Greatest players in Detroit Tigers History

After Mike Illitch, the owner of the Tigers and Wings, died the 2017 Tigers were the worst since 2003. The prospect of the No. 1 draft pick in 2018 heralds the start of a slow rebuild which could mean a decade of bad performance. ; At the end of the 1992 season, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, tigers all time greats both reached free agency for the first time, but new owner Mike Illich ensured they remained in Detroit. The team entered the season with many of its stars, such as Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, as well as young up-and-coming players such as Michael Fulmer and Nick Castellanos. That gave ; the Tigers the best shot of the four Detroit teams (for now) to win the city's next championship. However, things did not come to pass as hoped. ;

Mr. I had masked one reality. ;After revival and hopes of automation alley, Detroit has gone back to decline. In fact the whole catchment region of the Tigers including Michigan, Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio is under decline. The federal state of emergency has not brought potable water to Flint. Detroit's major professional sports teams haven't won a championship since the 2008 Detroit Red Wings. That's nine years since the last title, the longest drought for the Motor City since a 15-year stretch from 1968-83, snapped when the Michigan Panthers captured the first United States Football League championship. All levels of government have failed Detroit. All the four teams stagnant at best and declining at worst, there may be no end in sight. having yet to draft the type of up-and-coming talents that would generate any sort of optimism for the future. The Tigers pitching was a mess last season and is uncertain, for upcoming seasons. The bullpen is a perpetual nightmare. Key injuries seemingly derail their momentum every year. Their stars aren't getting any younger. Management is done signing big-name players to big-name contracts. The roster sell-off expected by some people -- including general manager Al Avila, in his own cryptic way is next on schedule.

So, this is a good time to look back at the history of Detroit Tigers and see who would comprise the best 25 Man Roster of All-time. The inclusion is by contribution to the Tigers team and not career performance. Since Detroit Tigers has historically been weak in Bullpen pitchers, this is a bat heavy squad with a lot of high endurance pitchers and a six man rotation. ;

Position Players

Left-handed hitters are marked * and Switch hitter are marked +

Starting Lineup

• Ty Cobb
  Center-fielder*
  Fun Fact; Cobb was the premier power hitter of his day. He led the league in slugging percentage eight times. Hence, predominantly Ty Cobb back in day was inserted batting 3rd in the lineup. Although Ty Cobb is not liked through the American sentiments of today, his behavior is a reflection of USA of his time. Even now, playing in a working class neighborhood or town gives a free pass to players and fans for sledging, obscene language in front of children and barely legal playing tactics. The Georgia Peach was an amazing baseball player. In 22 seasons with the Tigers, he led the league in OBP 7 times, in triples four times, stolen bases six times, doubles three times, hits seven times and runs five times. Ty Cobb could be the perfect leadoff man for the MLB's greatest lineup of all time.


• Hank Greenberg
  Left-fielder (and First Baseman)
  Greenberg sacrificed four seasons in his prime years to serve in World War II. Hammerin' Hank won Two MVP awards, three home run titles, two World Series crowns. Fielding in the new position he moved to after Del Baker and general manager Jack Zeller asked him to make the adjustment that brought a Pennant.


• Sam Crawford
  First Baseman (and Right-fielder) *
  Still the all-time leader in triples though overshadowed in history by his Detroit outfield mate who is second. Cobb batted in front of Wahoo Sam for most of their years in the lineup. They were on base together often and pulled of a lot of double steals. Still the all-time leader in triples though overshadowed in history by his Detroit outfield mate who is second. He twice led the league in home runs while ranking in the top five in homers eight other times. At the time of his retirement, Crawford was the home run leader among post-1900 players.


• Miguel Cabrera
  Third Baseman, (First Baseman and Left-fielder)
  The late Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was looking for a superstar when he suggested then-general manager Dave Dombrowski look into trading for a young Marlins slugger. What the Tigers got, for the price of a handful of prospects, was one of the greatest hitters of this era. He also endears himself to fans through actions like this.
  


• Charlie Gehringer
  Designated hitter (and Second Baseman) *
  Called ‘Mechanical Man’, Charlie Gehringer played his entire 19-year big league career as a model of remarkable consistency with the Detroit Tigers, breaking into the majors at age 21 in 1924 and retiring after the 1942 season. Born Charles Leonard Gehringer in Livingston County, Michigan, he and Hank batted at 3 and 4 respectively during their years playing together. Ty Cobb during his managing days scouted and recommended him to owner Navin. Gehringer played for three pennant winners and helped the Tigers capture the 1935 World Series title. Even his post playing business selling parts and accessories to the auto industry, is reflective of the region. He signed future Hall of Famer Al Kaline as general manager in 1953 and served on the Hall of Fame’s veterans committee from its creation in 1953 until 1990


• Al Kaline
  Right-fielder and First Baseman
Albert William Kaline was trained by his father to be a pitcher. At age eight, Al has surgery in his left foot; he learned to run on the side of his foot, and played through constant pain throughout his career. He received a $15,000 bonus and a deal for $20,000 in salary over three years, making him a “bonus baby,” a player who had to be kept on the major league roster for two years before being sent to the minors. He used the money to pay off his parent’s mortgage and fund his mother’s eye surgery. Debuted at age 18 on June 25, 1953. The youngest batting champion ever at 20, he had four 6+ WAR seasons before age 25. Mr.Tiger played 2,834 professional games as a lifetime member of the Tigers. Following his retirement, he spent a quarter-century as a television analyst.



