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A Name You Should Know

Chris Shelton spent all of last season with the Tigers after coming over from Pittsburgh in the Rule V draft. By rule, he had to spend all of 2004 in the majors, or he'd be returned to his original team. Well, he wasn't ready to be a big leaguer. He got Darko at-bats, and hit about as well as Darko might in a Tiger uniform. This year, he started in AAA where he belonged. He mashed, and when the Tigers grew frustrated with Carlos Pena, Shelton came up to take his job. Sure he's got a baby face, but Shelton hit his second homer today to tie the game against the Giants at the death, against a pitcher who struck out the Tigers' side with the bases loaded in the ninth the other day. He's hitting, he's young, he's ours, and maybe he'll be part of the next meaningful Tiger team. That's even more interesting Tiger news than the signing of some injury-prone expensive free agent.

posted by Jeff Gray @ 1:40 PM