| Andre Lipcius | |
|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers – No. 27 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: May 22, 1998 Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 2023, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Batting average | .286 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 4 |
| Teams | |
| |
Andre Martinas Lipcius (born May 22, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Lipcius attended Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was a four-year letterman and a team captain. He committed to the University of Tennessee, where he played with his brother and fraternal twin, Luc, and major in nuclear engineering.[1] and, as a freshman, was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, as he started all 52 of the team's games at first base leading the team with 11 doubles. He moved to shortstop as a sophomore and improve on nearly all his batting metrics, including jumping from one to seven home runs, and improving his average from .275 to .315. In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.[2] He finished his career as a junior, starting all 61 games for the Volunteers at third base, and leading the team with 17 home runs to go with 58 RBIs, a .306 average, and a team-leading 72 hits.[3]
The Detroit Tigers selected Lipcius in the third round, 83rd overall, in the 2019 MLB draft. Lipcius was assigned to the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps to start his career, and he had a strong first professional campaign. He hit .273 over 253 at bats, with an OBP of .344. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that Lipcius was unable to play in the minor leagues of the MLB in 2020, however Lipcius played with the Peninsula Pilots in the college summer league, the Coastal Plain League.[4]
In 2021, Lipcius started the season once again in West Michigan, albeit, now at the High-A level due to the shake-up in affiliates in the Detroit Tigers organization. On June 1, Lipcius received a call-up to the Double-A Erie SeaWolves. At the time of his call-up, Lipcius led the Whitecaps in batting average at .277, had three home runs and 13 RBIs, and had 12 walks to 16 strikeouts, helping him to an OBP of .357 and an OPS of .839.[5]
On November 15, 2022, the Tigers added Lipcius to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[6] Lipcius was optioned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens to begin the 2023 season.[7] In 97 games for Toledo, he batted .272/.363/.419 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI. On September 1, Lipcius was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[8]