LAKELAND, Fla. – Mikie Mahtook slid his wood bat above his 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 that appears 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.