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Author: Dave Riggert

Royals officially sign free agent 2B Omar Infante

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RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals announced Monday that they have agreed to terms with free agent infielder Omar Infante on a four-year contract, with a club option for 2018.  Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Infante, 31, hit .318 last season with 24 doubles, 10 homers and 51 RBI in 118 games for the Detroit Tigers.  He played all 118 games at second base, but has started 188 games at shortstop, 63 games at third base and 67 in the outfield in his career.  In 2013, he ranked fifth among Major League second basemen with a .450 slugging percentage and a .795 OPS.  A right-handed hitter, Infante hit .301 (44-for-146) against left-handed pitching, and .326 (100-for-307) against righties.  He also batted .325 (37-for-114) with runners in scoring position and had a .326 mark with runners on base (70-for-215).  Omar is moving into a ballpark where he’s seen a good amount of success, hitting .314 in Kauffman Stadium (49-for-156), his highest average in a visiting ballpark where he has at least 150 at bats.

A 2010 All-Star with the Atlanta Braves, Infante finished that season third in the National League with a career-best .321 batting average and 125 singles, which ranked fourth in the league. Over the past four seasons with Atlanta (2010), Miami (2011-12) and Detroit (2012-13), Infante has hit .295 with 93 doubles, 21 triples, 37 homers, 200 RBI and a .415 slugging percentage.  His 21 triples since the start of 2010 are the most among Major League second basemen.  Defensively, the 12-year veteran infielder led the National League in assists (466) as a Marlin in 2011, ranked fourth among N.L. second sackers with a .989 fielding percentage and fifth with 75 double plays.

— Royals Media Relations —

Kansas City clinches playoff birth win 56-31 win at Oakland

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ChiefsOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jamaal Charles turned the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff clinching party into a game-long celebration right from the start.

Charles scored the first of his team record-tying five touchdowns on a 49-yard screen pass on the first play from scrimmage, sending the Chiefs to a 56-31 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday that clinched at least a wild-card spot.

”A big part of this team depends on me, Charles said. ”Once I’m healthy this offense can go a long way and this team can go a long way.”

Alex Smith threw four of his five TD passes to Charles, going 17 for 20 for 287 yards to make the Chiefs the fourth team ever to make the playoffs a year after losing at least 14 games. Kansas City (11-3) is tied for first place in the AFC West with Denver but needs help to win the division because the Broncos swept the season series.

”Anytime you can be a part of the turnaround, it’s a special feeling,” Smith said. ”These guys have worked hard and deserve a ton of credit. It’s special to be a part of this.”

Matt McGloin threw four interceptions and lost a fumble while sharing time with Terrelle Pryor as Oakland (4-10) allowed the most points in franchise history and lost its fourth straight game. The Raiders had seven turnovers overall.

The performance drew constant boos from a crowd frustrated over 11 straight seasons without a winning record and raise questions about whether the Raiders are showing enough progress in year two under coach Dennis Allen to convince owner Mark Davis to keep him around for a third season.

”We get paid out there to play, we get paid out there to not let these guys light up the scoreboard the way they did,” cornerback Tracy Porter said. ”They did, in fact, what we didn’t want them to do. We have no one to blame but ourselves.”

There is not questioning the progress the Chiefs have made in their first year under coach Andy Reid. He took over a team that went 2-14 a year ago in a season troubled by the murder-suicide involving Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who shot to death the mother of his infant child before turning the gun on himself.

”It’s a feeling that you want everyone to have,” linebacker Derrick Johnson said. ”It’s a great feeling. What we went through last year to be in this situation and have an opportunity to do some big things, clinching the playoffs before the season’s over, it’s great.”

The addition of Smith to a talented roster that featured six Pro Bowl players also helped. Charles was one of those Pro Bowlers a year ago but he never had a game quite like this even though he only rushed for 20 yards in eight carries.

He did most of his work in the passing game, beating blitzes with screen passes and also having success running patterns downfield. He caught eight passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns in the third-most productive receiving day by a running back since the 1970 merger.

”I didn’t do much,” Smith said. ”I mean three screens for touchdowns. I’ve never been a part of anything like that or seen that.”

