Detroit Tigers improved outfield defense already showing up. Here's the secret behind it.

LAKELAND, Fla. — Smack.

The ball is screaming through the air.

Parker Meadows, the Detroit Tigers center fielder, takes off and runs without watching the ball — what looks like a small thing, something some fans might not even notice — but it’s actually critical.

And it’s a learned skill.

Meadows covers a ridiculous amount of territory — I swear, it seems like he runs about a mile — before making an easy catch in the gap. Yes, he makes it look easy, but it all stems from a series of decisions and techniques: His read, his break, his first step, his communication before the pitch, and finally his ability to run with his head down.

On another day, here comes Justyn-Henry Malloy, cutting off a ball in the outfield and holding a hitter to a single, instead of a double.

That, too, is learned.

It was drilled on the back fields of TigerTown under the direction of George Lombard — the Tigers bench coach — and the improvement of the outfield defense is showing up in Grapefruit League games.

What's the secret behind that development and early success?

It starts with Lombard and the coaches.

“We have one of the best outfield coaches in baseball with George and the drill work that he does and the attention to detail,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “The players are putting in the work and we're getting the benefit of some really good plays and some good progress by the young outfielders, and I think that extends into the minor leagues."

One of the quiet, subtle stories of this spring has been the Tigers’ impressively consistent play in the outfield. It doesn’t matter who they put out there – an old vet or one of the prospects – they seem to end up making plays.

“Fundamentally we're in a really good place,” Hinch says about the Tigers outfield defense. “And we're gonna get even better.”

Class is in session

“You coach outfielders,” I say to Lombard.

And he subtly corrects me.

“I teach outfield,” he says.

Point taken.

Above all else, Lombard is a teacher.

“It's something I love to do,” he said.

The players see that passion.

“His detail is always on point,” Riley Greene says. “He's very passionate about it. He really gets into it, and he really cares about us being the best outfielders that we can be."

Greene flashes a smile. "He's a beauty, too. He's an awesome guy. He'll joke around with you, but when it's time to get serious, it's like, 'All right, here we go.'

"And he's always there when you want to get work in. He will show up an hour before he needs to be here to get your work in with you."

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Building an outfield

Meadows basically said the same thing as Greene.

“George is great," Meadows said. "I love that guy. It's all about the work. I mean, the work you put in, the more work you put in, the better you get. So we're out there every day grinding."

Meadows is a tremendously gifted outfielder — years ago, I was told he was already MLB ready on defense.

But Lombard is finding ways for him to improve.

“My challenge for Parker was to never miss a pitch because he's so good out there,” Lombard said. "And I challenged him to be a better communicator.”

One of the success stories of this Tigers coaching staff is the development of Kerry Carpenter. Not just his bat, but his defense.

“A year ago, or even 1½ years ago, you watch (Carpenter) do the drills and the stuff on the knees and it was really rough around the edges,” Lombard said. “Now you watch him and he's got good presentation with his glove, so he's come a long way and it's fun to see. That's the rewarding part of being a coach. You watch these guys go from step one to step two to step three.”

Malloy is one of those players following the same plan: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3.

And Lombard invited him to Miami before the season to work on everything.

Seriously, everything.

“We were doing breathing exercises,” Lombard said.

Yes, nothing is left to chance with Lombard.

“You start from ground level and work your way up," Lombard said, of Malloy. "The thing that stands out to me is he really cares. When you have that foundation, someone that wants to do it, it's a good starting point.”

Lombard exudes confidence and joy.

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And he is trying to impart that in his players.

"With Carpenter and Malloy, that swag they have when they hit, we want to see that on defense,” Lombard said. “When you have the complete player, when you have the confidence and belief, all of a sudden you start making some plays — Oh, I can do this."

That's the teacher in Lombard talking.

The guy who believes everybody can get it. Everybody can improve. Everybody can learn.

Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

To read Seidel's recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The secret to Detroit Tigers improved outfield defense