Mikie Mahtook, who the Detroit Tigers acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in January of 2017 for a player to be named later (who was later announced to be right hander Drew Smith), is no longer a member of the organization.
The #Phillies sign outfielder Mikie Mahtook to minor-league contract that will pay him $850K if he reaches the big leagues. He has invite to #MLB spring training camp.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 18, 2019
The 30 year old outfielder has spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues, with a career batting average of .235, with 33 home runs and 97 RBIs. His best season with Detroit came in 2017, when he batted .276 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs.
Mahtook only played in nine games for the Tigers last season, when he didn’t collect a single hit in 25 plate appearances. He spent the bulk of the season with the Toledo Mud Hens, where he enjoyed a .260 average while clubbing 21 home runs with 56 RBIs, but he still managed to strike out in 106 of his 354 plate appearances (29.9%).
Strikeouts have always been an issue for Mahtook, who has struck out in more than 25% of his plate appearances in the bigs.
With his new contract in Philadelphia, he’ll have the chance to make $850,000 if he makes the big leagues, and will also have an invitation to training camp with the Phillies.
