Father’s death, mother’s strength inspire Tigers CF Mikie Mahtook – Detroit Free Press

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Tigers outfielder Mikie Mahtook takes batting practice during spring training on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP)Buy Photo

LAKELAND, Fla. Mikie Mahtook slid his wood bat abovehis locker in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse, into a small slot, barrel first, as if he were tucking away a family secret.

On the face of the barrel, near the end, the bat is engraved with the model number "54," the same number he scribbles on his cleats. It is a treasured number for his entire family, something thatappears almost daily, out of nowhere. It's a sight that prompts his twin sisters to proclaim: Today is going to be a good day!

That number reveals everything about Mahtook. It's pride and inspiration, and a way to carry his father, Michael, with him at all times.

It was my fathers football number, said Mahtook, who is competing with JaCoby Jones and Tyler Collins to be the Tigers starting centerfielder, the only real position battle on this team. I want to make him proud.

Michael, a former LSU linebacker, died of heart disease at age 32 while playing tennis when Mahtook was 4 years old.

I never felt like he was gone, if that makes any sense, said Mahtook, 27. Obviously, he was not there physically, but I feel like my mom and my uncles and friends and everybody who was close to me, kept him alive through stories.

To understand Mahtooks passion and why he plays baseball with such fierce determination and a linebacker's aggression and to appreciate how he ended up in this clubhouse after growing upwithout hisfather all you need is one story about his mother, Mary Ann Mahtook.

She's the strongest person he has ever met.

Michael Mahtook in 1992 with his son Mikie Mahtook, who is contending for the Tigers' starting centerfielder spot this season. Michael died of heart disease when Mikie was 4 years old.(Photo: Special to the DFP)

In 2010, Mary Ann was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. It was Mahtook's sophomore season at LSU,when he played in the NCAA tournament and for Team USA atWorld University Championships in Tokyo. He wanted to stop playing to be with her, but she wouldnt let him.

Shell never forget the tears in his eyes.

I told him, Please play ball, give me something to look forward to, Mary Ann told him. Ill Skype you. Ill watch all your games on the computer. For me, what Im asking of you, my love, is to play baseball. Play it hard. Thats what is going to get me through.

Play baseball. Play it hard.

Thats the mantra the Mahtooks used to get through everything. The loss of Michael. The battle against cancer. And everything between.

After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Mary Ann lost her hair.

We so protected Mikie, she said. We sheltered him. We still shelter him a little bit. He didnt see half of what my girls saw, and that was planned.

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Mahtooktalked to her on Skype, instead.

He wanted to see me, Mary Ann said. We were like, let me put my baseball cap on. Let me put some make-up on. Lets put the game face on. Lets put the game face on and we did it. We put the game face on. We were like, Woo hoo! We are great over here!

She laughs at the memory.

I just needed him to believe that I was going to be fine, she said. I dont know if I believed it, but I definitely made him believe it.

Put the game face on. Fight through it. Soldier on.

Almost seven years later, Mary Ann is cancer free.

The Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers went through drills on Feb. 17, 2017, in Lakeland, Flo., and fans of all ages got a chance to interact with their favorite players. Kirthmon F. Dozier/DFP

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Anthony Fenech narrates a trip from the batting cages to the bullpens and beyond as the Detroit Tigers work out Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Lakeland, Fla.

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The Tigers opened spring training Tuesday at newly-renovated Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. Video by Kirthmon F. Dozier/DFP

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Check out the Detroit Tigers' renovated spring training complex during an extensive tour Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in Lakeland, Fla. Video by Anthony Fenech / DFP

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Detroit Tigers beat writer Anthony Fenech narrates his way around Tiger Town on the first day of pitchers and catchers workouts Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in Lakeland, Fla.

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Take a peek at Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers getting in their first official workout of the 2017 season on Feb. 14 in Lakeland, Fla. Video by Jeff Seidel / DFP

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Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers hit the field at Tiger Town in Lakeland, Fla., for their first official workout Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. Video by Anthony Fenech / DFP

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And now, thisguy who plays baseball like his hair is on fire diving for balls, trying to run through walls is fighting for a job with the Tigers. He's outgoing, electric and confident. And he hasso many of the same mannerisms as his father.

