'Process' pays off big for Curve's Meadows

Austin Meadows produced one of his most complete performances of the season Monday. For the Pirates' No. 2 prospect, it was all just part of the process.

The 21-year-old went 3-for-3 and hit his first home run of 2016, while also driving in three runs and stealing a pair of bases to help Double-A Altoona top Bowie, 9-4, at Prince George's Stadium.

"I feel like I was seeing the ball well up there, like I had some pretty good rhythm at the plate," Meadows said. "On defense, I was really trying to help my pitchers out and make as many plays as I can out there to save some runs."

The biggest of those prevented a home run when Baysox designated hitter Quincy Latimore drove a ball to the center-field wall with two out in the fourth inning. Meadows raced back and reached over the fence to snare the ball and end the frame.

"Without the communication from my right fielder, Jonathan Schwind, it wouldn't have happened," MLB.com's No. 16 overall prospect said. "He told me the fence was there and I just timed it perfectly and was able to reach over the fence and get it.

"That's definitely my first one in pro ball. I don't even know if I've done it before ever, honestly. That was pretty cool."

Soon after, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound center fielder struck again. This time, he was the one blasting the ball over the fence in right with one out in the fifth.

"[Bowie starter Jason Garcia] had some run to his fastball," Meadows said. "It was 3-2, I think I'd fouled off two or three pitches. He ran one away and then he came back in, and that last pitch was a slider and he left it up. As a hitter, if you see that, you see it big."

Meadows added a single to right in the sixth and an infield knock in the eighth to run his hit total to a season-high three. The Georgia native sported a batting average of .192 as recently as 10 days ago, but has since hit safely in eight straight with a .500 average (14-for-28) over that span.

"It's all a process," Meadows said of his recent surge. "I've been working every day with my hitting coach, [Kevin Riggs,] and I've been working my tail off in the cage, sticking to my same routine. That's huge, and I think it's not really result-oriented for me. But it's all a process, and I've just got to keep working hard and everything will come."

Meadows sustained a fractured orbital bone in Spring Training and fought to get his rhythm going after joining Altoona in late April. Pittsburgh's 2013 first-round pick said he hasn't changed a thing in the interim.

"Baseball is a crazy game," he said. "I just have to go out there with confidence each and every day. Play my tail off, try to help the team win each and every game. That's my goal going into games, and that's what's going on now."

Seventh-ranked Pirates prospect Harold Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.

Meadows helped make a winner of Pittsburgh's No. 28 prospect Tyler Eppler (3-3), who allowed four runs on nine hits and three walks while fanning four over five innings.

Garcia, Baltimore's ninth-ranked prospect, gave up three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings for Bowie. Jon Keller (0-1) surrendered two runs on two hits while recording one out in relief.