Charles joined Shaun Alexander, Jerry Rice and Clinton Portis as the only players since the merger to score five touchdowns and gain at least 200 yards from scrimmage in a single game.

”I don’t know how anybody can be more valuable to a team and the success that we’ve had than he has,” Reid said.

The Chiefs built a 35-10 lead before the Raiders scored three straight touchdowns to make it a game late in the third quarter. It quickly became a blowout again.

On a third-and-1, Smith found Charles on a wheel route down the sideline for a completion. Charles then cut toward the middle and raced in for the 71-yard score that tied Abner Haynes’ team record set in 1961 against the Raiders with five TDs in a game.

The Chiefs put the game away after Taiwan Jones fumbled the ensuing kickoff, setting up a 6-yard TD pass to Sean McGrath that made it 49-21.

Knile Davis’ 17-yard run midway through the fourth quarter gave the Chiefs the highest-scoring game in the NFL this season and the most points ever scored against the Raiders, breaking the mark of 55 last reached by Baltimore in 2012.

The Raiders were officially eliminated from the playoff chase for the 11th straight season shortly before kickoff and played like a team going nowhere.

The tone was set right from the start when Quintin Demps returned the opening kick 50 yards and Charles then took a short pass from Smith and raced 49 yards for the score. Charles scored on a 39-yard screen pass on third-and-19 on the next possession.

”We were anticipating screens,” Allen said. ”We just didn’t play them as well as we needed to play them.”

Turnovers left to three more touchdowns and Oakland trailed 35-10.

— Associated Press —

No. 24 Missouri stays unbeaten with win over Western Michigan

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MUCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown scored 15 points while Jordan Clarkson and Earnest Ross both added 12 to help No. 24 Missouri defeat Western Michigan 66-60 on Sunday.

Missouri (10-0) looked rusty at times after an eight-day break for final exams and clung to a 47-45 lead with 10:46 remaining. Tony Criswell’s jumper two minutes later capped a 9-0 run as the Tigers pulled away.

Missouri stretched its NCAA-best homecourt winning streak to 25 games and has won 80 straight games against nonconference opponents at Mizzou Arena dating to the 2005-06 opener.

St. Louis native David Brown led Western Michigan (5-4) with 18 points and Shayne Whittington added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Missouri scored 80 points against West Virginia and then-No. 18 UCLA in its previous two games, but struggled to maintain that momentum into Sunday.

The Tigers made 50 percent of their shots (23 of 46), but only scored two points during a seven-minute stretch in the first half before Clarkson hit one of two free throws with 3:47 before the break.

Missouri also committed nine turnovers and yielded five offensive rebounds in the first half to Western Michigan, which trailed 31-22 after 20 minutes despite shooting 9 of 34.

The Tigers’ defense, though, continued its strong start to the season. The team has yet to allow an opponent to shoot better than 44.3 percent from the field this season, and only Hawaii has topped 71 points.

Western Michigan only shot 2 of 16 from 3-point range in the first half after scoring just 35 points in a loss at Northwestern on Dec. 7. The Broncos finished at 30 percent (21 of 70) overall.

The Broncos started the second half on an 11-4 run to pull within 35-33, but couldn’t quite catch Missouri.

Missouri now waits another six days to play its next game, the annual Braggin’ Rights game in St. Louis against Illinois.

— Associated Press —

Bearcats defeat Grand Valley to advance to DII national championship

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NWMSUOne more big play was needed for Northwest Missouri State to stamp its ticket to Florence, Ala., for the NCAA Division II national championship game.

Senior quarterback Trevor Adams delivered it to Reuben Thomas with just under 5 minutes left.

Grand Valley must have been thinking the Bearcats were going to run the ball on first down to salt away a few more seconds. Instead, Adams dropped back and threw a perfect spiral to Thomas, who nestled the ball into his gut and waltzed into the end zone with 4:58 left in the game.

“We just wanted to play aggressive and play to win,” Adams said. “That was our mantra all week and what it has been all season.”

The championship play gave the Bearcats a 14-point lead, more than enough for them to come away with a spine-tingling 27-13 victory Saturday evening at Bearcat Stadium in the NCAA Division II semifinals.

