You grow up fast in the big leagues. Once upon a time, Parker Meadows was the kid in center field for the Tigers. Now it’s Meadows who calls Max Clark a “great kid,” like he’s the friend of Clark’s older brother. It’s funny to hear, only because Meadows is still a kid himself.

He turned 26 last November; Clark turned 21 in December. But in this game, at those ages, five years is a wide gap. Where Clark has his entire career in front of him, it feels like Meadows might be playing for his spot this season in the Tigers’ future.

A lot at stake this year for Parker Meadows, a pivotal piece for the Tigers.

“They trust me, I trust them, they know what I’m capable of. I’m ready to show them what a true center fielder looks like again.”

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That’s the dramatic view, anyway. It’s still more likely than not that both Meadows and Clark are in the organization next year, possibly together in Detroit. What a defensive duo that would be. But then you start thinking about all the left-handed bats that would be crowding the outfield — Meadows, Clark, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter — and whether the Tigers would be able to find sufficient at-bats for all of them and, well, you wonder if Meadows really is looking at a make-or-break year.

Time never stands still. A year ago, Meadows was the most exciting position player on the Tigers’ roster, having sparked their miraculous run to the playoffs in 2024 with graceful defense, clutch at-bats and speed on the bases. Their record with him in the lineup versus without him was the stuff of local legend. Now he’s coming off an injury-wrecked season in which he was limited to 58 games and made little impact when healthy. He finished with an OPS of .621; he was even worse in even playoffs. Even his defensive metrics were down.

And the Tigers succeeded all the same. That’s how a player goes from valuable to replaceable, at least through the outside lens.

If there was any upside to the disappointment, Meadows said he “learned a lot about myself and my body” as he toiled through an arm injury that cost him the first two months of the season and a hamstring injury that cost him all of August. The first injury happened in spring training on a routine throw from the outfield where Meadows tweaked a nerve that left him with “dead arm.”

Fair or not, Meadows has drawn the injury-prone label. He also missed two months due to a hamstring in 2024. Determined to stay healthy this year, Meadows took a couple weeks off at the end of last season and then started his training regimen earlier than ever. He spent a lot of time on arm care, in particular.

“Honestly, my arm feels the best it’s ever felt,” he said. “Feel great right now and I’m ready to go.”

The Tigers still believe in Meadows. They know exactly how he changes the game when he’s on the field. He can turn doubles into outs on defense. He can turn singles into doubles on the bases. He can stroke balls into the gaps and over the fence. Over the final two months of 2024, Meadows ranked third among AL outfielders in fWAR, between superstar sluggers Yordan Alvarez and Juan Soto. His is an all-around game.

If the Tigers had doubts about Meadows, they might have brought in a veteran centerfielder this season to bridge the gap to Clark. They do have insurance on the roster in the form of Javy Baez, Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez should Meadows go down again, but they don’t have any urge to replace him.

“They trust me, I trust them,” Meadows said. “They know what I’m capable of. Obviously last year was kind of a wash because I wasn’t able to play, but this year I’m excited, I think they’re excited, too, so I’m ready to show them what a true centerfielder looks like again.”

If he can do that, Meadows might eventually team up with Clark to form one of the more dynamic outfield tandems in the game. If he can’t, Clark might replace him by 2027. One of the top 10 prospects in baseball, Clark has elite speed, a strong arm and all the makings of a “superb defensive centerfielder,” per MLB Pipeline. He also has a bat with All-Star potential. He’s likely to start this season in Toledo, which puts some pressure on Meadows to perform in Detroit.

Clark has bling to match his swing, flash to match his dash. He’s a bolt of lightning in a sport that could use a little more electricity. Meadows likes him. He got to know him a little bit last spring and plans to help him however he can this spring.

“Whatever he needs, I’m here for him. I know that this organization thinks highly of him,” Meadows said. “Having guys when I was here for the first time, Derek Hill, Akil Baddoo, (Nick) Castellanos kind of took me under his wing when he was here, I know for me, that was a huge help. So my plan is to just be there for him.”

His plans this season are simple: stay on the field. The Tigers don’t need a reminder of his talent. Everyone knows what Meadows can do. He just has to be healthy enough to do it.