Detroit Tiger and former West Michigan Whitecap Brandon Inge has been voted into the All-Star game. He was voted in by the fans to the 33rd and final roster spot for the American League. Inge will also live a childhood dream of competing in the Home Run Derby. He stated he watched that more as a kid than the game itself. Being regarded as one of the best defensive third baseman in the business surely helped his cause, but slugging 19 home runs and 54 RBI’s may have convinced a few voters, too. During last night’s telecast versus the Indians, Inge came on and stated he was ‘floored’ by being voted in and thanked all of the fans who voted for him.

In 1999, however, Inge was a catcher for the Whitecaps. He was actually named the best defensive catcher in the Tigers system by Baseball America with a .900 fielding percentage, 703 put-outs and only five errors. At the plate he hit .244 with 54 runs, 86 hits, 25 doubles, nine home runs and 46 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He was noted as a team leader and gave plenty of free time to community appearances. Also this year, he was part of the Inaugural Class of the Whitecaps Hall of Fame.

Photo courtesy of the West Michigan Whitecaps