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All-Century Roster: Tigers
By Gary Brooks
SportsLine Baseball Editor
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With Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg, the
Tigers had four of the finest hitters in the first half of the century, yet
they won just two World Series -- 1935 and 1945. While Cobb was enraging
friends and foes alike, blazing his trail as the game's best all-around
player, the Tigers lost three consecutive Series in 1907, '08 and '09.
 | | | Alan Trammell turned double plays for the Tigers from 1977-96.(Allsport) | |
After another Series failure in 1934, the Greenberg-led team broke
through for its first title in 1935. Another came in '45, when Hal
Newhouser won his second of back-to-back MVPs and Greenberg and George Kell
were the leaders at the plate.
The tremendous offensive power faded a bit over the next two decades but
by the late 1960s, Detroit returned to prominence with quality pitching.
Denny McLain became the first 30-game winner in more than 30 years when he
went 31-6 in 1968 and the Tigers won 103 games before disposing of the St.
Louis Cardinals in a gem of a seven-game World Series.
Stardom faded a bit again until the late '70s when the group of Alan
Trammell, Lou Whitaker and Lance Parrish set the foundation for a team that
would make an impact when they all reached their prime by 1984. That
season, the Tigers started 35-5 and cruised to a World Series win with the
heroics of Kirk Gibson and a previously far-from-the-spotlight reliever,
Willie Hernandez.
The winning group remained primarily intact and won the AL East again in
1987 but since then, it's been a long down time in the Motor City. There's
been only one winning season (1993).
Starting a new century in a new stadium -- Comerica Park -- with
three-time MVP Juan Gonzalez having been acquired, could bring back some of
the glory.
Lineup
| Bill Freehan, C, 1961, '63-76 |
| The one-time University of Michigan baseball and football star earned a
$100,000 signing bonus, which was huge in 1961. By the latter years of the
decade, he had established himself as the top catcher in the American
League. He appeared in 10 consecutive All-Star games, starting seven. In
the World Series season of 1968, Freehan had his best year with 25 home
runs and 84 RBI. He also set AL records for putouts and chances by a
catcher in '68 when he handled the Tigers' outstanding duo of McLain and
Mickey Lolich. He won five Gold Gloves and in 1967, finished third in AL
MVP voting. |
| Hank Greenberg, 1B, 1930, '33-41, '45-46 |
| In less than 10 full seasons, having lost time to injuries and World War
II, Greenberg hit 331 home runs and drove in 1,276 runs. He was nearly
equal to Babe Ruth in slugging stature, having hit 58 home runs in 1938 and
more than 40 four times. He's one of just five players in history with a
slugging percentage above .600. He also had a career on-base percentage
better than .400 and was the AL MVP in 1935 and 1940. In 1937 he drove in
183 runs, the third-highest total ever. |
| Charlie Gehringer, 2B, 1924-42 |
| In addition to being among the best-fielding second basemen ever, Gehringer
was a great hitter, recording seven 200-hit seasons. He was the MVP in 1937
when he led the AL with a .371 average. He was second to teammate Mickey
Cochrane in MVP voting in 1934. He drove in 100 runs or more seven times.
In three World Series, he hit .321 and in six All-Star games he went
10-for-20. |
| Alan Trammell, SS, 1977-96 |
| Trammell, Al Kaline and Ty Cobb are the only players to stay for 20 years
in Detroit. His 185 home runs and .977 fielding percentage are both higher
than any shortstop in the Hall of Fame, considering that several shortstops
padded their totals after switching to other positions. Trammell won
four Gold Gloves and was named the AL Silver Slugger as the top offensive
shortstop in 1987, '88 and '90. |
| George Kell, 3B, 1946-52 |
| Kell is one of just eight third basemen enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He
led the AL in hits and doubles in 1950 and '51 and was the AL batting champ
(.343) in 1949. His .326 batting average in seven Tigers seasons is the
fourth highest in team history. |
| Harry Heilmann, OF, 1914, '16-29 |
| Nine more well-timed hits in his career would have made Heilmann the only
batter ever to hit .400 four times. As it is, he's the last right-handed
batter to do it, having hit .403 in 1923. He led the league in 1921 at
.394, 1925 at .393 and 1927 at .398. He also drove in 100 runs or more
seven consecutive seasons and eight out of nine from 1921-29. Three times
he ranked second in the AL in slugging percentage behind Babe Ruth. |
| Ty Cobb, OF, 1905-26 |
| If you look at the first class inducted to Cooperstown's Hall of Fame --
Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson -- and
consider that Cobb received the most votes (222 of a possible 226), ahead
of Ruth and Wagner's 215, then Cobb could be the greatest player ever. His
.367 career batting average is the best and was one of 90 major-league
records Cobb held when he retired. |
| Al Kaline, OF, 1953-74 |
| Kaline became a Tigers star almost immediately, winning the AL batting
title (.340) in his second full season as a 20-year-old in 1955. Kaline,
who never played in the minors, was a consistent hitter for both power and
average and among the best defensive players of his generation. He was a
13-time All-Star who hit 399 homers, drove in 1,583 runs and hit .297 in 22
seasons in Detroit. |
| Cecil Fielder, DH, 1990-96 |
| After a tour of the Japanese League, Fielder returned to America and had a
seven-year run of impressive power. In his six and a half Tigers seasons,
he hit 245 home runs and drove in 758 runs. He hit tape-measure homers,
becoming the only Tiger to hit a ball over the left field roof at Tiger
Stadium and the first ever to hit a ball over the bleachers at Milwaukee's
County Stadium. He was a three-time All-Star who with 51 homers in 1990 and
44 in 1991 became the first Tiger with 40-plus homers in consecutive seasons since
Greenberg in 1937-38. |
Pitchers
| Hal Newhouser, SP, 1939-53 |
| A retrospective of Newhouser's career generally comes with a disclaimer.
