not a bad one.

In 1952, the 23-year-old Detroit native was fresh off a four-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and working to establish a baseball career, toiling as a young infielder in the far reaches of the minor leagues. That year, he signed a $5,000 deal to play for the Jamestown Falcons, a Detroit Tigers rookie-level affiliate in western New York. He split time that year with the Cotton States League's Hot Springs Bathers in Arkansas.

By 1955, Ilitch's baseball career had taken him to seven teams in seven cities. A leg injury — along with the responsibilities of being a new husband — forced him out of the game.

He appeared in 336 games during his four seasons in the minors, during which he was a career .280hitter. His best full season was 1953 with the Tampa Smokers of the Florida International League, where Ilitch, who played second base, appeared in 115 games and was second on the team, with a .310 batting average.

Here's a look at his minor-league career, courtesy of my research last year via baseball-reference.com and the Society for American Baseball Research: