Chasing Growth: The Ever-Evolving Journey of Woody Hadeen

Woody Hadeen Adapts

After entering the Detroit Tigers’ farm system, it isn’t long before you begin to hear about the atmosphere in West Michigan, and for Woody Hadeen, this was no exception.

Roughly a week into his promotion to the Midwest League from Class-A Lakeland, Hadeen has found the stories to be true.

“The fans are what stick out the most,” Hadeen said. “There are a lot more fans here. There were good fans (in Lakeland), there just wasn’t a lot, especially for how big the park was, so it kind of felt a little vacant. I had been hearing about this place, the number of fans, stuff to do, and seeing the people care about baseball here. It’s really a whole lot different. I’ve loved every second of it.”

Selected as the Tigers’ sixth-round pick in the 2024 MLB draft, the 22-year-old has never really struggled to adapt to his surroundings. A willingness to play wherever he’s asked has given the Tigers the freedom to try out different defensive formations, including time spent in both the infield and outfield for Hadeen. Before the draft, the California native had played almost exclusively at shortstop and second base in high school and during his college career at UC Irvine.

“During this spring training, actually, (the Tigers) said, ‘Hey, why don’t you go in the outfield?'” I like playing in general, so I’m like, ‘I’m all for it,’” Hadeen said. “They stuck me out there, and it’s pretty fun just to run around. I like to think that I have some speed, so I can track down some balls out there. They said, ‘You’re only going to play centerfield and that’s about it.’ I said, ‘That’s perfect.’ So, it’s been an even split this year about center, short, and second. It’s been good.”

Defensive Adjustments

For Hadeen, while adjusting to the outfield, the speed came naturally. Defensively, the biggest adjustments were in the timing and depth perception from a proper read off the bat.

“In the infield, you like to jump and then prepare for the pitch,” Hadeen said. “But being in the outfield, it’s so far away that you need to relax a little bit and have an easier move. I picked up on that pretty quickly, but I’m still kind of learning the depth. Especially with the balls right to you, the line drives, those are a little complicated because I have to think, ‘Do I go back? Do I go in?’ I’ve been working during batting practice a lot. Batting practice in centerfield, just kind of learning the position.”

Hadeen’s official move to split defensive time went into effect this season. Fresh into his Whitecaps’ debut, it will be more of the same, and Hadeen is welcoming the challenge. Admittedly, an old-school style of player, the access to the consistently evolving analytics data within the Tigers’ organization is making him grateful for new information to apply to his development on both sides of the ball.

“We had some analytics in college, but not to the extent of pro ball, that’s for sure,” Hadeen said. “It’s been opening my eyes to the deeper metrics as far as the out probabilities and stuff like that. I like defense a lot, so I like looking at that stuff. Seeing all the good work you can put into being better at certain positions, especially the depth, and jump metrics.”

“I would definitely say I’m old school,” Hadeen said. “But I’ve kind of switched it up a little bit. Obviously, if the data shows that you are improving a lot in something and it doesn’t feel good, I take the position of, ‘Well, I’m going to make it feel good then.’ If I’m doing well at it, and it doesn’t feel comfortable, I’m going to make it feel comfortable, and kind of adjust like that. Before, I’d say, “Well, that doesn’t feel good, might be better, I’m just going to stick with my own thing.” And now I’m seeing that keeping an open mind definitely helps.”

High-A Pregame with #Tigers Woody Hadeen. pic.twitter.com/8txcMAZ8wf

— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) July 11, 2025

Woody With the Wood

Offensively, the move into professional baseball is also allowing Hadeen to polish his switch-hitting ability. It began with a little trial and error during his high school career.

“The summer of my sophomore year, I was only a righty,” Hadeen said. “Then my back wasn’t moving right, so I’m like, ‘It’s summer. I’m going to try switch-hitting for a game.’ Honestly, I had a horrible swing, but I liked the idea of switch-hitting, and then it just stuck. Ever since then, I’ve been a switch-hitter. At the moment, I’m better on the left side. There were no lefties in the Florida State League, so it was kind of difficult because I’d take two rounds of flips on the left side, one round of flips on the right side, and then we had to move on. Then we’re preparing for a righty pitcher, so I’m like, ‘Well, getting more lefty swings.'”

“It’s funny, because being in West Michigan the whole week, there’s been just lefty starters,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it, but haven’t hit it well. But I’m getting more comfortable with the righthanded swing.”

Over 64 games with the Class-A Flying Tigers, Hadeen posted 17 extra-base hits and 24 RBI.

Now getting settled into the Midwest League, Hadeen is already noticing the differences in the level of competition. But it’s not something he’s shying away from.

“Coming in, my expectations were, ‘There are a lot more strikes and a lot more hittable pitches here,’ and so far, I’ve been correct,” Hadeen said. “Down in Lakeland, the scouting reports are a little funny because everyone was working on a new pitch. And I was the leadoff hitter, so I was the guinea pig. I’d come back to the dugout and say, ‘Yeah, he threw this changeup, or he threw this curveball, even though it wasn’t on the scouting report, but just be aware of it.’ And honestly, the pace of play up here is faster, and guys are a little faster. But then again, it’s just the same game.”

At the plate, Hadeen’s start in the Midwest League has been on the quieter side. But if you know Hadeen, you won’t be surprised to hear he’s choosing to focus more on the opportunity to grow than on-field results. A few focal points have been shortening his stride length to improve rotation, a two-strike toe tap for timing, and barrel depth to keep him in the zone for as long as possible.

Woody Hadeen with his first professional home run, which was a grand slam that gives Lakeland the lead. @ZachSurdenik on the call, pic.twitter.com/Tw1Jf4kPko

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 4, 2025

One of the Boys

Leaving behind a tightly bonded Lakeland roster, West Michigan’s camaraderie under manager Tony Cappuccilli has given Hadeen more of the same. And for that, he’s grateful.

“It’s unbelievable. The guys are great,” Hadeen said with a grin. “Obviously, there are big shoes to fill with Kev (McGonigle), Max (Clark), and (Josue) Briceño gone. But the guys at this level, I mean, they treat us like family. The coaching staff expects a lot out of us, and I honestly love that.”

“I love that they keep that same standard for Max, Kev, and Briceño, as they do with us. That feels really good.”