The Tigers optioned struggling outfielder Akil Baddoo to Triple-A today, the team announced. In a corresponding move, they recalled RHP Rony Garcia to take his spot on the roster.
While the demotion hardly writes the 23-year-old Baddoo out of GM Al Avila’s long-term plans, it does speak to the marked contrast between the outfielder’s start to the 2022 season, in which he’s slashed a meager .140/.218/.220, and the hot start to his 2021 rookie campaign, during which he logged a .271/.352/.462 triple-slash before fading down the stretch. Advanced statistics do suggest there’s at least some bad luck involved in his slow start, though that likely isn’t the whole picture. Baddoo has seen only a minor increase in his strikeout rate (from 26.5% in 2021 to 27.3 % in 2022) and a minor dip in his walk rate (from 9.8% to 9.1%), but his BABIP has fallen from .335 (against an MLB average of .290) to a mere .176. While some of this variance can likely be explained by his hard-hit rate (the percentage of balls in play with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher) falling from 32.3% to 22.9%, he’s also probably fallen victim to some poor batted-ball luck this year — and was perhaps the beneficiary of some good luck last year.
2014 first-rounder Derek Hill, who’s slashed .250/.273/.281 this year in limited action, is the likeliest candidate to take Baddoo’s spot in center, at least in the short term. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic notes that utility-man Willi Castro is also likely to see time there, though he’s only logged a handful of big-league innings as an outfielder — and all of them in left.
Though Baddoo is hardly the only culprit, he and second baseman Jonathan Schoop have been particularly unproductive for a Detroit squad that’s clearly underperforming expectations. After doling out $238MM in guaranteed money in free agency (to shortstop Javier Baez, starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Pineda, and reliever Andrew Chafin) and acquiring catcher Tucker Barnhart and outfielder Austin Meadows via trade (from the Reds and Rays, respectively), the Tigers have limped along to a collective 80 wRC+ (ahead of only the Royals, Red Sox, A’s, and Reds) that’s seen them fall nine games off the pace in AL Central.
Given the lack of outfield depth in Detroit — and particularly the shortage of options in center — it’s unlikely Baddoo will remain in the minors for long if he can regain his stroke in Toledo. Should he fail to find his form, however, he does run the risk of being overtaken by consensus top-ten prospect Riley Greene, who’s been sidelined by a fractured right foot but is expected to return to action around the end of May — and could well prove himself ready for the majors not long thereafter.
In what will be his second stint with the club this season, Garcia, owner of a career 6.39 ERA (6.42 FIP) across 31 big-league innings, will slot in at the back end of the Detroit bullpen. The righty was effective in limited action before he was optioned to Triple-A ahead of the late-April return of Chafin from injury, notching 6 1/3 innings of 2.84 ERA ball.
Baddoo just hasn’t been the same since Mowgli went back to the Man Village.
For those wondering that was a Jungle Book reference
Tooooo Badoooooo.
The maestro Al Avila has sure built his roster up!
Collectively, the acquisitions haven’t been bad at all. Counting on Badoo and Schoop to be anything better than average would’ve been foolish. Maybe the prospects make a spark in June and team makes a trade for a potent bat but Hinch is overrated as a manager.
This team is going absolutely nowhere this year and that starts from the top.
Where are the hitters? How has Al Avila and the staff not been able to develop any position players?
ill say they’ll develop Tork and Greene but every other team finds guys who weren’t top 5 picks to become solid regulars. Al Avila hasn’t. They have a huge long term hole at 2B/3B and multiple OF holes. Avila’s seat should be burning hot in year 6 of the rebuild in a weak division.
His big splash acquisitions were to give ERod and Baez 2 year deals with a 3 year insurance policy if they suck or get hurt. The Tigers are a non factor this year so congrats, Al. Real good job GMing.
I can’t disagree when you step back and look at what’s been accomplished over this protracted rebuild. The position players just aren’t there. Very little to show for having started over that long ago. Where do you go from here? Tough to chart when there’s no real core to build around.
At least we have uber prospect Marcelo Mayer in the pipeline.
Oh, wait…
Sign Robinson Cano. How much worse can he be?
Put Cano at 2nd. Move Schoop back to 1st. Maybe the change of scenery away from 2nd will ignite his moribund bat.
Send Torkelson back to AAA to get his head together.
If Cano continues to scruff, cut him and give Kody Clemens a shot.
Tigers can’t just keep doing this. They’re wasting some decent pitching.
May have to trade some of that pitching for a decent bat or two…..
Corey Dickerson is available.
