If you don’t know the name Akil Baddoo by now, you need to pick your head out of the dirt. He’s a 22-year-old center fielder for the Detroit Tigers and is setting the league on fire. Through his first four games big-league games he’s batting .391 with 4 HR and 10 RBI. It’s a small sample size, but boy has he been electric.
Who is Akil Baddoo?
As I mentioned before, he’s only 22-years-old. He’s the son of African immigrants. His father came from Ghana; his mother from Trinidad and Tobago. Born in Silver Springs, Maryland, Baddoo wasn’t there long. They moved to Conyers, Georgia where he went to Salem High School. He played great in high school. So much so, the Minnesota Twins took a chance on him right out of high school…in the second round.
Minor League Career
Baddoo spent a couple of years in the Twins farm system. He spent two in the rookie league, one year in low single-A, and one in high single-A. He batted .249 in his four minor league seasons, and also clubbed 21 HR and 93 RBIs. It’s safe to say he wasn’t the greatest prospect in the Twins organization. He only played one full season, 2018, and struggled, striking out at least once a game. With his struggles in 2018 and his only 29 games played in 2019, the Twins didn’t view him as a top commodity. Then the Rule 5 Draft happened.
Rule 5 Draft Gives the Tigers a Steal
The Rule 5 Draft takes place every year in December. The goal of the draft is to keep teams from stockpiling young talent in their organization. Only teams that have space on their 40 man roster can participate in the draft. Each team can protect any player by putting them on their 40 man roster. If a team takes a player from an organization they must pay that organization $100,000. Think of it as a trade but a player for cash only. The player must also spend the entire season on the 25 man roster.
The Minnesota Twins decided they didn’t want to protect Baddoo for the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, so with the third pick, the Tigers selected him in exchange for the $100,000. The Tigers knew they would have to play him in the majors for the entire year at just 22 but were still comfortable taking him.
They hit big time.
Akil Baddoo Makes his Debut
The Tigers have played six games so far this season. Baddoo has played in four of them. His first-ever major league game saw him hit an oppo shot on his very first pitch.
He followed that up in his second game with his first career grand slam.
Then, in his third ever game he goes and hits a walk-off single.
He’s the first player ever, I repeat ever, to hit a home run, grand slam, and walk-off in his first three games. Baddoo is in his own category right now.
In his fourth game, he decides to rip a triple because, why not?
And he’s even shown up in the field, too.
Since then, he’s hit two more home runs in his next four games. Akil Baddoo is setting the world on fire.
The Future
I’m not sure what the future holds for Baddoo, but he’s made the Tigers exciting, something they haven’t had in a while. It’s gotten to the point that the Tigers’ official Instagram is calling themselves “the official Akil Baddoo fan account.” He’s added to a slew of young talent the Tigers have, which have the ability to put them back on top.
For the Twins, they’ve got to be kicking themselves. Baddoo, only four games in, looks like he’s been here for years.
I’m more of a casual baseball fan, but Baddoo is making the game exciting for me again.