Detroit Tigers Links: John Lowe retires, Robbie Ray impresses, Darnell Coles departs

Today’s Morning Links takes a look at someone who had a personal impact on me, Detroit Tigers’ beat writer John Lowe. Silly as it sounds, when it appeared that my baseball skills weren’t suitable to get past Little League, I turned my attention to coupling the sport with another one of my passions: writing. Lowe was the beat writer I turned to every morning to pour over statistics, game recaps, and player news.

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John recently announced his retirement. While my dreams of becoming the next great Tigers’ beat writer were not (yet) realized, my reading of his articles as a kid those (not so) many years ago was an inspiration to put me on the path of becoming an editor of a popular Detroit Tigers’ blog.

Thanks for the memories, John!

We also take a look at Robbie Ray putting together a nice stretch in the Arizona Fall League and former Tigers’ coach leaving Detroit to take the reigns of the Milwaukee Brewers batters for 2015.

John Lowe stirred many while on Detroit Tigers beat – James Jahnke, Detroit Free Press

"Longtime Detroit Free Press beat writer John Lowe announced Tuesday that he is stepping away from the journalism business after 29 seasons covering the Detroit Tigers. But John, 55, is adamant that he’s not retiring. He plans to move to Austin, Texas, and “work with students there whenever and however I can” and volunteer in the community.“At no point, even in the 100-degree summer, do I plan to idle for long,” John wrote in his farewell to the staff. “I am eager to learn and to grow, to explore and to discover. As a baseball writer, I knew my schedule for almost the entire year. Now, without a schedule, I look forward to seeing where the Lord leads me. I want to make a difference.”John perhaps is best known for inventing baseball’s quality-start statistic. He also is a former president of the Baseball Writers Association of America."

Detroit Tigers prospect Robbie Ray continues to post solid numbers in Arizona Fall League action – Chris Iott, MLive

"Steven Moya is not the only Detroit Tigers prospect who is playing well in the Arizona Fall League. Robbie Ray is posting some pretty good numbers, too.Ray struck out five and allowed one run in four innings of work Wednesday to lead the Glendale Desert Dogs to a 10-1 win over the Peoria Javelinas. Ray’s final line: 4IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 5SO. He threw 56 pitches, 36 for strikes. Ray (1-0, 1.00 ERA) has allowed one run on five hits and four walks in nine innings of work in three Arizona Fall League outings. He has struck out 12. Opposing hitters are batting just .167 against him.Moya is hitting .293 (12 for 41) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, eight RBIs and four stolen bases in 10 games for Glendale, but he did not play Wednesday. Moya has struck out 13 times and walked four times in 10 games."

Coles happy to be back with Brewers as new hitting coach – Andrew Gruman, Fox Sports Wisconsin

"The Milwaukee Brewers have filled one of the two vacancies on their coaching staff, naming Darnell Coles as hitting coach Thursday.Coles replaces Johnny Narron, who was relieved of his duties Oct. 10. The 52-year-old returns to the Brewers organization after spending 2014 as the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers."