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The Detroit Tigers recently made the decision to bring outfielder Akil Baddoo up from the minors, and he is slowly readjusting to Major League Baseball again. Baddoo has been back-and-forth between the Toledo Mud Hens and the Tigers for a few seasons now, and the constant change can be difficult for some players. Baddoo has been handling this phase of his career well, and a big reason why is because he knows exactly what the Tigers are expecting from him when he does get moved up.
Akil Baddoo has now played in three games this season after getting called up last week. He played his first game of the season against the Boston Red Sox on May 14th, and then he had a big game against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.
“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, according to an article from MLB.com. “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.’”
Baddoo's teammates know that it can be a big challenge to come up from the minors and immediately contribute in the starting lineup. It's a difficult transition, but Baddoo makes it look easier than it really is.
“He’s awesome,” Spencer Torkelson said. “It’s not easy to be down in Triple-A and then to get the call-up 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.”
Baddoo isn't just adjusting well, but he actually might have won the Tigers a game already. In his one game against the Blue Jays over the weekend, Baddoo was responsible for all three outs in the first inning, and he stopped Toronto from putting three runs on the board with a couple of circus catches in left field. The Tigers ended up winning the game by one run, so his defensive plays were massive.
“That play in left field changes the whole complexion of the beginning of the game,” manager AJ Hinch said after the win. “It went from us being in trouble early to us getting out of innings. Those plays are huge.”
Who knows how long Akil Baddoo will be up for the Tigers, but so far, he is making the most out of this experience.
