Clifton Lewis "Buddy" Kennedy (born October 5, 1998) is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.
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Buddy Kennedy | |
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Arizona Diamondbacks | |
Third baseman | |
Born: (1998-10-05) October 5, 1998 (age 24) Millville, New Jersey | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 17, 2022, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
Batting average | .217 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 12 |
Teams | |
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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]
Kennedy is close friends with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and trains with him in the off-season.[17] Kennedy's grandfather, Don Money, played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers.[18]