“We have one more game to go, but it has been so exciting to see all the hard work payoff,” Adams said. “We have such a great senior class. That has been so awesome to be a part of.”

A year ago, the Bearcats lost 38-35 in overtime in the second round to Minnesota State Mankato on a bitterly cold late November day. Northwest knew they had a team that could have advanced deeper in the playoffs.

The returners were determined to get Northwest back to the top. The wanted to hear the cool sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd one more time at Bearcat Stadium.

Sweet Home Alabama – both goalposts go down.

“You can’t really put into words, but it is a great feeling,” Northwest junior defensive end Matt Longacre said. “I am so happy for the guys that we get to experience this.”

Northwest will take its perfect 14-0 record to Alabama and face Lenoir-Rhyne at 11 a.m., Dec. 21 at Braly Stadium. The Bearcats are making their eighth appearance in the national championship game and will be seeking their fourth title.

“We have good positive energy,” Northwest senior running back Billy Creason. “We always talk about sharing the experience of going to the national championship with our young guys. Everybody on the team bought into that and we are here.

“We are like a family. I can turn to anybody on offense and whenever we need a big play, we know somebody is going to step up.”

The Bearcats have put themselves in position for another special game. Earlier this season, Northwest played the final of 12 installments of the Fall Classic at Arrowhead and beat Pittsburg State 24-15.

This will be the last of 28 straight Division II championship games in Florence. Next year the Division II title game moves to Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

It has already been a truly special season for the 2013 Bearcats. They have won 12 of their 14 games by double-digits.

But this one was far more difficult as it should be to reach the title game.

“I am just so proud of our kids, the way they battled today; the way they battled all year,” Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said. “We talked about playing to win and I think we did that for 60 minutes.”

After Northwest took a 20-6 lead with 3:55 left in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Simon Mathieson, Grand Valley showed its championship mettle.

The Lakers went 77 yards in eight plays and scored a touchdown near the end of the third quarter, closing to 20-13.

Grand Valley then stopped a Northwest drive and got the ball back at its 20. After reaching midfield, the Lakers ran into a stonewall known as the Bearcat defense.

With seven minutes left, Northwest started at its 20 and needed to get a few first downs to take time off the clock.

The Bearcats wanted more. On the fourth play of the drive, Adams hit Thomas for a beautiful touchdown that ultimately put Northwest in another championship game.

“That was probably the difference in the game,” Grand Valley coach Matt Mitchell said. “The play-action pass and No. 12 (Thomas) getting behind us.”

Thomas said he has been waiting for this moment. When he saw the ball in the air, he wanted the ball to get there before the defender.

“I looked it in, scored the touchdown,” Thomas said.

Northwest went into halftime with a 10-6 lead. Any lead in a national semifinal game is important, but the Bearcats had a couple of reasons to feel disappointed.

The Bearcats dominated the first half. Two fumbles prevented them from taking more command of the game.

On the second play from scrimmage, Northwest fumbled at its 17. Thanks to stellar defense by the Bearcats, Grand Valley settled for a 37-yard field goal.

“We can’t ever get too down because we know those guys coming on the field are going to shut them down no matter where the ball is at,” Adams said. “Matt (Longacre) and D.J. (Gnader) and those guys have done an awesome job all season.

“The trust that we have has been huge for us. When I was running to the sideline after I had just thrown that pass backwards, D.J. and those guys came up and said we got you and that is what is so awesome about our defense. They got our backs just like we have theirs.

The Lakers added another field goal later in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead. Northwest answered that score with a nine play, 80-yard drive and scored on a 6-yard run by Bolles.

Northwest was in position to increase its lead when it moved to the 1 on a 14-yard pass reception by Korey Jackson. The Bearcats fumbled on the next play, erasing a tremendous scoring opportunity.

Grand Valley put together only one good drive in the second quarter and ended with a missed 32-yard field goal into a stiff north wind.

The Bearcats took over late in the second quarter and moved 78 yards and on fourth down, Mathieson nailed a 19-yard field goal on the last play in the first half.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Ellis, Embiid lead No. 13 Kansas past New Mexico

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KUKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Joel Embiid had just picked up his second foul, and like so many other games this season, he knew he was going to be spending the rest of the first half sitting on the Kansas bench.

