Former Tiger DJ LeMahieu wins MLB Batting Title

By JAMES MORAN
Tiger Rag Associate Editor

Go DJ.

Former LSU second baseman DJ LeMahieu of the Colorado Rockies won the Major League Batting Little as the 2016 regular season came to an end Sunday.

LeMahieu, the Rockies’ second baseman, finished with a batting average of .348, the highest in the National or American Leagues. He didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday to secure a narrow lead over Washington National star Daniel Murphy (.347), who is injured.

LeMahieu, a 2014 Gold Glove recipient and a 2015 National League All-Star, became the eighth Rockies player to win the NL batting title, and he had the highest average for an NL batting champion since Chipper Jones hit .364 for the Atlanta Braves in 2008.

LeMahieu’s mark was the highest average for a Rockies player since Todd Helton hit .358 in 2003. A native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., he played at LSU in 2008 and 2009 before signing with the Chicago Cubs after he was selected in the second round of the ’09 MLB Draft.

Moved from shortstop to second base by Paul Mainieri in favor of Austin Nola, LaMahieu developed into one of the offensive leaders on a team that slugged its way to the 2009 national championship. He hit .344 during his college career with 24 doubles, five triples, 11 homers and 87 RBI. He was named to the 2009 College World Series All-Tournament team, batting .444 during the Tigers’ run in Omaha.