Bernie on the Scene: Baddoo and Mercedes are Hot, Hot, Hot

This week, I will add my perspective to two hot waiver-wire and trade targets: Akil Baddoo of the Tigers and Yermin Mercedes of the White Sox.

Each burst on the scene with outstanding early season performances. I'm suggesting a step back a bit might be in order.

Akil Baddoo, OF, Tigers
6-1, 210 
Bats Left
Age 22

Fascinating name, right? Akil Baddoo. 

When his name was called at the MLB Rule 5 draft in December, not many people knew of Mr. Baddoo. Of course, we heard Yabba Yabba Baddoo jokes. Akil Baddoo is now laughing all the way to the Tigers dugout.

The Twins exposed Baddoo to the Rule 5 draft and the Tigers swooped in with the third pick and plucked Baddoo from the Twins' roster. 

Now, fast forward five months, and Akil Baddoo is becoming a highly respected offensive threat for his new team.

Mr. Baddoo was 2016 second-round draft pick out of Salem High School in Conyers, Georgia. He signed for $750,000. That's not a small hunk of change. That's substantial. And as you have heard me say and have seen me write many times, in baseball you have to follow the money.

Why in the world would the Twins give up on that kind of money, that high a draft pick so early in his career? Baddoo was 22 when the Twins didn't protect him on their 40-man roster.

Why? Why did they non-tender Eddie Rosario? Why? Because the Twins have Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Gilberto Celestino, Misael Urbina and more waiting in the wings. They felt both Rosario and Baddoo were expendable.

Prospect analysts looked at Baddoo as a below-average major league baseball player. He was graded anywhere from 40 to 45 — and 45 is a utility player in the big leagues.

I saw Baddoo in spring training at Ft. Myers and graded him a 50. I thought he was an average major league quality player. But barely. I liked his speed. I liked his physicality. He had a lean, yet strong frame.

But Baddoo struck out too much for the liking of the Twins and scouts.  In his age 19 season, playing for Cedar Rapids in the Low-A Midwest League he struck out 124 times in 517 plate appearances. But he walked 74 times as well. I see no red flag in those numbers.

In 2019, he batted .214/290/.393/.683 in 29 games at High-A Fort Myers before undergoing Tommy John surgery that kept him out last season. After that, it was Adios Baddoo. He was left off the 40-man this offseason.

In spring training this year, Baddoo hit five homers and drove in 11 runs in his 50 plate appearances. He left Florida with these numbers: .325/.460/.750/1.210. Send him back to the Twins for $50,000, half of what it cost them to select him? Not a chance. 

As I write this, Baddoo is a household name in Michigan. He's hitting very well, and has been used as both a DH and an outfielder. 

Make no mistake, Baddoo is a good athlete. Not only is he fast, but he has excellent instincts and good eye-hand control. He knows the strike zone, and can select pitches well. 

Baddoo has enough power to hit the ball out of any park, with strong wrists and forearms that get through the ball quickly. Baddoo has shortened his swing to a much more moderate level, losing much of the aggressive approach that led to him hunting home runs. But I still see too much uppercut.

Defensively. he is good enough and fast enough to play center field. He can play both corners as well, but his power may not be strong enough for a traditional right-field profile.

While I wouldn't say Baddoo can be the missing link for a fantasy roster, I do think he is a young, capable hitter with a chance to get at-bats on a team like the Tigers that is building for the future.  If the deal works, I think he's a guy worth trading for. If he were 25, I might not be as bullish. But this guy will only get better.

Would I roster Baddoo? For sure in a keeper league. He's a solid athlete with potential. He's young. He's on a team in transition, and I think he'll get playing time. If I could trade him for an average player for this year, maybe. it would depend on the player.

Grade: 50 — an average offensive player with solid skills who could blossom.

Yermin Mercedes, C/DH, White Sox
5-11, 245
Bats Right
Age 28

Ah, the phenomenon that is Yermin Mercedes.

This man hit a home run 485 feet. And that was with an alleged "softer" baseball.

Those who know my work know I don't normally do comps. But I can't help but think that Mercedes reminds me of the Twins' Willians Astudillo, also a catcher. But Astudillo plays some at third base as well. They can both hit.

Yermin Mercedes is on the White Sox because Tony La Russa marveled at his bat in spring training. He loved what he saw and had to have him on his 26-man roster. Done.

Mercedes went to the plate 47 times this spring. He finished at .277/.333/.340/.674. Those numbers and his approach at the plate were enough to persuade La Russa to bring Mercedes north. He played in 25 games, which is a lot.

Mercedes was signed by the Nationals out of the Dominican Republic for … ready for this? … $20,000. The Nationals didn't have much invested in him, at all.

Mercedes has played eight seasons in the minor leagues for Washington, Baltimore and the White Sox. He was a good minor league hitter, with career stats of .302/366/.491/.857. However, in his 2,396 plate appearances, Mercedes hit only 83 home runs. 

Now, in his first six major league games with the White Sox, Mercedes is on the lips of every fantasy player and scout.

Frankly, I'm not totally on board. I think this is not sustainable.

I do believe he can hit for a good batting average. But I don't see him hitting for 485-foot power. I may be wrong. I see pitchers adjusting to him and feeding him a steady diet of sharp breaking balls, unlike any he has seen in his career.

He is not the type of good athlete I described in Akil Baddoo.

Remember, the Nationals cut him. He played Independent baseball before he then signed with the Orioles. But the Nationals didn't have any money invested in him, either. 

Like Baddoo, the White Sox took Mercedes in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft in 2017. So he was in the White Sox minor league system and team personnel could see him and evaluate him. When he played at Triple-A in 2019, he hit 17 homers and posted a fine offensive season. His profile was rising.

While Mercedes is showing he can hit, the White Sox really won't be using him much behind the plate. He has not shown much defensive ability as a catcher.

Mercedes is dreadfully slow and will probably clog some bases. But if he can hit for average and continue to hit with the power we have seen early, he could be valuable in fantasy.

However, I'm still not "in."

My experience has shown me how pitchers can adjust to hot hitters. I hope I'm wrong. Mercedes is a good story. Good luck if you own him or trade for him. He may win you a fantasy league. For me, I'll wait a little longer — until maybe June — to see if this is for real.

Would I roster Mercedes? Only in a league where he is catcher eligible. I think he could be a better option than many catchers currently on rosters. I don't see the appeal in a league where he is designated only at DH.

Grade: 45 — I see some fade coming and less use on the White Sox as the year progresses. I'm not looking at him in keeper leagues. Again, I see him more as a spare part than a regular contributor.

HEADING HOME

Apparently MLB is checking baseballs thrown by Trevor Bauer. I have warned that Bauer's tenure in Los Angeles won't all be smooth sailing. I think where there's smoke, there's fire. Bauer says they are checking baseballs thrown by many pitchers. Maybe that's true. But I see some hiccups for Trevor along the way now. 

• We are being told that many of the game's best baseball players made their objection to playing the All-Star Game in Georgia known to MLB officials. That apparently helped sway Rob Manfred away from Atlanta as host of the game. I would guess we haven't heard the end of the All-Star Game story and all the ramifications. For example, there are Congressmen who are advocating repeal of the MLB tax exemptions and other goodies enjoyed by those in the exclusive ownership club of MLB franchises. I warned this was coming.

• There have been some fantastic pitching performances this season. I wish managers would let their pitchers go deeper into games, as some great starts are being blown by quick hooks and calls to the pen. Maybe as pitchers get stretched out further, we will get more innings from out starters.

• Thank you for following me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff and reading my work at Forbes.com.