Chris Shelton

Christopher Bob Shelton (born June 26, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners over his 5-year major league career. Shelton is the cousin of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith.

Amateur career

Before entering professional baseball, he played at Cottonwood High School, Salt Lake Community College, and the University of Utah. While playing with Utah, Shelton was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Tournament Team as a junior.

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Shelton was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 33rd round, although he never made the team's 40-man roster. Unprotected, he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the Rule 5 draft. In 2004, he played sparingly because the Tigers had to keep him on their roster because of the Rule 5 rules. He only batted 57 times.

While in Detroit, due to his red hair and prodigious batting, he had earned various nicknames, such as "Red Pop" (a reference to the Detroit-made Faygo beverage) from the Tiger faithful. Tigers play-by-play commentators Rod Allen and Mario Impemba often called him "Big Red" or "Orange Crush."