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Tim Corcoran (the First) had a fine baseball career.
Sure, he went undrafted out of Cal State at Los Angeles, but he signed a minor league free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers that June.
From there, it was a slow but direct climb up the Detroit farm ladder, including stops with the Lakeland Tigers, the Bristol Tigers, the Montgomery Rebels (twice), and the Evansville Triplets.
Then, just as the Tigers were beginning to roll out the young talent that would eventually form the core of the 1984 team that romped to a World Series victory, Corcoran forced his way to The Show.
On May 18, 1977, at the age of 24, Corcoran made his Big League debut as a designated hitter, collecting a walk and a run that day against the Texas Rangers in a game the Tigers lost 6-3. Corcoran’s teammates in that game included Ron LeFlore, Ben Oglivie, Steve Kemp, and veteran pitcher John Hiller.
Notably absent — from a 21st-century perspe