Tyler James Collins (born June 6, 1990) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers from 2014 to 2017. Amateur career Collins graduated from Northwest High School in Justin, Texas. He began his college baseball career at Baylor University, playing for the Baylor Bears baseball team. After his freshman year, he transferred to Howard College, where he played for the Howard Hawks. He was named the 2011 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Baseball Player of the Year award, after he led the NJCAA Division I with 19 home runs and finished second with a .488 batting average and 82 runs batted in (RBIs). Following the 2011 season, Collins committed to transfer to Texas Christian University (TCU) to play for the TCU Horned Frogs. Professional career Detroit Tigers Collins was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the 2011 MLB draft. Collins signed with the Tigers, rather than transfer to TCU. Following the regular season, he played for the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, and was named to the 2011 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game where he earned the game's most valuable player award. After the 2013 season, the Tigers assigned Collins to the Arizona Fall League. 2014 season On March 29, 2014, the Detroit Tigers purchased Collins' contract from Double-A Erie, and added him to the 25-man roster. The Tigers intended for Collins to serve as a backup and platoon partner with Rajai Davis. He made his Major League debut March 31, 2014, as a pinch runner for Alex Avila in the bottom of the ninth and scored the winning run to end the game. After batting 2-for-14 in sporadic playing time, the Tigers optioned Collins to the Toledo Mud Hens of the Class AAA International League on April 18. On September 1, 2014, Collins was called up by the Tigers. Following being called up, Collins entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians, where he hit his first career home run. 2015 season Collins saw more extensive major league playing time in 2015 after the Tigers traded away outfielder Yoenis Céspedes in late July. In 60 games, Collins hit .266 with four home runs and 25 RBIs. 2016 season On April 25, 2016, during a home game against the Oakland Athletics,