The 7-foot freshman vowed to make up for it in the second half.

Embiid scored 16 of his career-high 18 points over the final 20 minutes, leading the No. 13 Jayhawks to an 80-63 victory over New Mexico on Saturday night that ended a two-game skid.

”I was frustrated, even though I didn’t think the second one was a foul,” said Embiid, a native of Cameroon who’s only been playing basketball for a few years. ”Yeah, I wanted it bad, and they wanted to throw me the ball and let me score, and that’s what I needed to do.”

Perry Ellis scored 21 points and Andrew Wiggins, despite dealing with foul trouble all night, added 11 for the Jayhawks (7-3), who led 39-38 at halftime before using two big runs to put it away.

It was the Jayhawks’ ninth straight win at the Sprint Center, including their run to last year’s Big 12 tournament title. After dropping games at Colorado and Florida, the win also kept Kansas from losing three straight non-conference games for the first time since the 1982-83 season.

”We knew we had to hit them first,” said the Jayhawks’ Wayne Selden, who finished with 10 points. ”That was our main goal, be the first one on the floor and be the most aggressive.”

Cameron Bairstow and Kendall Williams had 24 points apiece for New Mexico (7-2), but that was about it for the Lobos. Alex Kirk, who came into the game averaging 18.6 points, was held to just five on 2-for-8 shooting before fouling out with 2:53 remaining in the game.

New Mexico was just 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.

”We played really well in the first half, but I thought Kansas played really good. I thought that was the best offensive game Kansas has played all year,” New Mexico coach Craig Neal said. ”We got into some foul trouble and did some things we weren’t used to doing, and we have to improve on that.”

The Jayhawks likewise struggled with foul trouble in the first half, depriving coach Bill Self of Ellis, Embiid and Jamari Traylor for long periods of time. That allowed the 6-foot-9 Bairstow to go to work inside, scoring on an array of putbacks and spin moves.

The senior from Brisbane, Australia, had 16 points at the break.

”We wanted to put them in a position to really feel pressure,” Bairstow said.

The Lobos got within one at halftime on a buzzer-beating basket by Arthur Edwards, but Kansas quickly seized control with a 16-4 run to start the second half.

Embiid had nine points and Ellis the other seven during the spurt, but it was really fueled by the Jayhawks’ defense, which finally slowed down Bairstow and Williams on the other end.

The Lobos chipped away at their 55-42 deficit, most of the surge coming from the foul line. By the time Williams converted a four-point play, New Mexico had managed to scrap and claw to 63-58 with 8:03 left, and briefly silence a crowd heavily in favor of Kansas.

That’s when the Jayhawks turned to Ellis and Embiid again.

Embiid answered Williams with a pair of foul shots, Ellis added a free throw moments later, and Embiid threw down a dunk as the crowd roared. Ellis added a dunk of his own moments later, forcing New Mexico to burn a timeout that didn’t do a whole lot of good.

”Our bigs were really good,” Self said. ”Perry was the most consistent one and he scored the most points, but there was a stretch in the second half where Joel looked pretty good.”

Williams missed after the timeout and Embiid scored again at the other end, pushing the Jayhawks’ lead to 74-59 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.

”We felt really good after halftime, really fought them off. It really boiled down to their second-half run,” Williams said. ”That was really the story.”

Kansas merely coasted from there, wrapping up the victory in the first meeting between the schools since the 1964-65 season and ending nearly a month spent playing games away from Allen Fieldhouse.

”We came out a lackadaisical to start the second half and they took advantage of it,” Neal said. ”Kansas came out really aggressive in the second half and that cost us.”

— Associated Press —

Royals sign three players to minor league contracts

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riggertRoyalsThe Kansas City Royals announced Saturday that the club has signed three players to minor league contracts for the 2014 season.  The club plans to announce Major League Spring Training invitations at a later date.

