The little Inge-ine that could: Former Ram wreaks havoc in MLB Playoffs
Former VCU baseball star glowing in MLB playoffs.
Inge had a career-low three home runs this season, but has begun to show more pop now that the postseason has arrived.
Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
Brandon Inge is a little man from a little-known school, which is probably why his brilliance thus far in the MLB Playoffs has gone relatively unnoticed.
Inge’s 2-4 effort for Detroit, which included a double and two runs scored on Monday night, was upstaged by fellow Virginian Justin Verlander. The 24-game winner from Goochland struck out 11 Yankee hitters in eight innings of work as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in their American League Division Series match-up with New York, winning the game 5-4.
Meanwhile, Inge is following up on what was statistically his worst regular season with the best postseason performance of his career.
The undersized, power-hitting third baseman has blossomed into a cornerstone player for Detroit since being drafted out of VCU in 1998. He is paying big dividends for the Tigers as they battle for their second World Series appearance in five seasons.
Current VCU head coach Paul Keyes was hired in 1996, and Inge was a member of his first recruiting class.
Keyes said Inge is not only the best baseball player he has ever coached, he is the best all-around athlete.
“An executive for the Yankees asked me about Brandon, and I said, ‘Well I just had my third kid, and if I was on the third floor and had to drop my newborn down the stairs, I would want Brandon down there to catch him,’” Keyes said. “That’s what I thought about him as a player.”
At just 5 feet 11 inches tall and 188 pounds, Inge is by no means a physical specimen, but he can do things that no one else his size can; among those things is the ability to 360-dunk a basketball from a standstill, according to Keyes.
Despite his small frame, Inge was the first pick of the second round in the 1998 MLB Draft. His aforementioned athleticism played a big part in that, but it was his versatility that made him stand out even further.
At VCU, Inge played shortstop and also made appearances as a closer, despite rarely ever throwing bullpen sessions or working on his pitching mechanics. He had what scouts call a “plus arm,” which means he has MLB caliber arm-strength. His fastball reached the upper 90s, which is why the Tigers drafted him as a catcher, so he could throw out runners from behind the plate.
Since getting called up to the big leagues in 2001, Inge has played catcher, third base and all three outfield positions. That versatility, paired with his offensive production, is a good indicator as to why the Tigers have kept Inge around ever since drafting him 13 years ago.
Of his 1,081 career hits, 139 of those are home runs. His career high for homers in a season is 27, which he accomplished in 2006 and then again in 2009. That same year, he was selected as one of just eight participants in the Home Run Derby during the All-Star Break. As most baseball fans know, it is seemingly impossible for such a small man to generate the type of torque that Inge does.
“He’s just really naturally strong,” Keyes said. “He’s one of the better athletes for his size, I would say, in all of Major League Baseball.”
As for the odds of Inge getting his first World Series ring this season, the Tigers are now tied 2-2 in their series with the Yankees. Inge did not get an at-bat as Detroit was routed 10-1 on Tuesday night. They play the deciding Game 5 on Thursday.
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Photos courtesy of VCU Athletics
