Bottom Line: Texas Rangers will retain former Evans star in minors

Former Evans High School star Tydus Meadows is coming off a spectacular season in the minor-league baseball ranks.

Last year the 6-foot-2, 220-pound outfielder hit .290 with 17 home runs and 79 RBIs for the Wichita Wranglers, the AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

Meadows also had 27 doubles and 14 stolen bases, and managed to post his impressive numbers despite playing in only 114 games.

Throughout his career Meadows has shown great promise, but for some reason he has been unable to get a shot in the Major League.

In 2001 the Royals acquired Meadows in the Rule 5 draft from the Chicago Cubs organization, and now for the second time in his career, Meadows has again been gobbled up in the Rule 5 draft.

This time the Texas Rangers picked up Meadows. The Rangers plan to start him at the AAA club in Oklahoma. Another former Evans player, Todd Greene, spent some time with the Oklahoma Red Hawks after being acquired by Texas in 2002.

In the Rule 5 draft, players selected have a price tag of $50,000, and must remain on the roster of the team which selects them for the entire 2004 season.

Meadows, however, was taken in the second phase, or the AAA phase, of the draft. Players in this round cost clubs $12,000 and do not have to play at the major-league level.

At age 26, Meadows is at a crucial stage of his career. He probably has only another year or two before he is considered "past his prime" as a major league prospect.

The unfortunate thing is that Meadows has done everything within his power to earn a promotion to the big show. He has put up good numbers at every level, his professionalism has drawn praise from his managers, and he has earned a reputation as a hard worker.

Hopefully Meadows can get off to a good start in Oklahoma. If he does, be could be suiting up for the Texas Rangers before his 27th birthday.