Akil Baddoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Akil Baddoo |
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Baddoo with the Toledo Mud Hens in 2022
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| Detroit Tigers | |||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: August 16, 1998 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 4, 2021, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics (through May 23, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .224 | ||
| Home runs | 28 | ||
| Runs batted in | 104 | ||
| Stolen bases | 43 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Akil Neomon Baddoo (born August 16, 1998) is an American professional baseball player. He plays as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers organization. Akil made his first appearance in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2021.
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Akil Baddoo's Early Life
Akil Baddoo was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. His parents are John and Akilah. His father's family comes from Ghana, and his mother's family is from Trinidad and Tobago. Akil went to Salem High School in Conyers, Georgia. He played baseball for his school team there.
Akil Baddoo's Baseball Career
Starting with the Minnesota Twins
After high school, the Minnesota Twins picked Akil in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He was the 74th player chosen overall. Akil spent two seasons playing in the Twins' rookie leagues. These teams were the Gulf Coast League Twins and the Elizabethton Twins.
In 2018, Akil moved up to the Single-A team, the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He played 113 games that season. Akil hit 11 home runs and stole 24 bases.
In 2019, Akil joined the High-A team, the Fort Myers Miracle. However, he played only 29 games. He needed surgery on his left elbow. Because of this injury and the cancellation of the minor league season in 2020, Akil did not play any games that year.
Playing for the Detroit Tigers
On December 10, 2020, the Detroit Tigers chose Akil Baddoo in the Rule 5 draft. This draft allows teams to pick players from other teams' minor league systems. Akil played very well in spring training in 2021. He hit .325 with five home runs. This helped him earn a spot on the Tigers' team for Opening Day.
A Grand Start in MLB
Akil made his first Major League Baseball appearance on April 4, 2021. He hit a home run on the very first pitch he saw! This was against the Cleveland Indians pitcher Aaron Civale. Akil was the ninth player in Tigers' history to hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat. He was only the second to do it on the first pitch.
The next day, Akil hit his first career grand slam. This happened against Randy Dobnak of the Minnesota Twins. Akil became the first player in Tigers' history to hit a home run in his first two games. He was also the first MLB player ever to do this from the ninth spot in the batting order.
On April 6, Akil got his first "walk-off" hit. This means his hit won the game for the Tigers in the last inning. It was an RBI single in the tenth inning against Hansel Robles of the Twins. Akil was the first Tiger since 1998 to have a walk-off hit within his first three games. He was also the first MLB player since 1900 to have two home runs (including a grand slam) and a walk-off hit in his first three games.
By April 13, Akil had hit his fourth home run of the season. He was the first player in Tigers' history to have four home runs and 10 RBIs in his first eight games. He also drove in a run in at least six of his first eight games.
Later Seasons with the Tigers
On August 11, 2021, Akil was placed on the injured list. This happened after he collided with another player, Derek Hill. Akil returned to play on August 23. He finished the 2021 season with a .259 batting average. He also had 13 home runs, 55 RBIs, and stole 18 bases. Akil won the Detroit Tigers' Rookie of the Year award for 2021.
Akil started the 2022 season as the Tigers' center fielder. On May 9, he was sent to the Triple-A team, the Toledo Mud Hens. He had a .140 batting average at that time. After playing well in Toledo, he was called back to the Tigers on July 11. He finished the 2022 season with a .204 batting average and 2 home runs.
Akil began the 2023 season with Toledo again. He was called up to the Tigers on April 8. He played in 112 games for Detroit. He hit 11 home runs, had 34 RBIs, and stole 14 bases.
Akil was sent to Triple-A Toledo to start the 2024 season. He played 31 games for Detroit, hitting two home runs. On December 10, 2024, the Tigers removed him from their main roster. He then went back to Toledo.
On February 20, 2025, Akil had surgery on his right hand. He returned from the injury and played for Toledo and the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers. On May 14, 2025, the Tigers added him back to their active roster. He played seven games for Detroit. On June 6, 2025, the Tigers removed him from their main roster again. He then accepted a move back to Triple-A Toledo on June 10, 2025.
More About Baseball
- List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat
- Rule 5 draft results
