CHICAGO _ Austin Meadows got the call from manager Kevin Cash shortly before spring training, letting him know his spot on the Rays roster was secure and he could spend his time in Port Charlotte, Fla., enjoying the fishing and preparing for the season.
The Rays had high expectations for the young multi-talented outfielder acquired from the Pirates, along with starter Tyler Glasnow and prospect Shane Baz, in the July 31 trade of Chris Archer. They felt letting him know he didn't have to worry about competing for a job would pay off once the season began.
So far, so good.
Great, actually.
Meadows has been a key player in the Rays' strong start, and was their top player in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the White Sox. He reached base five times on a career-high four hits and a bases loaded walk, logging four RBIs.
"It was a good day," Meadows said. "Every day you try and go up there and get a couple of hits, get two or three hits, but to be able to get four is definitely cool, so I'm excited. I put myself in a good position today to be able to do that. So things went my way."
Batting in the leadoff spot against righty starters, Meadows, from his season-starting homer off Justin Verlander, has been a spark to the Rays offense. The 23-year-old is batting .379 (11-for-24) over his last eight games with nine RBIs. Overall, he is hitting .308 with a team high three homers, 10 RBIs and a .950 OPS.
"He's got the ability to do everything well," Cash said. "He can run. He can run on the bases. He covers ground in the outfield. He's worked so hard on his defense to continue to gain ground. And then hit. Whether it's a quality at bat, or hit for power, we've seen both of it.
"He's got a chance to be a pretty special player with this opportunity that he's earned to get going here in the lineup, and be a big part of our group."
A strong start during the first of two stints with the Pirates last year gave Meadows a sense that he could play in the majors. The pre-spring call from Cash and subsequent words of encouragement from other Rays officials boosted his confidence.
"Obviously, I feel like I belong here," he said.
He showed it Tuesday, with a leadoff single that combined with a stolen base and two fly balls turned into a first-inning lead, a two-run homer in the second, an RBI single in the fourth, a single that set up a run in the eight and the bases loaded walk in the ninth.
He had some help as Avisail Garcia, highlighting his return to Chicago after 5 { years with the Sox, and Brandon Lowe also homered. Charlie Morton gave the Rays a good but not great five-inning start. And they survived some shaky work by the bullpen as Wilmer Font, after two solid innings, Ryne Stanek and Jose Alvarado teamed to turn what was a comfortable 8-2 lead in the eighth into a tense situation. They allowed the Sox to score three and, with the bases loaded, get the go ahead run to the plate.
But Alvarado kept it there, and the Rays added on and eventually closed it out, improving to 9-3, matching the 2010 division championship team for the best 12-game start in franchise history. They also extended their season-opening series winning streak to four, with the finale today, weather permitting with an ominous forecast.
"You saw what they did to us. ... They had the winning run at the plate," Cash said. "To be able to say that we're winning series is a testament to how well the guys are doing."
That Meadows, hitting .308 overall, has done so well maybe shouldn't be a surprise.
Morton remembers hearing good things about him when he was first coming though the low level of the Pirates system. Glasnow vividly recalls the first time he saw him hit in a minor-league game, lashing a liner and legging out a triple.
"All of us kind of stopped and looked at each other like, "Woah. This kid is a freak,'" he said. "Even to the untrained eye, it's pretty easy to tell he's pretty good."
Kevin Kiermaier is among the Rays impressed with what they've seen.
"That is a trade, getting someone like him, great job Erik (Neander, their GM), Chaim (Bloom, senior VP), Matt (Silverman, team president), whoever got him, he's going to be a good player for a lot of years," Kiermaier said.
"The dude just absolutely hits. Great teammate. Great guy, on and off the field. He can run. Play defense. Good job by them. I think we found our leadoff hitter, against righties at least."