• Lou Whitaker
  Second Baseman*
Lou whitaker grew up in such poverty that his family couldn’t afford orthopedic help when his legs grew crooked. Paired with Alan Trammell to form the longest-running double-play combination in history. Whitaker’s career WAR is seventh among all second basemen, behind six Hall of Famers. Whitaker had two seasons, in 1983 and 1991, in which he just eclipsed the six-win mark; he had one other season where he topped five wins. However, from 1978 through 1993, he bested the three-win mark in 15 of 16 seasons. Whitaker was simply good for a really long time. Why is he still not in the hall of fame? Whitaker just got 2.9% of the vote in his only year on the ballot. Is it because most BBWAA members are after a "story" and value a flash in the pan season they wrote about over a solid career of contribution? Is that why there is of much support for Steroid users who played for the big city teams over solid contributors who played well without taking steroids? For as well-rounded a player as Whitaker was, he got a raw deal in terms of recognition.




• Bill Freehan
  Catcher and First Baseman
  The Tigers have had bigger names behind the plate, but nobody has ever matched the consistency and durability of Freehan. ;He gets in the lineup due to his defensive Skills which brought five consecutive Gold Gloves (1965-69).. He started for the American League at catcher for seven straight years and had 11 All-star appearances. ;A lifetime Tiger, he finished second in the American League Most Valuable Player Award voting in 1968 behind McLain.


• Alan Trammell
  Shortstop
  Alan Trammell was consistently good at everything. He deserves to be on the hall of fame with his double play partner. there is no other shortstop with a career like Trammell’s who’s been omitted from the Hall. He had excellent range, one of the most accurate throwing arms ever, and he hit, and hit for power. He won four Gold Gloves and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting three times. I am breaking up another historically successful pair of batters who played well next to each other in the lineup. Alan Trammel here will set the table for Ty Cobb with his speed.

Bench

• Harry Heilmann
  Right-fielder and First Baseman (and Pinch Hitter)
  Harry Heilmann was a master with the bat in his hand, the backbone of the Detroit Tigers teams of the 1920s with his right-handed swing, continuing a tremendous superstar batter legacy in Detroit, leading the team between the periods of Ty Cobb and Charlie Gehringer. The Tigers have been rich in great hitters. If Harry Heilmann had played his career with any of the Angels, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Marlins, Nationals, Rangers, Rays, or Rockies, he would have been their greatest player ever. If Michael N Trout and Clayton E Kershaw play out their complete careers with their current teams, they will have outperformed Harry Heilmann's contribution for the Tigers. I don't know if it is a reflection of pre- 1930s baseball, Detroit Tigers or the other franchises above. It is also not the scope of this article. His one handicap as a position player was a lack of speed that led to his being known by the nickname Slug. Post his playing days, Harry was also a Tigers announcer for a long stretch of time. Being a right-handed batter, his lack of defence puts him in the bench. He passed away in 1951 at age 56 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1952.



• Norm Cash
  First Baseman (and Pinch Hitter)*
  Stormin' Norman Cash is most well-known for 2 things. First is his MVP-quality season in 1961, that also happened to be the year that Roger Maris hit his 61 HRs, passing Babe Ruth’s record. Second is on July 15, 1973 when Norm Cash stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth. Nolan Ryan was an out away from his second no-hitter of 1973 and Norm cash had a Table Leg in his hand. Home plate umpire Ron Luciano broke out laughing. The video below is the best quality I could find of this incident that is a legend in Detroit. His 377 career homers are also the most ever without a walk-off.




• Bobby Veach
  Left-fielder (and Pinch Runner)*
Veach was one of the great run producers of the dead-ball era. Breaking in as a regular in 1913 as the outfielder next to Sam Crawford and Ty Cobb, Veach had power and less prolific, on base skills. In the eight years from 1915 to 1922, Veach had 852 RBIs and 450 extra base hits, more than any other player. His ;easygoing personality that clashed with Ty Cobb, led to their parting once the later became manager.


