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.
Akil Baddoo’s rookie season is full of ebbs & flows as the Tigers rookie outfielder rejoins the team following a two-week injury reserve stint caused by a collision with fellow MLBbro Derek Hill.
After the IL designation, Baddoo played four games for the Toledo Mud Hens, where he received 14 at-bats with four walks two hits, two runs, two RBI, one stolen base, one double, and in Baddoo like fashion, one walk-off single in front of a packed house at Fifth Third Field.
While still shaking off the cobwebs this past week, Baddoo played five games where he accumulated two hits. The kid even had time to celebrate with and inspire Michigan’s’ Taylor North Little League World Series Champions ahead of the series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics.
Coming out of Georgia, the 23-year-old took an unconditional route to the Majors. The Minnesota Twins were so impressed witht he Salem High School graduate that they selected him in the second round of the 2016 Amateurs Draft. Baddoo spent the next four years bouncing from rookie league and Low-A ball before being selected by the Tigers in the MLB 2020 Rule 5 Draft.
On April 4 of the 2021 season, Baddoo planted his flag in the Motor City after teeing off on the first pitch he ever saw as a big leaguer, not to mention, it was Easter Sunday. The feat chiseled his name in stone as the ninth player in Tigers history to have his first professional hit be a home run.
Akil Baddoo hit the ground running with two homers in his first two career starts, including a grand slam on Monday. The unknown prospect has become an overnight sensation for the Detroit Tigers. @carrpediem21 is in the Three Spot today with A Bro You Need To Know. pic.twitter.com/wvxYGkLltT
If some are good, then more is better, as the following day, the young lefty launched a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning. The four-run moon shot came against the team that drafted him, the Twins, as mentioned earlier.
His meteoric rise matched fellow MLBbro Jazz Chisholm as two of three rookies to reach double digits in home runs and stolen bases. His first step quickness from home to first base is rivalved by few players, Shohei Ohtani being one of them.
After Baddoo’s hot start with the bat pitchers started passing around the book on him. Baddoo combined to hit one home run in May and June. Baddoo was still an asset however, because he leaned on his glove and agility in the outfield while he readjusted to the pitchers.
That readjustement came follwing the All-Star break.
The Midsummer Classic came at the right time for Real Deal Akil as he launched four home runs in the 10 games that followed, putting everyone on notice that his rookie of the year campaign is still in full effect.
Real Deal Akil stopped by MLB Central Monday morning to discuss his rookie season and the organization’s outlook as he is steadily becoming the face of the franchise. Since exploding onto the scene, Baddoo prepared differently to stay on top of his game.
He said, “Now I know what I need in my routine each and every day, so I kind of like implement that while I’m on the field and let my abilities take over.”
He mentioned that all the players have bought into manager A.J. Hinch and his philosophies on how winning each game can turn into winning each series to winning each month.
“Baseball is a game of failure. There’s going to be a lot of ups & downs, so just stay even keel and ride the wave and always have fun and don’t lose sight of that.”
Look for Real Deal Akil and his Detroit Tigers to stay afloat in the American League Central down the stretch as they’ll travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds inside Great American Ballpark Friday night with first pitch set for 7:07 p.m.
This week Andrew McCutchen was vibing like he did during his 2013 National League MVP season.
He terrorized the Washington Nationals by hitting three home runs on three consecutive game days including a walk-off three run game winning shot in Monday’s game.
For that, he earns the top spot on our Week 16 MLBbro #HighFive list.
1. Andrew McCutchen
“Cutch” was up with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning with two ducks on the pond during Monday night’s game against the National. The vet came through in one of the biggest moments of the Phillies season, deciding to call “game” by hitting a walk-off home run over the right field fence.
This week is no anomaly, as Andrew McCutchen has been on a redemption tour this entire season.
The former National League MVP and five-time All-Star hit his 20th home run of the season during Thursday’s double-header (which already equals his total for both 2019 and 2020 combined).
With two months left in the season, he also has a chance of reaching the 30-homer plateau for the second time in his career. The other being in 2012.
LaMonte Wade Jr. impacted one of the biggest rivalries in all of baseball when his first-place San Francisco Giants met the Dodgers, earning him his first appearance on our #HighFive list this season.
BADDOO MANIA is back as he has officially begun campaigning for the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Baddoo is the only person to reappear on our list from Week 15. He homered three times this week including a solo shot during his 2-for-5 day at the plate on Tuesday.
Baddoo and his Tigers will take on Cedric “CM Storm” Mullins and the Baltimore Orioles in a four game set this weekend..
4. George Springer
George Springer has recovered from the bumps and bruises that impeded the first half of his season and is tearing the cover off of baseballs, as well as being one of the more elite defensive outfielders in the game.
He was recently named as Rob Parker’s Home Boi Highlight.
This past Saturday night, Springer made one of the best catches you will ever see when he did a lit Jumpman impression by diving for a catch in center field.
This weekend Springer will get another chance to play in front of a Canadian audience during Toronto’s series against the Kansas City Royals.
5. Cedric Mullins
Mullins’ first half All-Star nod was not a fluke as he’s still among MLB’s best hitters.
Mullins hit home run number 17 during Tuesday’s game against the Miami Marlins and has also climbed to sixth place MLB’s batting title chase.
Mullins also leads MLB outfielders with a 4.1 WAR and is leading all American League outfielders in hits, OPS and is tied for the lead in triples and doubles.
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