So is Adam Duvall
Every once in a while the obvious take on a dude turns out to be the right one. Usually not, but I can’t have been the only one who watched Baddoo’s highlights last year and thought, that dude is just having an all-time fluke season and will wash out. Same with Adolis Garcia. Minor league stats don’t (usually) lie.
Baddoo had a fine spring and then, after playing against all RHP and some LHP last year, Hinch doesn’t even use him against all RHP to start the year. Willi Castro was getting time over him against RHP. Mitchell Page was a better defensive OF than Willi Castro has shown. I just don’t get why Hinch lost confidence before Akil even started the season. If you’re not going to play him, he may as well get time at AAA. Schoop keeps playing daily. Harold Castro is one of the Tigers top hitters but sits bench so Schoop can play every day. I’d rather see Harold in the OF again, allowing Willi to keep to the infield where he’s almost passable.
44 of Badoo’s 55 PA’s came against right handers this year so that statement does not check out.
He had an 11/1 k to walk ratio this spring with a sub .300 OBP. He hit 4 HRS in Spring which made his numbers look fine. How many of those were off actual major league pitchers? I don’t know. But obviously big league pitchers have solved the puzzle on him.
Baddoo*
Finally, 1
I had a strong feeling either Baddoo or Willi Castro would be sent down today, but I thought it would be because they’d be calling up Clemens. It’s an offensive spark that we really need right now, not another bullpen arm. I know our pen has seen a lot of action lately but we really need a tenth bullpen arm? Is Chafin not capable of pitching more than one inning every three games? Jeez
I also waited for them to return to hear if someone was getting sent down. But, I knew Baddoo was on his way down. W. Castro has been hitting a little since his callup. So, I wouldn’t have guessed Castro.
Well you were right, but if we called up Clemens like I expected, you could have easily justified sending down Castro. We’re barely using him as it is (27 PA’s) and he’s not much of a defender so adding Clemens would have made him even more expendable. Yea, 6 hits in 24 AB’s is “hitting a little” but I think if Hinch was confident he was on his way back to being the 2020 version of himself, he’d be getting a lot more PA’s.
Well, in May, he is 3 for 11 with 2 doubles.
TBH, they should platoon him at 2nd and give Schoop some time off. That would be the best scenario because he’s better at 2B than he is in the outfield.
And, in Schoop’s defense, he’s had some bad luck. He’s been hitting the ball hard, right to defenders recently.
I agree that someone should take some of Schoop’s PA’s whether it’s Willi, Harold, or Clemens.
Think about how long it’s been since the Tigers won a World Series and just remember that the last Mets title was only two years later.
Surprised the Tigers are so horrible. Look like the 2021/2020 Orioles. Only the reds are more decrepit at the moment.
This team has a lot more talent than they’ve shown this year. Before the season started, I predicted that Detroit would win 85 games… And I stand by that prediction. They will improve.
Fuzzy is gonna upset by this.
Too bad they can’t send the whole team down
“Get off my lawn!”
It’s May , the Tank is on in Detroit already. Wow.. four hit shutout at home vs the AAAA’s … pathetic
The Tigers are tanking. They’re just losing because they aren’t any good.
The Tigers could have traded Baddoo and gotten legit value for him over the off-season. But, no, he’s a fan favorite people exclaimed. Now, his value: zilch
no they couldn’t. Teams aren’t going to give up much for a guy who had an anomaly season.
Will be interesting to see if Baddoo can focus at AAA and get back to the show. Good get by the Tigers regardless.
I say offer the Brewers something for Corey Ray. He needs a change of scenery.
What’d Baddoo do bad?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck…?
Considered a key, Akil keeled.
Tigers had this pitcher they traded for. He had a funky delivery. After a year in the bigs with them, they suddenly sent him down to AAA. He worked his way back up to stay, and Scherzer has had a nice career since. But yeah, let’s just write Baddoo off.
You can successfully write off most of the present Detroit Tigers.
Alarmingly close to all of them.
Scherzer was drafted 11th overall by ARI and was a well regarded prospect who Tigers gave up key roster pieces for. I agree it’s premature to completely write Baddoo off, comparing Scherzer to a Rule 5 pick doesn’t translate all that well.
No, but like Baddoo the Tigers sent Scherzer down out of frustration with his poor performance. Not the best example, but still a fair point. No one would has expected that Max Scherzer to be a 3x Cy Young winner and future HOFer.
Tough start for the Tigers similar to last year when after April they went
something like 67-60 to finish the season.
It may not be enough to overcome this terrible start.
Shortened Spring Training, Injuries, Regression of some players, other young players not ready yet for MLB….probably all of the above.
Looks like 2023 is the goal for their contention window to open back up.