LAKELAND, Fla. — A specific question has been asked several times in conversations with several members of the Detroit Tigers throughout the offseason and spring training: Can Parker Meadows, a great defender in center field and a great runner on the bases, emerge as a great hitter in the major leagues?

If Meadows hits, even just against right-handed pitchers as a left-handed hitter, he should stick in the leadoff spot. He has the upside of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. There is another world in which swing-and-miss issues drive down his batting average and on-base percentage. In that case, he probably fits better as the nine-hole hitter and a late-game defensive replacement.

"I definitely feel like I can hit," said Meadows, hitting .368 with two home runs across 41 plate appearances in spring training. "Obviously, it's hard. At the big-league level, pitchers are going to miss smaller, so you can't swing at pitchers' pitches. There are always adjustments to be made, but my swing feels good right now, and I'm looking forward to carrying it over to the season."

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So far, Meadows has played just 37 games in his MLB career.

It's a small sample size, but Meadows — the No. 44 overall pick in the 2018 draft who previously experienced a revival as a forgotten-about prospect after changing his swing — showed a lot of positive signs after making his MLB debut in late August. Don't forget about Aug. 25 against the Houston Astros, the fourth game of his career, when he robbed a home run in the fourth inning and cranked a walk-off home run in the ninth inning.

The 24-year-old had some great moments, but he also positioned himself to emerge as the Tigers' center fielder of the future because of his consistency on defense and on the bases.

"He's going to play every day, regardless of whether he starts," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He is a winning player and can help us, whether he starts the game or not. ... He's done a good job at the upper levels against lefties, but quite honestly, he's got to maintain that type of production against righties, too."

On defense, Meadows was worth plus-3 defensive runs saved and plus-4 outs above average in 315⅔ innings in center field. On the bases, Meadows stole eight bases in nine attempts and ranked in the 90th percentile for his sprint speed.

"I think my jumps have gotten better," Meadows said of his defense, crediting bench coach and outfield coach George Lombard. "I have to work on things every day. My jumps have gotten better, fielding ground balls have gotten cleaner, my transfers have gotten cleaner, just all of the above."

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But Meadows hit just .232 in 37 games with the Tigers, recording four doubles, two triples, three home runs, 17 walks (11.7% walk rate) and 37 strikeouts (25.5% strikeout rate). He also hit .256 with 19 homers, 57 walks (11% walk rate) and 123 strikeouts (23.8% strikeout rate) across 114 games in Triple-A Toledo.

He posted a combined 11.2% walk rate over 663 plate appearances between the Mud Hens and Tigers, also combining to hit .251 with a .787 OPS against right-handed pitchers and .257 with an .809 OPS against left-handed pitchers.

Drawing walks at a high clip and holding his own against both-handed pitchers are reasons to be encouraged.

"It's about taking pitchers' pitches for me," Meadows said. "I think the ABS (automated ball-strike system) helped me a little bit last year in Triple-A, just knowing the zone and knowing where pitches are balls and strikes right out of the pitcher's hand. That helped a lot."

Meadows made a small tweak to his swing mechanics in the offseason.

"I've pretty much had the same swing and same thought process," Meadows said. "I'm trying to stay a little bit more on my backside, not leaking forward with my hips. My hands were dropping a little bit later in the season. I think that comes with fatigue a little bit. I'm staying more on my back hip so I don't leak forward."

The Tigers have a contingency plan if Meadows struggles to translate his minor-league success to the big leagues, where pitchers will be much better at attacking his weaknesses. Fellow outfielders Matt Vierling and Riley Greene are the backup options in center field.

But the Tigers are counting on Meadows to hit.

"The challenge for him to be a complete player is have his defense and base running not be the first thing that we think about on how he can help us win," Hinch said. "He's got to help us in other ways, as well. He's showing that he can do that so far, and the more consistent he becomes, the more likely he is to get more and more at-bats. ... He'll get the opportunity to show that he can get the majority of the at-bats."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows: 'I can hit' in MLB