AUGUST 26: Hutchison has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Toledo, per the team. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, he has the right to elect free agency.
AUGUST 23: The Tigers have reinstated outfielder Akil Baddoo from the 10-day injured list. The team also announced that right-hander Drew Hutchison was designated for assignment, opening up space for Baddoo to rejoin the active roster.
Baddoo hasn’t played since August 10 due to a concussion, as he was first placed on the seven-day concussion IL and was then moved to the normal 10-day IL so he could get a few rehab games under his belt. Just a week removed from his 23rd birthday, Baddoo returns to continue what has already been an impressive rookie season. Originally a second-round pick for the Twins in the 2016 draft, the Tigers selected Baddoo in last December’s Rule 5 Draft, putting Baddoo in line to jump from high-A ball in 2019 right to the majors.
The outfielder has wholly embraced the opportunity, hitting .267/.333/.467 with 10 homers and a league-high six triples over 333 plate appearances. Baddoo’s excellent speed has resulted in a .345 BABIP and helped him overcome a lot of soft contact numbers, though he is still a work in progress (-5 Defensive Runs Saved, -4.6 UZR/150) as an outfielder, mostly splitting time between left and center field. Since Baddoo will surely finish the season on the active roster, the Tigers will officially acquire his rights from Minnesota, giving Detroit another intriguing young building block going forward.
Hutchison signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the offseason and made two appearances after his contract was selected last week. The righty (who just turned 31 yesterday) posted a 3.00 ERA over two abbreviated starts, tossing six innings and recording four walks against only two strikeouts.
Apart from 42 2/3 innings with the Phillies and Rangers in 2018, Hutchison hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2016. A veteran of six MLB seasons overall, Hutchison could get a look from another team seeking pitching depth on the waiver wire, or the Tigers could outright him to Triple-A for their own depth purposes if he clears waivers.
As a Blue Jays fan, I’ll always root for Hutchison. Surely a team like the Orioles could give him a shot. Hell, the Orioles could give me a shot.
Weird timing. I thought he pitched pretty well yesterday
You must missed the start before.
Start? You mean train wreck. His ERA line benefitted from an error or 2 that kept a second inning going for what seemed an eternity. I want to say he gave up all of his 5 hits and 3 walks in that second inning, but there may have been a baserunner in the 1st.
He did do better in his second start. But, I like to see a few more strikeouts and way fewer walks.
No no no no no. Drew Hutchison deserves to stay on the team. Unload Joe Jimenez. I’ll hold my breath.
I was in attendance for Hutchison’s first Det start. I was a highly thought of pitcher in HS. Not enough to get drafted, but had numerous DI offers. Unfortunately, baseball rarely offers full ride schollys, and my family couldn’t make up the difference. So i kinda know what I’m talking about.
I say all that to say this Hutchison has/had zero business on a competitive MLB roster of which the Tigers astoundingly are this season. I hear he’s a good guy and all, and last year would have been fine for him in Detroit. But sheesh.
He’s not all bad. He’s a guy you can call up for a spot start if your bullpen is fried. But, he’s not even a #5 starter. Possibly a long reliever, but probably not on a good team. I didn’t see any razzle-dazzle whatsoever.
In 2014 Hutchinson had a 3.85 FIP and 2.6 WAR. In total he’s made about 7mil as a professional player.
You’re still reliving your high school days and posting comments on websites
Drew Hutchison’s first start showed a real lack of everything quality. Hopeless case.
Akil Baddoo will start for years, and on a good team. He’s very smart, the kind who figure out how to improve the skill set each season. If so, watching him play will be enjoyable for many years to come.
At this point of the season, the question about Hutchison is less whether he can be a #5 starter, but simply if he could be better or more valuable than one of the pitchers left on the roster. His last start in Toronto should have improved Hutchison’s chances.
Gruß,
BSHH
Hutch’s first start was killed because of bad defense and unearned runs. He pitched well enough in his second. He was the 5th starter. Every team has depth at 5th starter. We all were hot and heavy over Peralta in the rotation. He’s OK. Hutch was OK.
Tigers expect to get Urena and Boyd back shortly. Hutchinson knew his role and spot were vulnerable. My guess is he passes through waivers and goes back to Toledo in case one or both of the above named guys flounders.
Hutchison at his peak in Toronto put together a crazy long stretch alternating awesome starts with blowouts. It must have been 20 weeks or so. Could never string them together, though, and that ceiling is gone now.
Urena is a one and done signing. He’s not worth resigning, so why not see what Hutch could do over the remainder of the season. He settled down in his second start. Would have been nice to see a third. Cutting Urena, who’s out the door in a month anyway, would have made more sense.
Urena is on a major league deal so the Tigers need to pitch him while they have him. Hutchinson is on a minor league deal so he isn’t expensive.
To be sure Urena will likely not be resigned. Nor will Hutch, for that matter.
Tigers sound like they might actually resign Verlander. How cheap? 2 years at $20 mil with a 3rd yr. option? Would JV take $20?
I hope Verlander is realistic and he would take 20 million over 2 years. It would be nice to see Verlander and Miggy retire as Tigers.
Why do the Tigers need to pitch Urena while they have him? They have seen what he can do (not much). Can’t hurt to see if a different arm can improve on Urena’s 6.19 ERA. Tigers once picked up a soft tossing lefty pitcher who had previously pitched in the majors for depth at Toledo. He had a solid season, but never received a call. Jamie Moyer then went on to have a pretty solid career for other teams. Hutch showed enough for a longer look.
Every pitcher in the rotation does not have to be the same strike-out-the-side type pitcher. There’s room for a pitch-to-contact type pitcher too. No pitcher can look good when the defense behind him throws the ball all over the next state.
Derek Holland better be gone when Urena and Boyd are ready. Sick of looking at him.
100 pct agree. Glad someone said it!
It’s a good problem to have, when your team has to get rid of a decent player, to keep a better one…..
I knew there was something to rag on Al Avila about today!
Hutchinson has a 5.08 ERA and -.3 war and is lucky to have a 32-24 record with +$6M paid. Very overrated and over paid. Not worth signing.
Hopefully he decides to stick with the Tigers organization. Always a chance he will be needed later and he did pitch well in Toledo. Unlikely he gets a chance to pitch elsewhere in an MLB uniform. If another team wanted him they would have just claimed him on waivers.
Pic is definitely not Drew Hutchison lmao
Too bad that’s Not Drew in the picture