Jul. 15—After not seeing his name among the 614 players drafted by Major League Baseball earlier this week, Cumberland slugger Cole Turney will get his shot at pro baseball after signing a free-agent contract with the Detroit Tigers, ending his legendary career with the Phoenix .
Turney will report to the Tigers’ spring training complex in Lakeland, Fla., where he will likely play for the Florida Complex League Tigers or the Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League. Other teams in Detroit’s minor league system include West Michigan in the High-A Midwest League, Erie in the Double-A Eastern League and Toledo in the Triple-A International League.
He leaves behind an incredible legacy at Cumberland as possibly the greatest slugger in the history of a program built largely around offense. The left-hander led the nation with a school-record .521 batting average in 140 at-bats. He slugged 1.286 to lead the NAIA and drew 53 walks, both CU records. His .675 on-base percentage also led the country. He set a Phoenix record with 32 home runs in just 45 games. He had hitting streaks of 19 and 16 games while reaching base in all 52 games. There were just three games this past season when he did not record a hit.
Those numbers made his trips to the plate, accompanied by the walk-up music of Alabama’s 1984 hit “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)”, the can’t-miss attraction at Woody Hunt Stadium the last two springs.
The music references his home state of Texas (Richmond, a Houston suburb) where former Cumberland player Mark Conner first scouted him as a high school player. Conner, then a San Diego Padres scout, is now amateur scouting director for the Tigers.
Turney, a first-team NAIA All-American and finalist for the Lou Brock Player of the Year by NAIA Ball (not affiliated by the college sports governing body), came to Cumberland after a junior-college stop and two Division I layovers — Arkansas and Houston.
He was in the middle of a Cumberland batting order reminiscent of those heavy-hitting lineups Hall of Fame coach Woody Hunt often trotted out. His main line of protection (the man batting behind him keeping pitchers from walking him every time) was Tyner Hughes, who is also now being paid to play.
Hughes, who played third base, left field and behind the plate for the Phoenix, has also begun his pro career, for the West Virginia Black Bears of the MLB Draft League, which was created after some of the low minor leagues (such as the Appalachian League) were contracted by Major League Baseball in the wake of the pandemic. The league plays a split schedule with top collegiate prospects playing in June. Following a break for the draft, the season resumes with paid players who have used up their college eligibility.