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Big Country is Coming

This is, or, I suppose, was Brad “Big Country” Eldred:

(image via Sportsbuy) 

He was Pedro Alvarez without the pedigree. He is an enormous mountain of a man, hence the Big Country nickname. He is one racks up home runs and strikeouts in equal accord. At 31, Eldred has posted a .204/.259/.419 line with 15 HR in 260 Major League at-bats. Those are impressive power numbers. Everything else, not so much.

But this season, perhaps because of possession of a magical amulet, Eldred his hit 13 home runs in only 20 games in AAA. Or, to put it another way, he’s hit as many home runs as the Miami Marlins. At the moment, he physically can’t hit a ball without it going over the fence. Taking a gamble that maybe he’s finally figured it out, the Tigers called up Eldred today.  Which is a good thing for those people who love beefy, thick-necked sluggers who rank quite highly on the minor league career home run charts. 

Sadly, it also spells the end of Brandon Inge’s time with Detroit. Sad, but necessary. Despite his high socks, willingness to move around the field, and high grit factor, with Miguel Cabrera taking third this spring, Inge was without a position. So Inge was shifted to second. Sadly, the move did not give his bat a boost. Coming off a season in which Inge was 50% worse than the average Major Leaguer, hitting .197/.265/.283, he needed to prove he could still play at a high level. This year, Inge has two hits with six strikeouts in 20 at-bats. It was time to say goodbye. 

Don’t cry too much for Inge. He still has $5 million owed to him and will probably find himself stashed on someone’s AAA roster as a precaution against any injuries that may spring up later in the year. 

  1. quinn-bear reblogged this from oldtimefamilybaseball
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  3. michiganandtrumbull reblogged this from oldtimefamilybaseball and added:
    This person plays for the Tigers now.
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