FanPost

Where Are They Now? A Look at Tigers Players from the Past Part 4: 2006

Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports

Spring training is finally upon us. Pitchers and catchers have reported, and the rest of the players aren’t far behind. This years group looks very talented and will feature quite a few new faces.

This is the fourth in a series of posts about the whereabouts of active, current or former Tigers players, and is based on the year they first debuted for Detroit. It will go season-to-season, beginning with the 2003 and ending at the 2014 season. I picked 2003 because it’s both the worst year in team history, and also the year I became a fan. The plan is to profile players that made their Tigers debut during each particular season, how they did in a Tigers uniform at the major league level only, and where they are now. This will only be looking at active players or players that have not yet retired and have been with a major league team’s system within the last few years.

If there are any updates with a player’s status or I messed up something, please let me know in the comments; this is my first time trying something like this, and I’m also a grad student finishing up his thesis this semester so focus might be split just a tad. I’m also mainly using Baseball Reference for contracts and stats, with a dash of Wikipedia and other sources as well.

2006 Tigers

The season that reignited the passion for Tigers baseball for many fans, and created scores of new ones. 2006 saw the Tigers surpass the previous year’s win total by 24 games, finishing at 95-67, second in the American League Central but with the Wild Card lead. They went on to upset a favored Yankees squad 3-1 in the ALDS before laying the smackdown on the Oakland A’s in the ALCS, winning 4-0 (and some famous home run or something occurred by some guy named Magglio). Sadly, the mojo didn’t last into the World Series, which they lost 4-1 to the Cardinals.

The rotation that year was led by solid seasons from Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, the gambler Kenny Rogers, and some fresh faced kid by the name of Verlander. All started at least 30 games, and the worst ERA of the bunch was Bonderman at 4.08. The other rotation spot was a hodgepodge of effective and semi-effective guys, but it worked.

The hitting was a force to be reckoned with, led by Magglio Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Guillen. When the lowest OPS of your regular starters is .693 (Polanco had no power that year), you know you’re doing something right. Also notable was the ridiculous start for Chris Shelton, with 10 home runs in 13 games! Sadly, he struggled with consistency through the rest of the season and was replaced as the starter by Sean Casey.

The Hitters

OF Brent Clevlen

Tigers Tenure: July 23, 2002 – November 9, 2009

How he got here: Brent was drafted by the Tigers in the second round of the 2002 draft (above some names like Jon Lester, Jonathon Broxton, Jesse Crain, and Kevin Jepsen)

How he left: Was granted free agency following the 2009 season

Tigers Stats: Clevlen was nothing more than a utility outfielder during parts of three seasons in the D, not even cracking the roster during 2009. His overall line of .233/.282/.425 for an OPS of .709 just didn’t do it, and he accumulated a -0.2 WAR during that time.

Where he’s been since: He bounced around with the Braves, Phillies, Reds, and Diamondbacks over the years, only making it back to the majors once, with the Braves in 2010 for a whole four at-bats.

Current status: Brent is currently an outfielder for the Pericos de Puebla in the Mexican league, but since he had been with the D-backs as recently as 2013 he was included in this list.

IF Jack Hannahan

Tigers Tenure: June 20, 2001 – August 14, 2007

How he got here: Hannahan was a third round selection in the 2001 draft (looking at that round, it was pretty bad outside of Jeremy Guthrie. Only player underneath his pick that I even recognize is Scott Hairston).

How he left: Jack was traded in August of 2007 to the Oakland A’s for Jason Perry, an outfielder that was released at the end of the next season’s spring training.

Tigers Stats: Hannahan played in three games and had zero hits and one walk in 10 plate appearances. Would not expect anyone to even remember he was a Tiger at some point.

Where he’s been since: Hannahan actually had a pretty solid career as an infielder, amassing 6.9 WAR over eight seasons. After the trade to the As, Jack made stops in Seattle, Boston, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

Current Status: After a rough season with the Reds, Hannahan was granted free agency following the 2014 season and now plays for the LG Twins in the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization).

The Pitchers

SP Colby Lewis

Tigers Tenure: October 8, 2004 – October 2, 2006

How he got here: Tigers selected Colby off waivers from the Texas Rangers after an injury-shortened 2004 season; he was a former first round selection.

How he left: Lewis was released following the 2006 season.

Tigers Stats: Another blink-and-you-missed-it player for Detroit, Colby played in two games, pitched a whopping three innings, and gave up a solo home run for a 3.00 ERA.

Where he’s been since: Lewis was picked up and released by the Nationals, signed with the A's, waived by the A's and selected by the Royals and then released after a month. Lewis went to the Japanese leagues and played for the Hiroshima Carp for two seasons, finally returning to MLB to play for his original team, the Rangers, in 2010.

Current Status: After a rough 2014 (missing 2013 with injury), Lewis re-signed with the Rangers on a one-year, $4 million deal.

SP/RP Andrew Miller

Tigers Tenure: August 8, 2006 – December 4, 2007

How he got here: Miller was the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft, taken by the Tigers. For kicks, the next guy taken was Clayton Kershaw. That particular first round has a ton of current stars in it.

How he left: Miller and spare parts (Dallas Trahern, Burke Badenhop, Frankie De La Cruz, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo) were traded to the Marlins for Dontrelle Willis and some guy named Cabrera during the 2007 offseason. Feels like that was a pretty good trade.

Tigers Stats: 22 days after the Tigers signed him, he made his debut with the big club, appearing in eight games as a reliever. In 2007, the Tigers made him part of the rotation, where he started 13 games but wasn’t up to snuff, allowing a 5.63 ERA, 5.27 FIP, and a 1.75 WHIP, although his 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings was pretty solid.

Where he’s been since: Miller floundered with the Marlins for a few years before being traded to the Red Sox. Once there, he was converted to a reliever, actually becoming serviceable. Last trade deadline he was sent to the Orioles for a minor league pitcher.

Current Status: Miller was one of the top relief free agents on the market this offseason, signing a four-year, $36 million deal with the Yankees.

SP/RP Zach Miner

Tigers Tenure: July 31, 2005 – December 2, 2010, and April 20, 2012 – November 3, 2012

How he got here: Miner was acquired, along with Roman Colon, in a deal for Kyle Farnsworth at the 2005 trade deadline. Miner was later re-acquired in 2012 when the Tigers purchased him from the Royals.

How he left: Miner was granted free agency following the 2010 season, and again after the 2012 season.

Tigers Stats: Miner was a long reliever and occasional starter for the Tigers during his first stint with the club; he was not called up during the 2012 campaign. While he wasn’t the greatest outside an outstanding 2007 (3.02 ERA, 152 ERA+), he was a solid mop-up guy. His overall Tigers numbers: 4.24 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.457 WHIP, and a WAR of 3.4 over 157 games, 35 of them starts.

Where he’s been since: Miner bummed around in the Royals minor leagues until the Tigers got him back, then actually got a call-up after signing with Philly. His most recent stint was in the minors with Seattle, who released him on June 9, 2014.

Current Status: Free agent, can’t seem to find any other details about what he’s up to.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.