Infielder Brian Bocock, 28, played a combined 53 games between Syracuse (AAA) and Indianapolis (AAA), hitting .175 with seven doubles, three homers and nine RBI.  He has spent parts of two seasons in the Major Leagues, appearing in 32 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2008 and playing in six games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010.  He was a ninth-round selection by the Giants in 2006 and participated in the XM Satellite Radio Futures All-Star Game in 2007.

Outfielder Johermyn Chavez, 24, joins the Royals after spending the 2013 season in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, at Tennessee (AA).  Chavez played 24 games in the outfield, batting .206 with four doubles, seven runs scored and a .306 on-base percentage.  He also pitched in five games, going 1-1 with an 8.53 ERA, allowing six earned runs on six hits in 6.1 frames.  Chavez was a 2010 Postseason All-Star in the California League, while playing for High Desert (A-Advanced), when he hit .315 with 32 homers and 97 RBI.

Right-handed pitcher Cory Wade, 30, pitched for three different organizations in 2013, spending time at the Triple-A level with Iowa, Durham and Las Vegas.  He posted a combined record of 4-4 with 3.86 ERA in 42 games, while making five starts – all for Durham.  Wade has spent four seasons in the Major Leagues, pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-09) and New York Yankees (2011-12).  His best season came in 2011 with the Yankees, when he went 6-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 40 relief appearances, allowing just eight walks and striking out 30 in 39.1 innings.

— Royals Media Relations —

Kansas State rolls past George Washington for eighth straight win

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KSUMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Shane Southwell had 21 points and Thomas Gipson had 12 points and eight rebounds as Kansas State beat George Washington 72-55 on Tuesday.

Five quick points courtesy of Marcus Foster stretched the Wildcats (10-3) lead to 18 less than two minutes into the second half and it never fell under 15 the rest of the way.

The victory stretches Kansas State’s winning streak to eight games and gives Southwell his first 20-point performance of the season.

It’s also the 11th time in its last 12 games that Kansas State’s opponent has been held under its scoring average.

George Washington (11-2) entered the contest averaging 77.7 points per game.

Kethan Savage had 12 points to pace the Colonials and leading scorer Maurice Creek contributed 11 points.

The Colonials 34 percent shooting performance was their worst of the season and just the third time they had been held under 40 percent.

The Wildcats quickly negated the Colonials’ opening 15-6 run by going on a 20-0 run of their own. Southwell’s 14 first-half points ignited the run while Williams and Gipson each tallied eight points.

A Kethan Savage basket cut the lead to nine as it ended George Washington’s seven-minute scoring drought.

The Colonials were unable to find a defensive plug as the Wildcats stretched the lead back to 13 at the break.

Omari Lawrence and Nino Williams aided the Wildcats’ first-half performance with 13 bench points and Kansas State’s 43 first-half points surpassed its previous season high of 40 against Central Arkansas on Dec. 1.

The Colonials entered the contest with the nation’s 20th ranked 3-point shooting offense and they were limited to 20 percent (3 for 20) on the afternoon.

Jevon Thomas had six assists in only his second game of the season and Kansas State’s season-high 20 assists were its highest since facing Baylor at home on Jan. 20, 2012.

Kansas State’s 16 fouls muddied the second half, but the Colonials were only able to convert 10 of 21 from the free throw line.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Friday, Dec. 13

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riggertBasketballBOYS

Lafayette 47, Platte County 34

Bishop LeBlond 61, South Harrison 41

Maryville 53, Benton 50

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT 5th PLACE GAME
Central 54, St. Pius X 48

GIRLS

Bishop LeBlond 65, South Harrison 56

Stewartsville 37, St. Joseph Christian 27

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Kearney 52, Central 38Lafayette 47, Platte County 34

Bishop LeBlond 61, South Harrison 41

Maryville 53, Benton 50

GIRLS

Bishop LeBlond 65, South Harrison 56

Stewartsville 37, St. Joseph Christian 27

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Kearney 52, Central 38

Three Griffon football players earn Don Hansen Super Region Three honors

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western football team had three players receive All-Region honors from Don Hansen Football Committee which was released Friday, December 13. Junior punter Scott Groner was named to the first team while sophomore running back Raphael Spencer was named to the second team and sophomore defensive back Michael Jordan was named to the third team.

