EVAN MEEK
5/12/83; '02 11th (Minnesota); Bellevue (WA) CC
R/R; 6-1, 190
| Level |
W-L-Sv |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
HR |
BB |
K |
BB/9 |
K/9 |
WHIP |
OAVG |
ERA |
| 2003 R+ (Minn) |
7-1-1 |
14 |
8 |
51.0 |
33 |
2 |
24 |
47 |
4.24 |
8.29 |
1.12 |
.178 |
2.47 |
| 2004
A (Minn) |
0-0-0 |
3 |
3 |
5.2 |
7 |
0 |
15 |
3 |
23.85 |
4.77 |
3.89 |
.333 |
11.12 |
| 2004 R+ (Minn) |
1-2-0 |
12 |
3 |
22.1 |
18 |
1 |
25 |
23 |
10.08 |
9.27 |
1.93 |
.228 |
8.06 |
| 2005
A (Minn) |
0-1-0 |
13 |
0 |
18.0 |
15 |
0 |
36 |
11 |
18.00 |
5.50 |
2.83 |
.231 |
10.00 |
| 2006 A+ (SD) |
6-6-0 |
26 |
25 |
119.1 |
136 |
5 |
62 |
113 |
4.68 |
8.52 |
1.66 |
.288 |
5.05 |
| 2006
A+ (TB) |
0-1-0 |
2 |
0 |
5.0 |
6 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
7.20 |
12.60 |
2.00 |
.300 |
9.00 |
| 2007 AA (TB) |
2-1-1 |
44 |
0 |
67.0 |
74 |
2 |
34 |
69 |
4.57 |
9.27 |
1.61 |
.287 |
4.30 |
The Pirates selected Meek from Tampa Bay in the 2007 Rule 5
draft. Meek's big pitch is a sinking fastball that's normally in
the low-90s and sometimes faster. He also throws a splitter and a
slider, but neither is as well regarded. He's obviously had
severe control problems. He was completely unable to throw strikes in
three years with the Twins, but started improving after moving on in 2006.
He probably got the Pirates' attention with a strong showing in the Arizona
Fall League. Pirates' GM Neal Huntington pointed out after the draft that Meek has combined some good
K rates with a strong groundball tendency, with a 2.26 ground
out to air out ratio in 2007 and 1.85 in 2006. Under Dave Littlefield
the Pirates preferred groundball pitchers with very low K rates, so the
different philosophy at least is a step in the right direction. Meek pitched reasonably well
in spring training, although his control still was a weakness. He made the
team and figured to be the primary reliever in mopup situations, something the Pirates normally have
in abundance. As it turned out, however, the starting pitching was so bad early in
the season that the bullpen was overworked and Meek got called into several close games. He
struggled mightily with his control in
most of his appearances and, in May, the Pirates sent him through waivers.
After he cleared, they reached a deal with the Rays to retain him
in exchange for cash. He'll probably head back to AA, but he'll have to
be added to the 40-man roster after the season or go back through the
Rule 5 draft.
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