Last season, Tigers Nation was swept off its feet by the play of rookie Akil Baddoo. He made the team out of Spring Training and hit his first career home run on the first pitch he saw during the regular season. He was one of the most exciting players that the team had to offer all season long. Some feared that he might be plagued by the dreaded “sophomore slump” this season, and those fears were correct.
His first full season in the big leagues saw a .259 average, 13 home runs, and 55 RBIs in 461 plate appearances.
Unfortunately, that same rookie phenom fell flat on his face to start his second season. After playing 17 games to start this season, Baddoo found himself with a .140 average (7-50). Baddoo also added just one home run and one extra-base hit (a double). He struck out in 15 of his 50 at-bats while only adding five walks. At that point, he was demoted to Triple-A Toledo. While with the Mud Hens, he went 1-9 at the plate with a single. He was then placed on the injured list with an oblique injury and hasn't been heard from much since.
In a move that wasn't highly publicized, Baddoo started a rehab stint with the West Michigan Whitecaps on Friday. The Whitecaps are Detroit's High-A affiliate. In the first three games of this rehab stint, things haven't turned around for him, either. He played in all three of the team's games over the weekend, going 0-10 at the dish while also adding a walk.
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Akil Baddoo's Path to Detroit
Baddoo found himself a member of the Tigers organization in 2020 as a result of Detroit selecting him in the Rule Five Draft, which takes place every December. Clubs have the option of plucking prospects from other organizations for $100,000, so long as they are not on a 40-man roster. From there, the player must remain on the selecting team's 26-man roster for the whole season. If not, they must be offered back to their original team for $50,000.
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No details have been released regarding how long we can expect to see Baddoo remain with the Whitecaps on this rehab assignment. The hope is clearly that he can reconfigure his game to make a move back up the ladder. But it's safe to assume that he will be staying with the team until he can re-find his swing.
