Former Tigers Star Brandon Inge Opens High-Tech Baseball Facility To Nurture Future Talent

Brandon Inge launched Inge Performance Lab, a baseball training center, in Brighton this past Saturday. The ex-Detroit Tiger played 12 seasons with the club, spanning 2001 through 2012.

"It's been about six months that we've been tearing this place apart, trying to put it back together, put all the good technology in, the weight room," Inge said, per CBS Detroit.

Inside, you'll find a full-size Little League diamond, six batting cages, and a workout room.

Michael Foguth, partner at Inge Performance Lab, applauded the third baseman's devotion to the region. "He's an adopted Detroiter," Foguth said. "I've said that to him. His family has been here; he stayed here. He gives back to the community more than anyone I've ever met."

He wound up coaching after observing youth coaches. "The funny thing is, when I finished baseball, I had no intention of coaching. I just wanted to sit back and watch my kids play," Inge said. "Then you watch some of the coaches; the way they're coaching kids, they're yelling and screaming at them, so I said I have to join in and make our game better, so that's where it all started."

Parents from the area brought their kids to the grand opening. Tim Day, a Brighton resident, arrived with his 8-year-old son and the boy's team. "Just to have the space with the batting cages and HitTrax and the infield they can work on, it's fantastic," Day said.

Inge greeted fans and signed autographs at the event. He wants to groom future major leaguers at this location. Inge still follows his old team. "I want them to do well," he said. "I don't get involved in the changes they make at this point, but I always want them to win. That's my family. Detroit Tigers is family for life for me."