Charles Brandon Inge (born on May 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player who played as a third baseman and catcher. He currently works as a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team and as an assistant coach for the Brighton High School Varsity baseball team. Inge played 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, one season with the Oakland Athletics, and one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in Major League Baseball (MLB). He bats and throws right-handed.

Sportswriter Jayson Stark called Inge a "super-utility dervish." In 2006, Inge made a diving stop and then threw the ball from his knees to catch Gary Bennett during an interleague game against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 25. This play earned him the ESPN defensive play of the year award for a third baseman.

Early life

Inge played baseball at Brookville High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, and also participated in American Legion Baseball. He was honored as Legion Baseball's 2010 Graduate of the Year. Brookville High School retired the number 7 that Inge wore during his time there.

After high school, Inge attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he played baseball as a shortstop and relief pitcher. In 1997, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves during the summer, and he was selected as a league all-star. In 1998, he was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft.

Playing career

Inge began his professional career with the Jamestown Jammers, a team in the Single-A New York-Penn League. In 51 games, Inge batted .230. He hit 8 home runs, 10 doubles, and drove in 29 runs, which were the highest totals for his team. Before this, Inge played as a shortstop, but he later became a catcher.

In 1999, Inge was promoted to the West Michigan Whitecaps. He played in 100 games that season. In June, he had a hitting streak that lasted 12 games. For the season, he batted .244, hit 9 home runs, and drove in 46 runs. He also stole 15 bases, which was the most he had ever stolen in a season.

In 2000, Inge played for two teams: the Double-A Jacksonville Suns and the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. With Jacksonville, he played in 78 games, hit 6 home runs, drove in 53 runs, and batted .258. With the Mud Hens, he played in 55 games, hit 5 home runs, and drove in 20 runs, but his batting average was .221.

In 2001, Inge joined the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers. He started as the team’s catcher on opening day and threw out two baserunners from the Minnesota Twins. On April 6, he got his first hit in the majors, a double against the Chicago White Sox. On June 24, Inge injured his left shoulder and was put on the disabled list. He returned to play in late August after a short recovery. In 27 games with Toledo, he batted .289, hit 2 home runs, and drove in 15 runs. In 79 games with the Tigers, he batted .180 and had 11 doubles and 15 RBIs.

Inge was signed as a catcher but struggled offensively in his first three seasons. After the Tigers signed free-agent Iván Rodríguez in 2004, Inge played in the outfield, at catcher, and at third base. That season, he batted .287 and hit 13 home runs.

In 2005, Inge started 159 games at third base. He had the most errors (23), the most assists (378), and the most double plays (42) among all AL third basemen. In 2006, he had 398 assists, breaking the Detroit Tigers’ single-season record for assists by a third baseman. This number was only 14 less than the all-time MLB record for assists by a third baseman, set by Graig Nettles in 1971. Only five third basemen, including Nettles, Brooks Robinson, and Mike Schmidt, had more assists in a season than Inge.

In 2006, Inge hit 17 home runs in the first half of the season, tying for the team lead. His slugging percentage was .463, and he had 47 RBIs, ranking third on the Tigers. After the All-Star Break, he improved his batting average to .253 and finished the season with a career-high 27 home runs. On October 27, 2006, Inge struck out against the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of the World Series.

After the Tigers acquired Miguel Cabrera in a trade with the Florida Marlins, Inge was no longer the main third baseman. He asked the team to trade him to a team where he could play every day, but no deal was made. The Tigers said he would be used as a utility player in 2008. Inge arrived early for spring training and was named the starting center fielder after another player was injured.

With the backup catcher, Vance Wilson, injured, Inge helped catch for Iván Rodríguez, a 13-time Gold Glove winner. After Rodríguez was traded to the New York Yankees in July 2008, Inge became the full-time catcher.

On September 27, 2008, Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced that Inge would return to third base for the 2009 season.

In 2009, Inge started the season as the Tigers’ third baseman. He reached base in 24 straight games, the longest such streak for the Tigers since 1976. In the first half of the season, he led the team in home runs with 21 and was named to the All-Star team.

Inge received 11.8 million votes in the Final Vote and was selected to his first All-Star Game, joining teammates Curtis Granderson, Justin Verlander, and Edwin Jackson. He participated in the Home Run Derby but did not hit any home runs. He set career highs in games (161) and RBIs (84) and matched his career high of 27 home runs.

In November 2009, Inge had surgery on both of his knees. He completed a rehabilitation program over the winter and returned to play in spring training. He started at third base on Opening Day in 2010.

On July 19, 2010, Inge was hit on the left hand by a pitch. X-rays showed a broken bone that would take 4–6 weeks to heal, but he returned to play in two weeks.

On August 26, 2010, Inge got his 1,000th hit in the majors. On September 21, he hit his 200th home run.

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Post-playing career

On January 29, 2021, Inge was named volunteer assistant coach for the 2021 Michigan Wolverines baseball team.

Personal life

Inge currently lives in Michigan. In August 2009, Inge got two tattoos, one on each forearm, during a trip along the West Coast. The tattoos are the names of his sons, "Chase" and "Tyler."