Detroit Tigers from the vault: Outfielder Brennan Boesch

A blast from the past, take a look at former Detroit Tigers outfielder Brennan Boesch from the Tigers vault of former players. Boesch may not have had a lengthy career with the Tigers, but fans should remember this left-handed hitting outfielder.

Back in 2006 First-Year Amateur Player Draft, the Detroit Tigers would select Brennan Boesch in the third round from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2010, Boesch would break into the big leagues with the Tigers beginning his three-year run with the team. Now Boesch was no all-star or MVP-candidate, but there was some time where Tigers fans felt like they had their next great power hitter.

The hype surrounding Boesch’s power was similar to the hype that current outfielder Christin Stewart has received. Boesch was consistent with his mid-teen power numbers. However, he projected as a significant power threat, similar to Stewart, who has not shown his ability to put the ball out twenty-plus times a year consistently. His three year run with the Tigers all started in 2010 when Boesch performed well enough to receive some rookie of the year votes.

In 2010, Boesch would play in 133 total games, hitting .256/.320/.416 with fourteen home runs and sixty-seven RBI on the season. In 2010 he would play corner outfield alongside Austin Jackson, Johnny Damon, Magglio Ordonez, Ryan Raburn, and Don Kelly.

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He would come back the following season to hit .283/.341/.458 with sixteen home runs and fifty-four RBI throughout 115 games. This season he would split time in the outfield with Andy Dirks, Delmon Young, Jackson, Kelly, and Raburn.

He would spend one more year with the Detroit Tigers, playing in 132 games with .240/.286/.372 with twelve home runs and fifty-four RBI on the season. In March of 2013, the Tigers would release Boesch, and two days later, he would sign with the New York Yankees. The end of a three-year run, Boesch’s power never panned out in Detroit, so the Yankees took a flyer, especially with the ballpark they play in.

Ultimately, his time with the Yankees would only amount to twenty-three games played with lackluster stats. He would then move on to the Los Angeles Angels, where he only played in twenty-seven games before moving on yet again.

His last year in the big leagues, Boesch would play in fifty-one games for the Cincinnati Reds. In all three years combined, a total of 101 games, he would hit .191/221/.312 with only six home runs and twenty RBI.

After leaving the Detroit Tigers, Boesch’s career only went downhill, and his projection as a significant power threat from the left side would be quite wrong. Straight from the vault, Boesch was a part of the Tigers lineup for three seasons; fans should remember the 6-foot-4 left-hander, who amounted as much less than expected.