Brandon Inge: A Look Back at the Up-and-Down Career of the Tigers Third Baseman

For 12 years, Brandon Inge has been one of the most polarizing figures in Detroit.

He's been through, and seen, it all wearing the Old English D.

He was there in 2003, when the Tigers finished 43-119, needing to win their last two games to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets for the worst record in modern MLB history.

He was also there in 2006 when the Tigers won 95 games, on their way to the American League Championship and a trip to the World Series.

No matter where the Tigers were, Inge was a constant. Through 1,408 career games, he stayed true to his team and city, no matter what.

Inge was drafted by Detroit in the second round (57th overall) of the 1998 draft.

He made his major league debut in 2001 as a catcher. He played 79 games, splitting time with Robert Fick and hit .180 with zero home runs and 15 RBI's.

For the next two years, as the the Tigers primary catcher, Inge played 199 games, combining to hit .202 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI's.

After the abysmal 2003 campaign, the Tigers signed catcher Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez and Inge moved to third base.

The move invigorated Inge's career. His bat started to come alive, and he was brilliant defensively.

In 2004, Inge played 131 games (73 at third) and hit .287 with 13 home runs and 64 RBI's. The Tigers won 29 more games than they did the year prior.

After the 2004 season, Inge cemented himself at third base, playing 160 games at the hot corner in 2005. He led the team in hits (161), RBI's (72) and runs scored (75). He completed his fifth year with the Tigers and was becoming a fan-favorite and leader in the Detroit community.

Inge contributed to several charities in the community, trying to help rebuild a broken city.

The best was yet to come.

In 2006, Inge recorded 27 home runs and 83 RBI's (career-high's) in 159 games. The Tigers finished 95-67, their best season since the magical 1984 run when Detroit won the World Series.

The Tigers defeated the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics, advancing to the World Series. In the ALCS, Inge batted .333 with a home run and three RBI's. He was even better in the World Series, hitting .353, but the Tigers fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

Inge was one of the longest tenured Tigers and captured the hearts of loyal Tigers fans. 

In 2007 and 2008, the Tigers went 162-162 and failed to make the playoffs each year. Inge's numbers fell slightly, but he and the fans remained positive. 

Inge got off to a torrid start in 2009, hitting .268 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI's through 86 games and was selected by the fans to be the last addition to the AL All-Star team.

At 32 years old, Inge was having the best season of his life and the fans were the reason he was going to his first career All-Star game.

He was one of five players on the Tigers roster that remained from the 2003 disaster and fans were enamored by his devotion and love for the city.

As well as his All-Star selection, Inge was selected to compete in the 2009 Home Run Derby. He was alone on a national stage, but choked, finishing dead last with zero home runs.

His career went south from there. In the second half of 2009, Inge hit just .186, with six home runs and 26 RBI's.

It didn't get any better after that.

In 2010, Inge played 144 games, hitting .247 with 13 home runs and 70 RBI's. The Tigers finished a disappointing 81-81, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season and the finger pointing came in Inge's direction.

In nine years with the team, Inge never hit .300 and was regressing.

Despite his flashy glove, contagious smile, and blind loyalty, he fell out of favor with Tigers fans

In 2011, Inge got off to the worst start of his career. Hampered by nagging injuries, he averaged just .184, with one home run and 17 RBI's through 67 games. On July 20, Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski announced the Tigers acquired third baseman Wilson Betemit and Inge was sent down to the minors.

Inge took the news in stride, proclaiming his love for the team and desire to prove himself as an equitable big-league asset.

"I could have made the decision to not accept the assignment and maybe get picked up by another team," Inge said in a USA Today article on July 21, 2011. "But this is home, and this is my team. I need to go down and work this out, but I'll be back. I'll be back in September no matter what. That's a definite."

In 29 games with the Toledo Mud Hens, Inge batted .287, with seven home runs and 19 RBI's.

He appeared to work out the kinks and returned to the Tigers Aug. 20. In his first game back, Inge blasted a home run, added an RBI double and all seemed to be right with the world.

But the success was short-lived, and in 34 games after his return, he went 13-for-58 (.224) with one home run and four RBI's.

Inge's supporters had all but disappeared. He was loudly booed at home games and patience for a turnaround hit an all-time low.

In January, the Tigers signed first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract, which moved Miguel Cabrera to third base, essentially kicking Inge out the door.

Ever the professional, Inge accepted the acquisition and agreed to switch to second base.

Adjusting to a position he hadn't played since high school, Inge had a decent camp and made the 2012 roster out of Spring Training.

But the fans' love affair with Inge was over. During opening day introductions at Comerica Park, he was greeted with a rousing round of boos.

Inge began the season on the disabled list, and after playing nine games, he batted 2-for-20 with one home run and two RBI's. After the Tigers loss to Seattle Thursday, Dombrowski announced Inge was given his outright release.

With all the writing on the wall, Inge accepted the decision and said his last words without malice or resentment.

"This is my family, this is where I’ve been my whole career and I’ll miss the guys. I will," Inge told MLive.com reporters after his release. "My heart will always been in Detroit, 100 percent. Forever. 

"I appreciate everything that’s happened here, every opportunity I’ve been given the stuff we’ve accomplished. But, you know, it’s a business when you come down to the end of it. Like I said, I hope the team does well. I hope they go on and win it all."

As for the fans, Inge said he understood the reality of the situation.

"This is an emotional city. This is a city that will back you, and you know they want their team to win, want their teams to do well, and when they’re not, they’ll let you know. And there’s nothing wrong with that," he said.

After almost 14 years with the organization, Inge rides off into the baseball sunset. He finished his career with the Tigers with a .234 average, 140 home runs and 589 RBI's.

But his value to his team, and the city of Detroit was much more than that. His talent may have dwindled, and his ego damaged, but one thing's for sure;

No one played harder, or cared about his team and city, more than Inge.