• Donie Bush
  Shortstop (and Pinch Runner)+
Another great of the Deadball era, Bush hit .273/.380/.314 with 18 doubles, 114 runs, and 53 stolen bases for the Tigers. He also led the AL in runs scored in 1909 and '17. Considered to be one of the top defensive players in the league, Bush led the majors with 88 walks in 1909, the first of five times he would lead the league in bases on balls. While ;Bush hit just nine career home runs, seven of them inside-the-parkers. ;


• Rudy York
  First Baseman (, Catcher and Pinch Hitter)
  Every team needs 2 Catchers. I am hiding the worst batter of the team here. If wishes were horses in the ultimate style of fantasy sports betting, ;Ivan Rodriguez ;would have been born much earlier and ended up being a lifetime Detroit Tiger and Harry Heilmann would have been born later, played his lifetime for Texas Rangers and ended up being a Texas legend instead of being in the shadow of so many giants.York burst into the Tigers lineup as a catcher when he replaced an injured Mickey Cochrane in 1937 and hit 18 home runs with 49 RBIs in the month of August, an AL record for homers in a month. But he eventually settled in at first base as a young slugger behind Hall of Famers Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer before leading the Tigers through the war years in the first half of the 1940s.

Pitchers

Left-handed hitters are marked *

Rotation

• Hal Newhouser*
  In the summer of 1938, just minutes after Prince Hal signed a contract with his hometown Tigers, representatives from the Indians showed up at his family’s home offering a larger bonus of $15,000 and a new car. The greatest pitcher in Tiger history, the only Major League pitcher to win back-to-back Most Valuable Player Awards, ; he ;was the top pitcher in MLB for almost a decade. The Tigers and Indians would rearrange their rotations so their aces; Hal Newhouser and Bob Feller would face each other, often on a Sunday to spark attendance. Hal Newhouser was the winning pitcher in the first night game at Briggs Stadium (later known as Tiger Stadium), as Detroit became the last American League team to install lights. His 12-to-6 curveball helped win the 1945 world series after giving up 4 runs in the first innings after allowing a 2 out passed ball.
  


• Justin Verlander
  Justin Verlander is a borderline Hall of Famer. His selection by the Tigers with the second pick in the 2004 MLB Draft is a lasting part of the late Mike Ilitch’s legacy as team owner. 3.46 ERA and nearly matching 3.47 FIP. He was a key part of the revival of the franchise. Good luck to him and the Astros in the world series.


• Tommy Bridges
  Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges spent his full career in Detroit. He helped Detroit to its pennant in 1934 and its first-ever world championship the next year. The Detroit Tiger’s diminutive right handed ace of the 1930’s won both of his starts in the '35 World Series, including the title-clinching Game 6 in a complete-game effort.. Tommy Bridges was the great Tigers pitcher before Hal Newhouser.


• Mickey Lolich*
  Lolich’s 2,679 career strikeouts not only stand as a franchise record, they were the most by any left-hander in AL history until CC Sabathia passed him this year. ;Lolich’s three complete-game victories over the St. Louis Cardinals helped win the 1968 World Series. ;Lolich also belongs to an incredibly select group with more World Series home runs than regular season ones.


• Jack Morris
  Jack Morris was consistent. He could handle hefty workloads without suffering damage. Tigers went a long time without a consistently good pitcher for a long time till Justin Verlander showed up.


• George Mullin
  During the Tigers' pennant chases in his 11 full seasons with Detroit, Mullin remained the pitching staff's workhorse. He went 20-20 with a 100 ERA+ for the 1907 American League champion Tigers.

Bullpen

• Hooks Dauss
  franchise record with 223 career wins in a 15-year career from 1912-26, including a 24-win season in '15 and a 21-win season in '23. He notched 210 or more innings a year for 11 straight seasons, 1913-23.


• Dizzy Trout
  Newhouser’s main pitching partner during World war 2, played for the 1940 American League champion Detroit Tigers. In 1944, Detroit Tigers right-hander Dizzy Trout led qualified American League pitchers in both ERA and hits allowed.


• Willie Hernández*
  Since the C y Young Award was instituted in 1956, there have been only seven instances in which its recipient was also voted as his league’s Most Valuable Player. Only 3 releivers have that credit. Willie Hernández in 1984 was a talented reliever capable of going multiple innings and turn a good team into a great team. The screwball-specialist’s three-year peak with Tigers rivals the great closers of baseball.


• John Hiller*
  John Hiller ;had his full career with the Tigers and he began as a part-time starter. He posted a 1.44 ERA while pitching in Tiger Stadium, which was a hitters’ park. ;In 1971, he suffered a heart attack before the season and had to miss the entire year. His 125.1 innings out of the bullpen in 1973 is one the best seasons by a relief pitcher.


• Aurelio Lopez
  Known in Motown as “Señor Smoke,” Aurelio Lopez tantalized hitters with a screwball to go with his fastball and his slider out of the Detroit bullpen from 1979-1985. Lopez, who died in 1992 at the age of 44, appeared in 355 games during his Tigers tenure, all but four as a reliever. He went 10-1 with 14 saves and a 2.94 ERA. during Detroit’s 1984 championship season.