Former Detroit Tigers All-Star Brandon Inge spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, 12 of them with the Tigers, and played alongside some elite talent. He played a number of positions, won an American League pennant and became one of the team’s most versatile players.

Inge is now working with head coach Erik Bakich’s Michigan baseball team as a volunteer assistant. He sat down with The Wolverine for this exclusive Q & A.

The Wolverine: You’ve obviously been retired from baseball for a while now. What were you doing before Erik Bakich called, and how did he get you on board?

Brandon Inge: “I was pretty content watching my kids play baseball. They’re starting to get to the point where they’re college recruitment age. But a while ago, Erik and I were doing a lot of the work for the ChadTough Foundation — Chad was my wife’s Godson, so we’ve been family friends with the Carrs a long, long time … that’s where Erik and I first met. We just got to have a small friendship at that point.

“Out of the blue, it was kind of crazy, he called and left a message saying, ‘hey, I’ve got a question for you … you want to be on the coaching staff?’ It was a very intriguing offer, but knowing we had two kids in school right now and my wife would have to do the running around, I asked her … sure enough, she was good with it.

“It’s the level of baseball I like coaching. I feel like I had a lot to offer him.”

The Wolverine: You’ve got two teen sons now (Tyler and Chase) who both play. How time-consuming is your Michigan commitment, and how much will you still be involved with your own kids?

Inge: “It will be a commitment. Both of my kids play summer ball, so that’s a big commitment I dedicate to them, but they start in June, and we’ll finish up then if we go to the World Series. I’ll only miss a little bit of that.

“The only downside is I might miss some of their high school baseball games. but I figured I’ll give it a year and see how it works out with the family. But as far as baseball goes, it’s incredible.”

The Wolverine: Along those lines, what’s been your early experience in the several weeks you’ve been working with the team?

Inge: “The guys are amazing. I love them. They’re hard-working. Bakich (and the whole staff), they’ve done an amazing job recruiting personalities on top of just talent. Talent is one thing, and I’ve seen talent. I’ve seen the best talent. If you don’t have the right team and mental attitude, I don’t care — take the talent somewhere else, because you’re going to bring the team down. “What they’ve put together here has been pretty amazing. It’s been really fun to get to know these guys.”

The Wolverine: What’s been your approach as a first-year coach with the players?

Inge: “I talk to them like I’m a teammate, honestly, because I still feel like I have the mentality that I’m a player more than having the coach mentality. The best coaches I had sometimes were players … not downgrading any of the coaches I’ve had, because they were amazing. But when Miguel Cabrera comes to you and says, ‘hey man, you look like you’re doing a little something with your swing,’ you take his word for it … he’s just trying to help his teammate get better so the team can get better.

“That approach is kind of the way I take coaching. Don’t ‘think of me as a coach; think of me as another player you can bounce ideas off of. I only want success for them.”

The Wolverine: How closely did you watch the Michigan team in the 2019 College World Series?

Inge: “It was really fun to watch. I was just watching as a bystander, but I’ve rooted for all Michigan teams when I was playing because I played for the Tigers and I loved the state, so I rooted for all of them.

“I was really pulling for them, and then found myself heartbroken at the end. But just watching them in the dugout, those personalities, their interviews … I could tell they were well-coached even before I got here.”

The Wolverine: What do you like most about this team in the months you’ve been working with them?

Inge: “I like their mentality. They have a team. You go into a lot of places, even a Major League clubhouse, the rookies are treated a little worse. You’ve got to earn your keep before you get respect. It’s the polar opposite mentality here. The older veterans take care of the younger guys, and that’s the way it should be.

“Everyone knows about the days of hazing and all that. When you do that to a rookie, it makes them feel agitated, nervous. That all leads to not performing well. What we do here, everyone takes care of everyone. The freshmen coming in have less responsibilities and the veterans have more, take stuff off their plates so the young guys can get acclimated better, become better teammates.

“They have a high comfort level to do what we need them to do, which is perform. It’s a genius philosophy. I’m all about coaching hard and being tough skinned, but if you don’t perform at the end of the day because you are intimidated, you’re no good to the program.

“The way Erik and those guys have done it has been outside the box. I like that.”

The Wolverine: Any chance this leads you into the coaching profession permanently? Is that something you’d pursue?

Inge: “I don’t think so. I don’t want to ever be a head coach of anything. There are too many responsibilities, too much paperwork and stuff I don’t want to deal with (laughs). I don’t take too well to authority to tell me how to do my job.

“I don’t think I would last very long as a head coach, but the role I’m in right now is perfect. I’m basically a liaison from coaches to players, help out with on-field performance, help them become good citizens and teammates.

“[Other coaches] can handle all the paperwork. I don’t want to do all that stuff.”

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