Boy of Summer

Meaux has until Aug. 15 to decide whether to sign a contract, should the Phillies decide to offer him one by then, and he has said he will let the summer run its course before making any decision about what the fall might hold. But whatever contemplation he's done since being drafted has happened on the go.

Santa Barbara is Meaux's second team of a summer that has already taken him to the East Coast and back. His debut with the Foresters on June 12 was followed by a brief but formative two-game stint in the Cape Cod League, where he ventured with a temporary roster spot waiting for him and made a June 17 debut.

"You're always looking for your guys to work to get better," UCSB Coach Bob Brontsema says. "His time in the Cape, even though it was short, was valuable for him and I think he'll be able to utilize that. I wish he could have stayed there a little bit longer.

"I'm sure he would rather be pitching in the minor leagues right now than anywhere else, but it is important for guys to go out with a little less pressure on them in these summer ball leagues and work on things and have success. Most of these leagues are now wood-bat leagues and especially if you're a pitcher, it allows you to trust your stuff more and you gain a little bit more confidence."

In two appearances with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the prestigious amateur league, Meaux held his own, tossing a combined 5 1/3 innings and tallying a 3.38 earned-run average. His roster spot was reclaimed when players with permanent spots returned from their college playoff runs, however, and he was soon back on a plane home, but with no regrets about the trip.

"I knew it was gonna be a couple-week deal," Meaux says. "It was definitely a good experience, that's the best college summer league in the nation. It was good playing at that level and I was very happy with the way I performed.

"I wasn't upset when I had to come home because I gave it all I got and I did pretty well."

Meaux says the Red Sox left an opening for him to possibly return if injuries create another vacancy on their roster.

"I'm happy where I'm at right now, I'm in a pretty good situation and I don't think its worth going across the country again," says Meaux, who made his return appearance with the Foresters on July 3 and went five innings for his first win with the club. "But I thought it was valuable for the time that I was out there."