Evan Meek

Evan David Meek

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6', Weight 220 lb.
• School Bellevue Community College
• High School Inglemoor High School
• Debut April 2, 2008
• Final Game September 25, 2014
• Born May 12, 1983 in Bellevue, WA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Evan Meek is a pitcher who was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2007 Rule V Draft.

Meek was picked in the 11th round of the 2002 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins as a draft-and-follow. He was signed the next May by scout Bill Lohr for $180,000. He debuted with the 2003 Elizabethton Twins, going 7-1 with a save and a 2.47 ERA; in 51 innings, he allowed 33 hits. Baseball America rated him as the Appalachian League's #11 prospect, between Rafael Pérez and Mitch Talbot. In 2004, the right-hander struggled with control, walking 40 batters and throwing 15 wild pitches in only 28 innings of work. He had a 1-2, 8.06 record for Elizabethton and a 11.12 ERA in three games for the Swing of the Quad Cities. In 2005, Meek was 0-1 with a 10.00 ERA for the Beloit Snappers, walking 36 and throwing 8 wild pitches in 18 innings.

Meek was let go by Minnesota. He signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres and improved significantly, going 6-6 with a 4.98 ERA for the Lake Elsinore Storm in the high-offense California League. He was traded with Dale Thayer to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for Russell Branyan and was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA after joining the Visalia Oaks close to year's end.

Meek spent 2007 with the Montgomery Biscuits and was 2-1 with a save and 4.30 ERA in 44 games. In 67 innings, he struck out 69 and walked 34. He routinely hit 95 mph on the radar gun.

Meek was 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. He allowed three hits and struck out 9 in 9 2/3 IP, walking five.

In the 2007 Rule V Draft, Meek was the second player taken, following Tim Lahey. Meek was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He failed to top 91 mph in spring training, saying he took some speed off of his pitches to improve his control. He made his Major League debut with the Pirates on April 2, replacing Damaso Marte in the bottom of the 8th with a 6-2 deficit and men on first and second. His first warmup pitch went to the backstop and the next two landed in the dirt. He retired Ruben Gotay, his first MLB batter, on a fly out to Xavier Nady. Martin Prado singled in Brian McCann and Yunel Escobar took Meek's next fastball deep for a 10-2 Braves lead. Meek retired Chipper Jones on a grounder to Freddy Sanchez to end the inning.

Meek walked 12 in 13 innings for the Pirates while striking out just 7. He was 0-1 with a 6.92 ERA in 9 games. They offered him back to Tampa Bay and worked out a deal for cash considerations enabling them to keep Meek, who was assigned to the Altoona Curve. Sean Burnett took his roster spot. Meek had 2 saves and a 2.40 ERA in 23 games for the Indianapolis Indians and was 1-1 with 2 saves and a 2.81 ERA in 9 outings for Altoona. He had a fine winter with the Mazatlan Deer (2.93 ERA, 8 BB, .167 average in 15 1/3 IP) and scout Rene Gayo was impressed that Meek was showing better control and throwing hard (97 mph).

Sources: 2007 Devil Rays Media Guide, MILB.com, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (2010)

Related Sites

• Evan Meek on mlb.com