Is there anything Akil Baddoo can’t do? The Detroit Tigers young star walked it off against the Minnesota Twins.
Baddoo was granted a day off for Tuesday’s day game against the Twins, but come the tenth inning with men on first and third, his name was called to bring the Tigers home.
A kid who hadn’t played higher than A-ball before this season, is now making his impact at the major-league level. Baddoo had an extraordinary spring training, making the Tigers look very good for selecting him in the Rule 5 draft. A former second-round pick of the Twins, Baddoo got his revenge on Tuesday.
Casey Mize pitched brilliantly in an all-around good win for the Tigers
In their first time around the rotation, Mize and Tarik Skubal pitched well. On Tuesday, Mize threw four innings of one-run ball before he was pulled in favor of Bryan Garcia in the fifth inning. A.J. Hinch has been notoriously safe with his young starting pitchers to begin this season, and it’s tough to blame him given the Tigers future is very much tied to their success.
Baddoo represents a surprise for not just the Tigers, but all of baseball. His electric personality is hard not to root for, and he’s just one of a number of stories that makes MLB so much fun to watch.