HOMECOMING: Northville High grad Darnell signs with Detroit Tigers
Dugan Darnell is pictured pitching for the Albuquerque Isotopes.
A native son is coming home to pitch for the Detroit Tigers organization.
In December, Northville High and Adrian College graduate Dugan Darnell accepted a non-roster invitation to Major League Baseball spring training with the Tigers.
Darnell won’t pitch for the Tigers until May after undergoing hip surgery last year.
The Tigers re-signed Darnell on Dec. 15 to a minor-league contract.
Dramatic change
A lifelong infielder who earned an opportunity to play at Adrian College with his bat and glove, Darnell was promoted to the Colorado Rockies’ AAA minor league affiliate in Albuquerque on July 3, 2023 — as a hard-throwing pitcher.
“He’s got wipeout stuff,” Rockies Pitching Coordinator Doug Linton said of Darnell in 2023 on rockies.mlblogs.com. “He’s got a splitter that can get a punchout anytime he wants to. It’s a plus pitch. It’s filthy.”
Another big piece of Darnell’s life story is his resilience.
After being switched from his longtime position of shortstop to third base at Adrian, the Bulldogs coaching staff became enamored with the 6-foot-2, 200-pound infielder’s arm strength.
“Once they saw Dugan making the long throws from third to first, they told him, ‘You have an absolute laser’,” recounted Dan Darnell, Dugan’s dad, in 2023. “When they put the radar gun on him he topped out at 98.”
Darnell was named Adrian’s closer and he responded with flying colors, earning a program-record eight saves and a sub-1.00 ERA. Darnell struck out 14.48 batters per nine innings — a reflection of his impressive arsenal.
Never give up
After going undrafted in the 2019 MLB draft, Darnell wasn’t ready to give up on baseball.
He signed with the United Shore Professional Baseball League’s Eastside Diamond Hoppers in 2020 and was named an All-Star after striking out 37 batters in 21 innings.
Following the 2020 USPBL season, Darnell distributed a video of himself pitching to several MLB teams.
Jon Weil, who at the time was the Rockies assistant general manager of player personnel, made the unconventional decision to sign Darnell to a minor league contract based on the video.
And the rest, as they say, is history — a hometown hero returning to pitch for his beloved Tigers.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
