The Pittsburgh Pirates have a new member on the team, and his name is Akil Baddoo.
The 28-year-old infielder spent his first five MLB seasons with the Detroit Tigers, but was with the Milwaukee Brewers organization this past season. Baddoo never played in the majors, which means he won’t receive a championship ring, but he is hoping that a fresh start with the Pirates will send his career back on track.
“It means a lot. It was a lot of chaos in a matter of a couple days, but I’m looking forward to
it,” Baddoo said via MLB.com reporter Aiden Stepansky. “A new opportunity, a great organization. A lot of character here with the Pirates. A lot of championships, a lot of that championship pedigree and everything, so I was honestly happy and I was looking forward to it.”
Baddoo was originally a top prospect after being selected 74th overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 2016 MLB Draft. After dealing with injuries, he did not make it to the majors with Minnesota, but he was selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft by the Detroit Tigers. That led him to make Detroit’s 2021 opening-day roster, and he remained a mainstay with the Tigers for five seasons.
Throughout his career, Baddoo has a .224 batting average, 28 home runs, and 104 RBIs. His numbers don’t pop off the page, but he could be a solid veteran infielder who gives the team some depth going into the season.
