Curtis Mead

Curtis James Mead

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 171 lb.

• Debut August 4, 2023

• Born October 26, 2000 in Adelaide, South Australia Australia

BR page

Biographical Information

Australian infielder Curtis Mead was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an international amateur free agent on May 4, 2017. His professional career started slowly, as he only played 2 games for the GCL Phillies West in 2018, going 1 for 6. He was not inactive during those early days, however, as he played for his hometown team in the Australian Baseball League, the Adelaide Bite, every winter from 2017-18 to 2020-21. He hit .309 and .347 the last two of those years, improving markedly as he ended his teenage years. His only other experience in the U.S. during that period came in 2019 when he batted .285 in 44 games for the GCL Phillies West. Of course, the Coronavirus pandemic prevented him from playing in the U.S. in 2020.

On November 20, 2019, he was traded by the Phillies to the Tampa Bay Rays in return for P Cristopher Sanchez. When he finally returned to the minor leagues in 2021, it was with the Rays, and he appeared for three different teams - the Charleston River Dogs, the Bowling Green Hot Rods and the Durham Bulls, the latter at the AAA level. It was a very quick rise justified by the fact that he hit extremely well at the two lower levels: .356 in 47 games at Charleston and .282 in 53 games at Bowling Green. His overall slash line in 104 games was .321/.378/.533, with 38 doubles and 15 homers, securing himself a place among the top prospects of the talent-rich Rays system. In 2022, he started the season in AA with the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League, hitting .305 in 56 games. He was named to the American League team at the 2022 Futures Game, then finished the season in the International League with Durham. He cooled down a bit, hitting .278 in 20 games, but once again his final numbers were very impressive as he batted .298/.390/.532 in 76 games, with 27 doubles and 13 homers.

He made his major league debut with the Rays on August 4, 2023, coming in as a defensive replacement at third base in a game against the Detroit Tigers. He hit a single in his first career at-bat that day. He had been playing with Durham that season, hitting .291 in 46 games, but missing six weeks of action after being injured in early May.

Further Reading

• Dawn Klemish: "Mead's callup sparks intercontinental family odyssey: As Curtis makes first start, family and friends arrive via impromptu 30-hour journey", mlb.com, August 5, 2023. [1]
• Brian Murphy: "Rays call up Curtis Mead (No. 31 overall prospect)", mlb.com, August 4, 2023. [2]

Related Sites

• Curtis Mead on mlb.com
• BR Minors page