This story was excerpted from Jason Beck's Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Akil Baddoo has been caught on the Detroit-Toledo shuttle for over a year. Each time, he finds a way to make a difference.
Whether or not fans fully appreciate it, his teammates and coaches do.
“He’s awesome,” Spencer Torkelson said. “It’s not easy to be down in Triple-A and then to get the callup and contribute immediately. I’ve always admired the way he went about his business. You could put him in Single-A, and I think he’d be the same guy. He’s that type of dude.”
On Sunday, that difference was on defense. From a leaping catch at Rogers Centre’s left-field fence to a sliding grab on the artificial turf to start an inning-ending double play, Baddoo helped rookie starter Jackson Jobe through a challenging first inning against the Blue Jays by playing a role in all three outs.
“That play in left field changes the whole complexion of the beginning of the game,” manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers’ win. “It went from us being in trouble early to us getting out of innings. Those plays are huge.”
Said Baddoo: “The first one, I was just hoping and praying. I was like, ‘Oh, I caught that ball.’”
Baddoo went back and forth between Triple-A Toledo and the big leagues five times last season. He was up with Detroit for three days in one stint, four days another time, six days for another and another time for over a month. Famously, he flew cross-country last August to San Francisco then batted leadoff for a day game against the Giants.
Baddoo was designated for assignment last fall to open a 40-man roster spot, but he signed back with the club on a Minor League deal.
He probably would’ve been part of the Tigers’ Opening Day plans with all the outfield injuries in Spring Training, but Baddoo himself was injured, having undergone surgery to repair a hamate hook fracture in his right hand in late February. After an early April rehab assignment at Single-A Lakeland, he joined Toledo on April 15, posted an .820 OPS in 21 games for the Mud Hens and earned the call last week when the Tigers optioned out third baseman Jace Jung.
How does Baddoo handle it so effectively? He knows exactly what the Tigers expect from him.
“I think me playing with these guys for a very long time, I’m comfortable and familiar with this organization and the players and the staff,” Baddoo said. “When I come up here, it’s always the same game plan, and they make my job a lot easier when I come up. They’re like, ‘Akil, play your game, be athletic, go out there, run balls out, steal bags and get us in scoring position. Use your athletic ability and have fun.’”
Who knows how long this stint will last for Baddoo. With Matt Vierling expected to return from the injured list at some point this week, Wenceel Pérez on a rehab assignment and Parker Meadows not far off, the Tigers will have some difficult decisions in the outfield over the next few weeks. But Baddoo’s flexibility to weather the unpredictability of his role is a clear strength.
Said catcher Dillon Dingler: “It’s awesome that he can step right in and do what he’s known to do.”