Detroit Tigers president of baseball Scott Harris recaps 2025 season
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris opened his news conference with a long statement Oct. 13, 2025, at Comerica Park.
The Akil Baddoo era is over in Detroit.
Baddoo — a breakout rookie turned one-hit wonder — became a free agent Tuesday, Oct. 14, after spending the past five seasons with the Detroit Tigers. The 27-year-old is expected to evaluate all options in free agency to find the best fit, which means a return to the Tigers is unlikely.
He played just seven games for the Tigers in the 2025 season.
Baddoo, a left-handed hitting outfielder, joined the Tigers in December 2020 from the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 draft, earning a spot on the 2021 Opening Day roster.
He played 347 games for the Tigers.
Baddoo logged a career-high 124 games during his 2021 rookie season, hitting .259 with 13 home runs, stealing 18 bases in 22 attempts and registering a .766 OPS. He hit .391 with four home runs in the first eight games.
It was a special 2021 season.
The first trip to the plate was the most memorable, as Baddoo hit a first-pitch fastball from Cleveland Guardians right-hander Aaron Civale for a solo home run in the third inning April 4, 2021, at Comerica Park. He became the second player in Tigers history to hit a home run on the first pitch of his first plate appearance, joining Sam Vico on April 20, 1948.
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Everything went downhill from there.
After 124 games in 2021, Baddoo played 73 games in 2022, 112 games in 2023, 31 games in 2024 and seven games in 2025. He spent most of his final four seasons in Triple-A Toledo.
In 2025, Baddoo hit .281 with 15 home runs, 68 walks and 112 strikeouts across 103 games for the Mud Hens, posting an .868 OPS. He worked at all three outfield positions, including nearly 500 innings in left field.
Baddoo is a career .224 hitter throughout his five-year MLB career, with 28 home runs, a 10.5% walk rate, a 26.9% strikeout rate and a .674 OPS in 347 games.
The Tigers included Baddoo as one of 15 players in a “stay-back group” during the 2025 postseason, but the Tigers never activated him for the AL wild-card series or ALDS.
Expect Baddoo to sign with a new team as Triple-A depth.
Before the Tigers, the Twins selected Baddoo with the No. 74 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and didn’t play above the High-A in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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