Minnesota Twins After being selected by the
Minnesota Twins in the
2002 Major League Baseball draft, Meek began playing for the Twins affiliate in the
Appalachian League, the
Elizabethton Twins. In 2004, Meek played for Elizabethton and the
Quad Cities River Bandits. Meek started the 2005 season with the
Beloit Snappers. Meek was released by the Twins in June 2005.
San Diego Padres Meek signed with the
San Diego Padres in September 2005. He started the 2006 season with the
Lake Elsinore Storm. In August 2006, Meek and a
player to be named later (
Dale Thayer), were traded to the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays for
Russell Branyan.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Meek finished the 2006 season with the
Visalia Oaks. He pitched the 2007 season for the
Montgomery Biscuits.
Pittsburgh Pirates In the 2007
Rule 5 draft, Meek was selected from the Devil Rays by the
Pittsburgh Pirates. This required that Meek remain on the
active roster of the Pirates for the entire
2008 season or else the Pirates would have to offer him back to the Devil Rays for half the amount they paid to acquire him. Meek made his major league debut on April 2, 2008, with the
Pittsburgh Pirates. He would record his first career loss in extra innings against the
Chicago Cubs on April 7, 2008. Meek made nine relief appearances, going 0–1 with a 6.92
ERA, before being
designated for assignment on May 4, 2008. He was offered back per Rule 5 guidelines on May 14. The Pirates paid cash to keep him and sent him down to their minor league teams. After pitching 9 games with the Double-A
Altoona Curve, Meek was promoted to the Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians. Meek spent the 2009 season in the bullpen with the Pirates. He finished the season with a 1–1 record in 41 appearances, had a 3.45 ERA, gave up two home runs, no hit batsmen, 29 walks, 42 strikeouts, a .209 average against, and a 1.34 WHIP, in 47 innings pitched. The
2010 season was Meek's first full season in the Majors. He was often asked by manager
John Russell to pitch multiple innings in relief. Meek's performance rivaled other excellent
closers like
Joakim Soria and
Brian Wilson despite not being one himself. Early in the season when Dotel had given up runs in six straight games as the closer, Meek had an opportunity in the role and earned his first Major League
save on April 29, 2010, to close out a 2–0 win over the
Los Angeles Dodgers. On May 14, 2010, against the
Chicago Cubs at
Wrigley Field, Meek entered the game in the 6th inning with the score tied 6–6, and he pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out four of the seven Cubs hitters he faced including
Derrek Lee,
Xavier Nady and
Alfonso Soriano in the bottom of the 7th. The Pirates rallied behind his strong pitching to win the game 10–6. Meek delivered one of his finest performances of the season against the
Washington Nationals on June 10, 2010, coming in to relieve Pirates starter
Zach Duke with the bases loaded and no outs. He quickly forced
Willie Harris to line into a double play before retiring
Cristian Guzmán, needing only six pitches to get out of the inning with no runs in. Due to his excellent work, he was named to the
2010 MLB All Star Game. At the time of his selection on July 4, 2010, Meek carried a 4–2 record with a 0.96
ERA, a mark that lead all
National League relievers. "It's surprising", Meek said. "A lot of starters and closers go to the game. I've always said there are a lot of great middle relievers out there who deserve to go to the game. I think they're overlooked a little bit. It's amazing to be selected, an overwhelming feeling." Meek was the first Pirate reliever selected who was not a
closer since
Mace Brown in 1938 – before the closer position emerged. The Pirates celebrated his nomination at
PNC Park with an 8–5 victory over the visiting
Philadelphia Phillies, a game where Meek was the winning pitcher. On August 3, 2010, Meek recorded his first career base hit, off fellow reliever
Jordan Smith of the
Cincinnati Reds. Meek finished the 2010 season with a 2.14 ERA, 70 strikeouts, 4 saves, 15
holds, and a 5–4 record, all career-highs. After several injuries in 2011, Meek saw a decrease in fastball velocity. Meek started the 2012 season with Pittsburgh, but on May 1, Meek was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Meek was 0–0 with a 5.59 ERA in 9 games with a .293 opposing batting average. He was recalled to the Pirates on July 21, 2012, after an injury to reliever
Juan Cruz. But was sent back down on July 26, to make room for highly anticipated prospect
Starling Marté. Meek was
designated for assignment by the Pirates on September 10, 2012. In October 2012, Meek elected minor league free agency.
Texas Rangers On December 6, 2012, Meek signed a minor league contract with the
Texas Rangers that included an invitation to spring training. He elected free agency after the season on November 4.
Baltimore Orioles On February 5, 2014, Meek signed a minor league contract with the
Baltimore Orioles. After a strong spring training, he made the Opening Day roster. On May 2, he was optioned to the Triple-A
Norfolk Tides. He was recalled on May 15, and then designated for assignment on May 16. Instead, the next day Meek was optioned back to Norfolk. On May 28, he was sent outright to Triple-A
Norfolk Tides. He had his contract selected to the major leagues again on June 6. On September 25, Meek gave up a walk-off single to
New York Yankees future hall-of-famer
Derek Jeter in Jeter's final game at
Yankee Stadium. Subsequently, it was also Meek's last game in MLB. He was again sent outright to Triple-A
Norfolk Tides on October 29. He elected free agency after the season on November 3.
Washington Nationals On January 21, 2015, Meek signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals. He was released on July 20.
Kia Tigers On July 20, 2015, the
Kia Tigers of the
Korea Baseball Organization announced that they had signed Meek to a one-year deal worth $150,000. Meek filled a roster vacancy created by the club's release of former MLB pitcher
Philip Humber on the same day. He became a free agent following the season.
Somerset Patriots On May 5, 2016, Meek signed with the
Somerset Patriots of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 10 appearances for Somerset, he logged a 1–0 record and 3.86 ERA with eight strikeouts across innings of relief. Meek was released by the Patriots on July 20.
Lancaster Barnstormers On July 26, 2016, Meek signed with the
Lancaster Barnstormers of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He made 15 appearances for the Barnstormers, but struggled to a 1–2 record and 7.24 ERA with 17 strikeouts across innings pitched. Meek became a free agent after the season. ==Scouting report==