His best years came while many of the game's greatest hitters were off
serving in the military in World War II. Newhouser was 29-9 in 1944 and
25-9 in '45, becoming the first pitcher ever to win back-to-back MVPs. A
heart ailment kept him out of the war and when the stars returned in 1946
he went 26-9 and added another 21-win season in 1948. He went 200-148 with
Detroit but was 166-90 after 1943. |
| Mickey Lolich, SP, 1963-75 |
| Lolich won at least 14 games for 11 consecutive seasons to become one of
the most reliable inning guzzlers in the AL. He led the league with six
shutouts in 1967 and with 25 wins in 1971. His '71 season was his best and
also included 308 strikeouts. He won 207 games for Detroit, third most in
team history. |
| Denny McLain, SP, 1963-70 |
| From 1965-69, McLain was among the best pitchers in the game, going 108-51.
He won Cy Young awards in 1968 and '69 when he went 31-6 and 24-9. In 1968,
he also was the AL MVP and is one of nine to sweep the Cy and MVP. But
McLain got himself in trouble physically and with the law and his career
faded fast. He was done by 1972. |
| Hooks Dauss, SP, 1912-26 |
| Dauss' great curve earned him his nickname and 221 victories, most in
Tigers history. Dauss played for some bad Tigers teams making his .550
winning percentage impressive. He never played for a division winner but
won at least 17 games six times, including three 20-win seasons. |
| Jack Morris, SP, 1977-90 |
| Morris was the ace of the Tigers for more than a decade as he won at least
14 games for 10 consecutive seasons and 11 out of 12 from 1979-90. He only
led the AL in wins once, with 14 in the strike-shortened 1981 season, but
was generally always among the top few and didn't miss a start from
1979-88. He was a four-time All-Star selection as a Tiger. His 198 wins are
fifth best in team history and his 1,980 strikeouts are second. |
| Willie Hernandez, RP, 1984-89 |
| If not for his 1984 season, when he won the AL MVP and Cy Young awards as
the Tigers put together a World Series champion season, Hernandez wouldn't
be considered. His other seasons were solid but far from spectacular. But
1984 was a dream season. He went 9-3 with a 1.92 ERA and was 32 for 33 in
save opportunities. He remained an All-Star through 1986 but never came
close to duplicating the MVP-Cy double. |
| Bench |
| Lance Parrish, Sam Crawford, Lou Whitaker, Norm Cash, Mickey
Cochrane, Gee Walker, Bob Fothergill, Heinie Manush, Barney McCoskey,
Darrell Evans, Tony Clark, Harvey Kuenn, Kirk Gibson, Travis Fryman, Rocky
Colavito, Ron LeFlore, Ray Boone, Rudy York, Bobby Veach, Willie Horton,
Rusty Staub, Damion Easley, Steve Kemp, Jason Thompson, Goose Goslin, Vic
Wertz, Hoot Evers, Dale Alexander, Eddie Mayo, Mickey Stanley |
| Best season |
| The 1968 Cardinals had a strong squad led by Bob Gibson, Lou
Brock, Orlando Cepeda and Curt Flood. But the '68 Tigers had a pair of
workhorses with outstanding repertoires in McLain and Lolich. After a
103-59 regular season, the Tigers beat the Cardinals in seven games in the
World Series. McLain won 31 games in the regular season but Lolich was the
World Series star, pitching three complete games and giving up just five
earned runs. Lolich dueled Gibson in Game 7, winning 4-1 on a five-hitter. |
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| Worst season |
| The 1996 Tigers had the worst pitching staff in AL history,
one that got bashed for a league-record 6.38 team ERA, more than a run
worse than any other team. On April 24, the staff gave up 24 runs to the
Twins. The 109 losses weren't hard to figure out. And late in the season
with a rebuilding mode forced into effect, slugger Cecil Fielder was traded
to the New York Yankees. |
| Best individual season, player |
| Cobb reached the pinnacle of his career in
his seventh season, 1911. That year, he set career highs in runs (147),
hits (248), doubles (47), triples (24), RBI (127), average (.420) and
slugging percentage (.621). He led the AL in each category, as he also did
with 83 stolen bases. He missed the Triple Crown by three homers as "Home
Run" Baker led the AL with 11. He also set a then-AL record with a 41-game
hitting streak which helped him edge Shoeless Joe Jackson for the batting
title. The numbers overshadowed Cobb's combative personality and won him
the first ever MVP award, then called the Chalmers Award. |
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| Best individual season, pitcher |
| McLain twirled the last 30-win season in
1968 when he went 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA and 28 complete games. He won 16
games by the All-Star break and won his 20th game on July 27. He was the
first pitcher to win 30 since Dizzy Dean in 1934 and first in the AL since
Lefty Grove in 1931. |
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