The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/299859
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? with the Tigers in 2006 and divided his summer between two Class A teams, hitting .241 in 32 games. He learned a hard lesson that first year that stuck with him over the next five seasons as he jumped from Class A to Double-A to Triple-A. "My last year at Michigan I caught almost every game and then you go to the pros, there are three catchers and they spent money and time evaluating every player so everyone gets a shot," Kunkel said. "Sometimes, even when you're playing well, you don't play consistently, especially at the lower levels, because the focus is on teaching and development, and it can be hard to get in a groove. "At Michigan, it was all about the team and trying to win a Big Ten championship so you had 30 guys pulling in the same direction. "You're trying to win in the minors but guys are all trying to make a name for themselves, and when you're in a clubhouse with guys from all over the world, every one of them the best player on his previous team and confident he's going to make it, chemistry is tough to come by. It's a big adjustment — just a different attitude in pro ball." In 2010, Kunkel was promoted to Triple-A Toledo but returned to Michigan Accomplishments: Named Team MVP and Best Defensive Player in 2005-06 … Voted first-team all-conference in 2006 and second-team all-confer- ence in 2005 … Ranks fourth all time in games played at Michigan with 64, is 13th in hits with 211 and 13th in doubles with 44 … Captain of the Wolverines' 2006 Big Ten regular-season and tournament championship teams. Michigan Memory: "Personally, I had a much better junior year than senior year, but my senior year was the best team I've ever played on. We had some older guys that contributed and then a lot of young talent. No one expected us to do anything. We were picked sixth preseason in the Big Ten, but everyone pulled together, and I feel like I was a big part of that. "To win a Big Ten championship … to do that as a senior, to go out like that, is the dream of every baseball player." Professional Accomplishments: A 37th-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2005 … Spent six seasons in the minor leagues from 2006-11, hitting .224 in 320 games played with 11 home runs, 95 RBI and 50 total extra-base hits … Fielded .991 and threw out 101 of 306 would-be base stealers (33.0 percent) … Has served as the Detroit Tigers bullpen catcher since 2012. Education: Earned a bachelor's degree in sports management & communica- tions in 2006. Family: Has been dating former Michigan (2005-06) and Georgia (2007-08) volleyball player Mara Martin since 2012. The Jeff Kunkel File