Tom Brookens

Infobox MLB retired
name=Tom Brookens

---

position=Infielder
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1953|8|10
debutdate=July 10
debutyear=by|1979
debutteam=Detroit Tigers
finaldate=September 30
finalyear=by|1990
finalteam=Cleveland Indians
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.246
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=71
stat3label=Hits
stat3value=950
teams=
* Detroit Tigers (by|1979-by|1988)
* New York Yankees (by|1989)
* Cleveland Indians (by|1990)
highlights=
* World Series champion (1984)

Thomas Dale Brookens (born August 10, 1953 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers (1979-1988), New York Yankees (1989), and Cleveland Indians (1990).

On January 9, 1975, Brookens was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round (4th pick overall) of the 1975 amateur draft. In 12 major league seasons, Brookens played 1065 games at third base, 162 games at 2nd base, and 119 games at shortstop.

He batted .246 in his 12-year career, with 71 home runs and 431 RBIs in 1336 games. He had 950 career hits in 3865 at bats. Brookens also compiled 86 stolen bases and 1418 total bases.

Brookens had a mediocre glove, leading AL third basemen in errors in 1980 and 1985. Brookens has the dubious honor of sharing (with 21 others) the AL record for the most errors in a game by a third baseman, when he committed 4 errors on September 6, 1980. (A number of sites misstate that Brookens committed 4 errors in an inning, but the box score indicates he committed a fielding, then a throwing error in the 3rd inning, and fielding errors in the 5th and 7th innings). [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET198009060.shtml]

On August 20, by|1980, Brookens went 5-for-5 with a triple and a home run, and also started a triple play in an 8-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

He won a World Series Ring with the Detroit Tigers in by|1984

Brookens in 2005 and 2006 was the manager of the Class A New York - Penn League Oneonta Tigers in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system.

In by|2007, Brookens was hired by the Detroit Tigers as Manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps which won the championship of the Class A - Midwest League that year. In 2008, the Tigers promoted Brookens to Manager of the Erie SeaWolves, their Class AA - Eastern League affiliate.

Tom's twin brother Tim, was also drafted in 1975. Tim was drafted by the Texas Rangers. His cousin, Ike Brookens, pitched for the Tigers in by|1975.

In 2008, he became the Double A Erie SeaWolves manager. [http://www.seawolves.com/seawolves-news/2007/11/tom-brookens-named-seawolves-manager]

In the Baseball Off-Season, Brookens is an avid Deer and Turkey Hunter in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. [http://www.seawolves.com]

Trivia

* Brookens is part of the Detroit Tigers roster on the NES game, RBI Baseball, where he bats eighth in the team's starting lineup.

ee also

* 1984 Detroit Tigers season

External links

*baseball-reference|id=b/brookto01