Went back and searched my posts for every mention of the word “sleeper” until the All-Star Break. So, if I said, “(player’s name) was going to be a 2025 fantasy baseball sleeper,” I made note of it with a slash. By the time I was done, if you put the Parker Meadows slashes on a tree, it would’ve looked like Tom Hanks in Castaway. It was like this over the last few months of the season, “I gotta write a 2025 fantasy baseball sleeper for Parker Meadows,” “How long until I can write a 2025 fantasy baseball sleeper for Parker Meadows?” “Have I written a Parker Meadows 2025 fantasy baseball sleeper or have I just mentioned it so much that it feels like I’ve written it already?” By the time I was done searching three months of daily roundups, it felt like Parker Meadows wasn’t a 2025 fantasy baseball sleeper anymore, but ya know what? Eff that, bros, four sisters and one sista! I’m highlighting this em-effer!
Oh, guess what, snitches? We’re done with the fantasy baseball rookies and onto the 2025 fantasy baseball sleepers! Can I get a what-WHAT?! No, the 2nd “what” is louder, not from the standing position. That’s what caps mean: louder. You thought caps meant it was said while wearing a baseball cap? You have a malfunctioning brain. Okay, forget it! I’m moving on! One ground rule about fantasy baseball sleepers says you can’t question my fantasy baseball sleepers. I kid, kinda. You can question them if you want, but please keep in mind the caveat: There’s many different types of sleepers. One kind of sleeper is the guy who is drafted in the last round of a 30-team league. Another type of sleeper is the guy who is drafted around pick 85 overall, because he can return value that is better than pick 85. So, is Parker Meadows going to be drafted around pick 7,000 out of 7,001? No, guys and five ladies. He’s not that type of sleeper. He’s the type who I will be drafting around the top 100, will be drafted after that in most leagues, and will return more value than his draft spot. The “more value than his draft spot” is really all sleepers are. So, please, don’t say Parker Meadows is not a sleeper. If he’s not a sleeper, then draft him in the 1st round. So, what can we expect from Parker Meadows for 2025 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
PSYCHE! I’m going to begin rolling out my 2025 fantasy baseball rankings on the Patreon starting today. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out next month. Anyway II, the Parker Meadows sleeper:
Last year in 133 games and 472 ABs, Parker Meadows went 17/28, so you might be wondering how bad is his average because I’m not mentioning it. Well, smart guy, I was about to mention it. He hit .244 in the majors. So, you might be thinking now, “Wow, his BABIP must’ve been crazy high. His strikeouts must be nuts. He must be terrible for contact.” Okay, slow down. Can I get a word in? “Let’s go!” Fine! His contact wasn’t bad. He had a 25.5 K% and a .306 BABIP. Neutrally, he likely is closer to a .260 hitter than .244. “So, he went 17/28/.244 as a rookie?” No. I was doing some fuzzy math. He went 9/9/.244 in the majors in 270 ABs. He went 8/19/.292 in Triple-A in 202 ABs. “So, he didn’t go 17/28?” No, not technically. “Okay, technically, you’re an idiot.”
Don’t love Comerica Park and not because it sounds like it was named after a character on Seinfeld. That’s a reason to like it. I don’t love it, because it’s perennially a bottom third park for offense. Last year it was 25th worst in the league for power and 22nd overall, worse than Camden in both respects. Or to disrespect, what the eff? That he’s a lefty also concerns me a decent amount because Kevin Cash Brain has infected all MLB managers and no one wants lefties to face lefties unless they’re a top two-point-five percent player. Yordan? Fine! Shohei Ohtani? Great! Parker Meadows? Meh. Don’t love that, but if he loses 50 ABs against the toughest lefties, faces weak lefties and bats leadoff, then his counting stats shouldn’t be too affected by lefty-on-lefty matchups.
So, neutrally .260, and runs should be solid and RBIs good enough for a leadoff guy, anything we’re missing? Oh, yeah, speed and power! That’s where he is a 60-grade guy for both. Last year he had nine homers and nine steals in 82 MLB games–“Did you say 82 games?!” Hey, Mr. Prorater. “That doubles to 18/18!” Yes, it does. “As a rookie, that’s pretty good prorating.” Thanks, Mr. Prorater. He’s right, of course. If he doesn’t grow into more power or speed he’s roughly a 20/20/.260 hitter. He just turned 25 years old. Why wouldn’t he grow into more power and speed? Not to answer, but to ruminate. If he hits for more power this year, as he’s begun to do in the minors, and continues to steal, it’s not hard to see a 25/35/.260 guy here. Realistically, a 25/25/.260 looks well within the realm of possibilities. That’s what you’re hoping to get from Michael Harris II but have never seen. At worse, he looks like the Michael Harris II we’ve already seen. Call him Michael Harris II, the Second. Oh, and he’s being drafted 120 picks after Michael Harris II, the First. Won’t you give Michael Harris II, the Second a chance chance? For 2025, I’ll give Parker Meadows projections of 76/20/60/.258/26 in 509 ABs with a chance for much more.
