| Buddy Kennedy | |
| Team: | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Position: | Infielder |
| Birth Date: | 5 October 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Millville, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | June 17 |
| Debutyear: | 2022 |
| Debutteam: | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | April 24, 2024 |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .211 |
| Stat2label: | Home runs |
| Stat2value: | 2 |
| Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value: | 17 |
| Teams: | |
Clifton Lewis "Buddy" Kennedy (born October 5, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers.
Born and raised in Millville, New Jersey, Kennedy attended Millville Senior High School, where he played baseball and batted .493 with six home runs as a senior in 2017.[1] He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He signed for $550,000, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina.[3]
Kennedy made his professional debut with the Arizona League Diamondbacks, batting .270 with nine doubles, eight triples, and twenty RBIs over fifty games.[4] In 2018, he played with the Missoula Osprey with whom he slashed .327/.396/.465 with four home runs and 32 RBIs over 57 games.[5] For the 2019 season, he played for the Kane County Cougars, hitting .262 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs over 101 games.[6] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 after the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] [8] Kennedy began the 2021 season with the Hillsboro Hops and was promoted to the Amarillo Sod Poodles in mid-June.[9] [10] Over 96 games between the two clubs, Kennedy slashed .290/.384/.523 with 22 home runs, sixty RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.[11] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters after the season.[12]
Kennedy was assigned to the Reno Aces of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League to begin the 2022 season.[13] On June 17, the Diamondbacks selected his contract and he made his MLB debut that night as the starting designated hitter versus the Minnesota Twins.[14] He recorded his first MLB hit that night with a single off of Devin Smeltzer.[15] On June 19, he recorded his first MLB home run, a grand slam versus Caleb Thielbar of the Minnesota Twins.[16] He was sent outright off the roster on November 11, 2022.
He was assigned to Triple–A Reno to begin the 2023 season, where he played in 87 games and hit .318/.447/.480 with 5 home runs and 46 RBI. On August 12, 2023, the Diamondbacks selected Kennedy's contract, adding him to the major league roster.[17] In 10 games for Arizona, Kennedy went 4–for–24 (.167) with 1 RBI. On September 6, he was designated for assignment following the waiver claim of Seby Zavala.[18]
On September 9, 2023, Kennedy was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics.[19] In 11 games for the Triple–A Las Vegas Aviators, Kennedy hit .216/.326/.216 with no home runs, four RBI, and six walks.
On October 25, 2023, Kennedy was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals.[20] He was designated for assignment on February 27, 2024, following the signing of Brandon Crawford[21] and claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers on February 29.[22] Kennedy was optioned to the Triple–A Toledo Mud Hens to begin the 2024 season.[23] The Tigers called up Kennedy on April 20 to replace Gio Urshela, who was placed on the injured list.[24] In 6 games for Detroit, he went 2–for–10 (.200) with one home run and four RBI. On June 3, Kennedy was designated for assignment by the Tigers.[25]
On June 7, 2024, Kennedy was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash considerations.[26] [27]
Kennedy is close friends with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and trains with him in the off-season.[28] Kennedy's grandfather, Don Money, played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers.[29]