Obviously, the opportunity is here, Mahtook said. To be able to go out here and compete, knowing Im fighting for a starting job, not just a roster spot or a bench role, thats huge. Its what everybody wants to do. Everybody dreams about.

Mahtook is like his dad, in just about everything.

His dad was just a great guy, a big, awesome, good-looking guy with a gentle soul, Mary Ann said. He could captivate a room, easy to converse with. He made everyone comfortable and Mikie has a lot of that.

Mahtook was a star on the football field, just like his father. He was an all-state quarterback atSt. Thomas More High School in Lafayette, La., but a "shattered" armended his junior season. Surgery was required.

That was devastating, Mary Ann said. I saw what an injury does.

It was his first major injury, and he struggled to come back and start playing baseball.

That was the first lesson to me," Mary Ann said, "what injuries do to you mentally."

But Mahtook was back to normal by his senior baseball season

It just takes a while, Mary Ann said.

Tigers centerfielder Mikie Mahtook, right, poses for a picture with sisters, from left, Christina Mahtook, Catherine Mahtook Hollander and mother Mary Ann Mahtook.(Photo: Special to the DFP)

Now flash forward.

Mahtook didn't suffer a major injury at LSU, where he established himself as one of the best players in program history. A 2011 first-team All-American, Mahtook had a.344 career batting averageand ranks second in school history in triples (12) and fifth in stolen bases (60).

He plays good defense, can run, very athletic, Tigers general manager Al Avila said during last month's Winter Caravan We like him a lot. We feel he is a high-energy, toolsy guy, who still has some upside. I know (LSU coach) Paul Mainieri very well from LSU. He told us that he is probably one of the most electric players hes ever had in his program. Ever. And hes had a lot of real good ones.

Mahtook was taken in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2015, he played in 41 games for the Rays and showed all kinds of power, batting .295 with nine home runs in just 115 plate appearances.

But last season, he had a batch of injuries. Hisoblique kept him out3 weeks early in the year.

That was probably my biggest one, Mahtook said. I came back for three weeks and broke my hand, so I was out for another two months. Im not making excuses. Its the reality of what happened.

He struggled, hitting .195, and started to do things he had never done.

I did a lot of things that were uncharacteristic of me," Mahtook said. "Just trying to do too much, like trying to get eight hits in one at-bat."

To his mother, it was like watching him his junior year of high school baseball, when he was coming back from that broken arm.

You could see he was just off, she said. When I saw him struggling, I knew it was just going to take a while to get it back. You have to rehab, but you have to rehab your psyche. Its just a process. I think thats what happened to Mikie last year.

For years, she would call him after games, wanting to break down his at-bats or his plays in the field.

Id say, Mikie, I dont know if you are overthinking.

And hed be like, Uh, mom!

The Tigers traded for him during the off-season, knowing the talent wasthere to play defense in Comerica Park. The hope is that Mahtook will realize his potential and come back strong from those injuries, just like he did in high school.

Traded from Tampa Bay, the new Tiger is ready to compete for centerfielder's job. Video by Perry A. Farrell.

He might even win the starting job, orplatoon with Collins.

Either way, he's a guy to watch this spring.

I think this year is going to be a really good year, Mahtook said. I love the vibe here. Ive only been here a few days. Just the week or so that Ive been around here, the vibe is unreal. Everybody is super close. Everybody wants everybody to do super well. Theres no bad blood. Its a really, really good vibe.

Mary Ann is making plans, getting some Tigers gear and hopes to see him play on Opening Day, although she doesnt want to jinx anything.

She never remarried, Mahtook said. I think thats a testament to my dad, to what they meant to each other. Shes the best. Shes the strongest person I know. I am who I am because of her, because of what she has helped us overcome.

A single mom who raised two girls and a son who plays baseball like a linebacker.

Just like 54.

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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go tofreep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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Father's death, mother's strength inspire Tigers CF Mikie Mahtook - Detroit Free Press