opening Day ovation from the fans at Tropicana Field during the starting lineup announcements before Thursday’s 4-0 loss.
“It was definitely pretty cool,” Meadows said Saturday. “I earned the respect of a lot of fans here, and I have some relationships with some of the players and staff over there. It’s always cool. It’s always a special feeling being back.”
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Meadows lives in Apollo Beach, about 40 miles from St. Petersburg, in the offseason. His wife, Alexis, and newborn daughter, Adelynne, were in attendance for the first three games, as well as a few other family members.
The 27-year-old played parts of four seasons for the Rays. He was drafted No. 9 overall in 2013 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who then dealt him to Tampa Bay (with Tyler Glasnow) as part of the Chris Archer trade in July 2018.
Meadows, who played 49 games for the Pirates, hit .256 with 65 home runs in 326 games with the Rays. He was an All-Star in 2019 and received American League MVP votes in 2019 and 2021. The Tigers acquired him from the Rays — in exchange for Isaac Parades and a draft pick — in April 2022.
“I worked really hard this offseason to get back to being me,” Meadows said. “It’s a really long season, and I got to stay consistent. The main thing is being able to stay on the field and stay healthy. When I’m able to do that, I’m able to help the team in a lot of different ways.”
In Game 1, Meadows faced left-hander Shane McClanahan — an All-Star and sixth-place finisher in AL Cy Young voting last season — and doubled to left off his two-strike slider in the second inning.
Meadows, a left-handed hitter, finished 3-for-4 with two singles and one double in Thursday’s loss.
“I’d take a win over that,” Meadows said, “but it was a good first day.”
He went 1-for-3 with another single in Saturday’s 12-2 loss, then 0-for-3 in Sunday’s 5-1 loss.
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Through three games, Meadows is hitting .400 (4-for-10) with zero walks and two strikeouts. He only played 36 games last season, hitting .250 with 16 walks and 17 strikeouts, because of injuries, ailments and mental health struggles.
It was the toughest year of his baseball career.
“It’s like getting a new player back,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday. “Getting into spring, like a lot of veteran players, was a slow ramp, getting back into baseball mode. As spring went on, his swing decisions got better, and he started to get toward season mode. That’s kind of a norm for a veteran player who has been around a little bit.”
Meadows struggled at the beginning of spring training while trying to find his timing and mechanics following a long layoff from in-game reps. Ground balls eventually turned into line drives, and in the final few games, those turned into fly balls.
This spring, Meadows hit .240 (12-for-50) with four doubles, five walks and nine strikeouts.
He still hasn’t hit a home run for the Tigers, though.
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“Missing as much time as I did, I was trying to get as many at-bats and innings as I could to play catch up and feel as comfortable as I can,” Meadows said. “It wasn’t the greatest spring for me, but I think the biggest thing was getting the confidence to be back out there and bring that into the season.”
For now, Meadows is thankful to be healthy and contributing.
The Tigers are thankful for his presence, too.
“I wouldn’t say it was like riding a bike,” Meadows said, “but I would say I felt more comfortable toward the end of spring than I did in the beginning. That’s where you want to be leading into the season.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.