Scott Groner (P, 6-4, 200, Jr., Tecoma, Victoria (Australia)) had an outstanding season averaging an MIAA best 42.6 yards per kick. He ranked 11th in the nation with that average. Groner punted 50 times for 2,132 with a long of 61 yards on September 21, 2013 at Nebraska-Kearney. He had nine kicks of 50 or more yards to go along with 13 kicks inside the 20. It was first time in his career that he has been named to the first team All-MIAA. He was an honorable mention selection in 2011. Groner was also named to the Daktronics Super Region Three Second Team.

Michael Jordan (DB, 6-0, 200, So., Hazelwood, Mo.) was named to the first team All-MIAA for the first time in his career this season after being named MIAA Freshman of the Year and honorable mention in 2012. This season Jordan finished with 48 total tackles with 36 being solo. He had two tackles for a loss to go along with three interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Jordan had seven tackles twice this season against Fort Hays State and Emporia State. He was also named to the Daktronics Super Region Three Second Team for the first time in his career.

Raphael Spencer (RB, 5-9, 190, So., Kansas City, Mo.) was named second team All-MIAA for the first time in his career. He finished the season rushing for 1,312 yards on 198 carries and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 119.3 yards per game which is first in the MIAA and 19th in the nation. He ran for over 100 yards six times this season and over 200 yards once which was at Central Oklahoma when he went for 221 yards on 24 carries. This season he also caught 21 passes for 150 yards. Spencer was named MIAA Player of the Week on November 11, 2013 for his 193 yards two touchdown performance at Washburn in a 34-31 victory. He is currently 9th all-time in rushing with 1,920 yards in his career.

The Griffons finished the season with an 8-3 overall record and 7-3 MIAA record. It was the eighth time in the past nine seasons and 11th time in Head Coach Jerry Partridge’s tenure that the Griffons have won eight or more games.

— MWSU Sports Information —

AP Source: Royals, 2B Omar Infante reach tentative deal

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Omar InfanteKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals might have found their answer at second base.

The Royals and veteran Omar Infante reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract Friday night, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the contract.

The deal was first reported by Fox Sports.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore has said throughout the offseason that upgrading at second base was a priority. Kansas City used six players at the position last season, though none did enough to make the Royals feel comfortable moving forward.

Infante, who turns 32 on Dec. 26, would stabilize second base in Kansas City for the first time in years. He hit .318 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs in 118 games for Detroit last season.

Infante received substantial interest from the New York Yankees, who were seeking a replacement for Robinson Cano. But the Yankees were hesitant to give Infante more than three years, and the Royals decided to give the versatile infielder an extra year to help consummate the deal.

The Royals signed left-hander Jason Vargas to a $32 million, four-year deal in November to help replace Ervin Santana, who is likely to sign elsewhere in free agency. The deals for Vargas and Infante push the notoriously frugal Royals beyond $90 million in payroll for next season — a club record, assuming they don’t make any moves to trim salary.

Moore has said he expects payroll to be “about the same” as last season, which was roughly $82 million. But he’s also said the Royals can be flexible if the right opportunity arises.

Infante played all of his games at second base for Detroit last season, but the former All-Star also has logged significant time at shortstop and third base while playing a bit in the outfield.

He’ll play the majority of his time at second base in Kansas City, where Emilio Bonifacio, Jamey Carroll, Chris Getz, Johnny Giavotella, Elliot Johnson and Miguel Tejada each tried to fill in last season. They combined to hit .243 with just four home runs.

The fallback plan for the Royals was to go into next season with Bonifacio as their primary second baseman, but he’ll likely become a utilityman now.

The Royals are certainly familiar with Infante from having watched him play for their AL Central rival Detroit. Infante came up with the Tigers in 2002, and then was traded to the Cubs and Braves before landing back in Detroit two years ago, when he helped the Tigers win an American League pennant.

Infante is batting .279 with 74 homers and 421 RBIs over his 12-year career. He’s never played more than 149 games in a season, and missed more than a month last year with an ankle injury that occurred when the Blue Jays’ Colby Rasmus slid aggressively into his leg.

— Associated Press —

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