DETROIT — Amidst the joy of pageantry of Opening Day at Comerica Park, the Tigers had a reminder of the loss they suffered in the offseason. In the Tigers clubhouse, Kimera Bartee’s No. 18 jersey hangs inside a coaches locker. On the Tigers’ jerseys this season, a patch with the initials “KB” sits on the shoulder.
That’s just one of the many ways the Tigers will honor Bartee, their former outfielder who returned as their first-base coach last year. He was prepared for his first full season on A.J. Hinch’s coaching staff when he passed away suddenly just before Christmas.
The Tigers held a moment of silence for Bartee before their first Spring Training game, and welcomed his parents to a Grapefruit League game. Friday marked Detroit’s chance for a larger ceremony. Bartee’s parents, children and fiancee were on the field to watch as his son, Amari, threw a ceremonial first pitch to Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman following a pregame video tribute that included highlights from Bartee’s playing and coaching careers, and memories from Tigers players.
“He’ll always be with us,” Hinch said Friday morning. “His locker’s intact. He’s a part of this coaching staff in spirit, and we miss him. I think I’m proud of the coaching staff that we have. I think it’s one of the best that I’ve had in my managerial career. But there’s a void in our heart.
“KB was someone everybody looked forward to seeing, and having the players respond to the conversations that we had during [the] spring — we had a chance to see his father, his mother came through Lakeland — it’s a good reminder to hug those that are close to you.”
Though Bartee was a midseason addition to the coaching staff last year, replacing Chip Hale after he was named head coach at the University of Arizona in early July, Bartee had a major impact on the Tigers in just half of a season. He was another voice conveying the baserunning philosophies that bench coach George Lombard had put in motion, but he was also someone who could relate. Bartee had a solid rookie year in 1996 in Detroit, including 20 stolen bases.
“He was awesome,” Jonathan Schoop said, “and he was part of our family. He was family for us. For me, too — I bonded really well with him and we had a really good relationship.”
Grossman’s history with Bartee goes back more than a decade to 2008, when Bartee was Grossman’s first outfield instructor in the Pirates organization.
“There’s special people out there that impact people’s lives that you always remember,” Grossman said. “You always remember how he treated people and how he respected people. He was just an easy guy to like and to get along with and communicate with.”