It’s been an interesting 2022 season for Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo. Last season, he gained a lot of attention as a rookie and quickly established a name for himself. But this season has not gone the way he and the Tigers intended.
Baddoo has spent time playing in the minors and with the big-league team this season and he has also dealt with a fair share of injuries, forcing him to miss some time.
This season he’s only hitting .194 through 64 games. A big difference from his numbers last year. Even though he has not produced much in his second year, Baddoo is still a talented ball player. Let’s not forget what he did as a rookie. Last season, he appeared in 124 games and hit .259 with 13 home runs, 55 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. This brother was the talk of the town in the Motor City and quickly became a fan favorite. Baddoo had high hopes coming into the season. After having so much success his rookie season, he was for sure in the running to be one of the starters in the outfield.
And at the start of the season, he was implemented into the starting lineup. He did not have a strong start offensively. At the end of April, he was hitting .111 in 36 at-bats. Not the start that you want to have. In May he was sent down to Triple-A and he impressed a lot of people down there in Toledo, proving that he was too good for that level.
“You have always got to make the best out of it,” Baddoo told reporters after his demotion. “It’s unfortunate. I’m going to go down there and get the reps that I need and be ready to come back.”
Baddoo spent over a month in the minors and in 30 games with Toledo he hit .300 with three home runs and 15 RBI. It seemed as if being sent down was exactly what Baddoo needed at the time. He looked way more comfortable at the plate during his time with Toledo and it looked as though he was regaining some of that confidence in the batter’s box as well.
He was called up and joined the Tigers back in July and collected two hits in his first game back since he was demoted. In August he had a lot more production at the plate. He had a three-game hit streak to start the month off and he had a few multi-hit games in there as well. The big thing about Baddoo is going to be consistency. Can the brother continue to have success throughout his career?
If he can do that, then he can become a star in this league, without a doubt. This will be a key offseason for the 24-year-old, and he’ll definitely look to have a bounce back season next year.
Recent Comments