Baseball can be a very difficult game. No matter how good you were in little leagues, or if you were the star of the high school team, it’s a game that is centered around a player failing. Especially for position players, as a default, you fail more times than you are successful.
Fans could lose that perspective during the course of the 162-game season, but former Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows is sharing his story.
A former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Meadows seemed to be on the cusp of superstardom when he debuted in 2018, posting an OPS+ of 114. He was included in the Tyler Glasnow trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, and in 2019, was not only named to the American League All-Star team but received some MVP votes after a 33-home-run campaign.
Skipping past 2020 (it was an odd year for nearly every hitter), Meadows hit 27 home runs with the Rays in 2021, and the Tigers identified him as a target that following offseason. Swapping Isaac Paredes for Meadows, Detroit was under the impression that they just landed the next cornerstone of their lineup ahead of the 2022 season.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for Meadows on the field, going without a home run in 36 games played with the Tigers in 2022. It was a season defined by illnesses and injury as the former top prospect worked his way through COVID, vertigo, and an Achilles injury. By the end of his first year in Detroit, Meadows had to step away to focus on his mental health.
Former Tigers outfielder resurfaces with honest mental health reveal
The offensive struggles returned in 2023, and off the field, the Tigers and Meadows were still looking for solutions. The result, unfortunately, was the Tigers’ non-tendering of the outfielder at the start of the offseason, and it led to his sudden exit from the game.
Fast-forward to earlier this week, and Meadows provided an update to his followers on Instagram. While admitting the challenges of being out of baseball, it genuinely sounds like the 30-year-old has made progress with improving his mental health. He revealed that the biggest lesson he learned is accepting that he has an anxiety disorder and OCD, and other things that are beyond his control. He ended his update by highlighting the importance of seeking help when needed.
Certain stories are bigger than baseball. Regardless of how Meadows’ career unfolded, the most important thing about his journey is that he has reached a place where, as a person, he can accept his circumstances and have an awareness to be a voice for those who simply need the feeling of not being alone.
Setting the game of baseball to the side for a moment, credit to Meadows for the work he has done, and for being a beacon of hope. That is far more important than anything he did on the field.