Kicking off our first Tigers Minor League Report Notes, a weekly — sometimes twice — highlight of various player performances. We start with infielder Gage Workman, who is off to a strong offensive start in Double-A.
Since the Tigers drafted Workman in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, he has shown potential with his defense and range in the infield. He also has demonstrated good speed and instincts on the base paths, but has struggled with striking out too much and a lack of offensive consistency.
But Workman has been working on his swing since last season, trying to find a level of consistency. He started the 2023 season in Erie, but after a rough start in which he was batting .198/.327/.401 in July, Workman was sent to the Tigers Development List. After that, he ended up going back to West Michigan. He finished his run with the Whitecaps hitting .288/.355/.435 with a wRC+ of 123. He rejoined Erie for their postseason run.
Workman contributed by hitting a two-run homer in the final game of the championship series. His footwork at the plate has evolved; reviewing the footage shows it has been a constant work in progress. Notice where his front foot is before he brings it in to toe tap: it’s more fluid and involves less movement than earlier in the season.
September 26, 2023
April 12, 2023
Now with a better angle, you can see the front foot action is much more cleaned up on Gage Workman.
April 30, 2024
The results so far this season: .284 batting average, .377 on-base percentage, .507 slugging percentage with a 24.7% strikeout rate, down from 38.8%, and a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 149. Talking to Erie manager Gabe Alvarez, the hard work has been paying off for Gage Workman.
“I think he is in a much better place. He is able to make adjustments during his at bats. He is hitting balls hard consistently, much more under control”.
His April performance was the best month he has had in Erie. If he can maintain this consistency, Workman could possibly find himself back on the radar as a notable positional talent.
Checking in with Malloy and Baddoo
There has been a lot of “call them up” requests on Justyn-Henry Malloy and Akil Baddoo. Both Malloy and Baddoo have been off to strong starts for the Mud Hens. Malloy, over his last 71 at-bats, has hit .282/.420/.507 with seven doubles and three home runs. (20-for-71).
Delving deeper into Baseball Savant data, the two numbers that stand out for Malloy are his hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity. Malloy’s hard-hit percentage currently stands at 29.9%, and his exit velocity reaches 86.5 mph (adjusted EV 90.6 mph). For comparison, Wenceel Pérez, a recent call-up with a limited sample size, has recorded an average exit velocity of 90.7 mph and a hard-hit percentage of 51.9%.
Then again, Tom Tango mentioned in a tweet last year, Average Exit Velocity is a stat that has “unnecessary noise” but still, worth noting. You might also look at in-zone swing-and-miss rate. Both Malloy and Baddoo are approaching 26%, which is well above the averages of both the International League (19.2%) and MLB (17.7%). Pérez’s in-zone whiff rate in Toledo was just 14.3%.
Baddoo, who is on the 40-man roster, has barreled up the ball well, leading the team with nine. His ISO is .247, which is good. He is tapping into his power. But his hard hit rate is 28.6% and his exit velocity is 85.3 MPH (adjusted 92MPH).
If you’re considering Baddoo as a replacement for the struggling Parker Meadows in center, he’s better suited for left field. With Perez emerging as a switch-hitting outfielder, both players must keep proving themselves in Toledo to earn a call-up.
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Chris Brown