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Top 50 Detroit Tigers

Founded in 1901, the Detroit Tigers have been staples in the American League since its inception.

The Tigers have had their ups and downs for sure, but the team has been in the World Series eleven times and won the Fall Classic four times in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.  

With over a century of players to choose from, the Top 50 Detroit Tigers is loaded with Hall of Famers, should have beens and future Cooperstown performers.

Note: Baseball lists are based on:

  1. Sabremetric tallies while with that team, mostly WAR.
  1. Traditional metrics and how they finished in their respective league overall.
  1. Playoff accomplishment.
  1. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
This list is updated to the end of the 2023 season
While George Mullin was not exactly known for his control (he led the AL in Walks four times) he was a workhorse of a power pitcher, exceeding 20 wins in a season six times, including the 1909 season where he led the American League in that category.  Mullin still holds the franchise record for Innings Pitched both all-time and in a single season.Helping the Tigers win three Pennants (1907-09), Mullin and Detroit may not have won any of those World Series, but he went 3-3 overall with an ERA of 1.86, showing that he certainly did his part.  He was…
While Rudy York had his most productive years in World War II he was still seven-time All-Star (thus reflecting that he was still a great player when MLB was stacked).  York would smack 20 Home Runs in seven consecutive seasons, including winning the Home Run Title in 1943.  That year, he also led the American League in Slugging Percentage and Runs Batted In and finished third in MVP voting.  With Detroit, he would smack 239 Home Runs with 1,317 Hits and a Slash Line of .282/.369/.503.
Known for his patented curveball (which was why they called him “Hooks”), George “Hooks” Dauss was a career Detroit Tiger (1912-26) who won over 200 Games for the franchise and would reach 20 Wins in a season on three occasions.  Dauss still holds the Detroit Tigers record for Wins with 223, and he would have 1,201 Strikeouts.
Donie Bush was one of the better defensive Shortstops of his day, finishing in the top ten in Defensive bWAR seven times, but was never really regarded (in his day) as a good hitter.  While he did finish his career (mostly with Detroit) with a .250 Batting Average, he is a five-time American League leader in Walks, an important statistic that is held in higher regard now.Bush was with Detroit for the first 14 years of his life, and he would have 1,745 Hits and a Defensive bWAR of 9.9 for Detroit.
With the label as the “Yankee Killer” (he had a 27 and 10 record against the Bronx Bombers), Frank Lary was a two-time All-Star who in 1961 finished third in Cy Young voting.  Lary would also lead the American League in Innings Pitched three times and would also lead the AL in Wins in 1956.  Lary would post a record in Detroit of 123-110 with 1,031 Strikeouts.
A member of the 1968 World Series Championship Team, Dick McAuliffe was an three time All Star in the three years leading up to that championship season.  A versatile infielder, McAuliffe and his unorthodox batting stance popped 192 Home Runs for the Detroit Tigers and would lead the American League in Runs Scored in 1968.
You would think that he would be much higher wouldn’t you?
A seven-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers, Harvey Kuenn was a monstrous hitting machine who would lead the American League hits four times as a Tiger and was also the Rookie of the Year in 1953.  Kuenn would also lead the AL in Doubles three times and won the Batting Title in 1959.  Had he been better defensively, Harvey Kuenn would certainly have been ranked much higher, though his we understand if his offense should have propelled him to a higher ranking.
A six-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers, Lance Parrish was the clean-up hitter for the 1984 World Series Championship Team.  Parrish would twice belt over 30 Home Runs and was named a Silver Slugger five times in addition to his three Gold Gloves as a Tiger.  For a Catcher in his era, Parrish's offense was especialy valuable and he would have 212 Home Runs in Detroit.
A two time All-Star in the 1930’s, Schoolboy Rowe assisted the Detroit Tigers to two consecutive American League Pennants and a World Series win in 1935.  Rowe, who would twice lead the AL in SO/BB was a fan favorite for his good looks, southern charm and solid play.
Spending the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Willie Horton was a feared power hitter who belted 20 Home Runs six times amassing 262 Home Runs over his Tigers career.  Horton was an All-Star four times and finished fourth in MVP voting in 1968, which was the year he helped the Tigers win the World Series.  Horton was so beloved in Detroit that they would retire his number despite him not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Horton might not have been among the best baseball players in Tigers history, but if this list was based on…
Five times an All-Star as a Detroit Tiger, George Kell would finish in the top ten in MVP voting three times.  Kell, who would get into the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veteran’s Ballot in 1983, would twice lead the AL in Hits and win the coveted Batting Title while wearing the iconic “D” of Detroit.  In the 826 Games he played in Motown, Kell would secure 1,075 Hits with a Batting Average of .325.  Kell, who would also be a broadcaster for the team, would be honored in RIghtfield in 2000 along with many other Tigers legends.
Predominantly a reliever in his baseball career, which was spent in its entirety with the Detroit Tigers, John Hiller was a member of the 1968 World Series Championship Team and in 1973 would finish fourth in MVP and Cy Young Voting.  That season, he would record 38 Saves, an extraordinary mark for that time period.  He would be an All-Star the following season.  Overall, with the Tigers, the lefthander would have a record of 87-76 with 1,036 Strikeouts and 125 Saves.
Joining the Detroit Tigers in 1903, Bill Donovan was a solid Pitcher who in 1907 helped the Tigers to the Pennant when he posted (what is still) a franchise best winning percentage with a 25 and 4 record.  He was a big part of them winning the next two Pennants and would overall have a record of 140 and 96.  Donovan was also an above average hitter for a Pitcher and batted .207 for Detroit.
An All-Star in 1951, Fred Hutchinson spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers.  The control pitcher would lead the American League in SO/BB and BB/9 four times, a feat that is very impressive though not understood in the day that it occurred.  He was also a good hitting pitcher, showcased by a .263 Batting Average.  Hutchinson missed four years of baseball due to World War II, but he still managed to accrue a record of 95-71.
A Detroit Tiger for 12 of his 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, Virgil Trucks would become the third Pitcher in MLB history to hurl two no-hitters in a season.  Trucks would be an All-Star in 1949 and the Strikeouts Champion the same year.  In 1945, Virgil would win a game in the World Series Title for Detroit.  In his 12 seasons in Detroit, Trucks would go 114-96 with 1,046 Strikeouts.
Max Scherzer was part of an elite staff with the Tigers and while Justin Verlander received the lion’s share of the attention, Scherzer was a former Cy Young Winner, a trophy he earned in 2013.  With his near sidearm delivery (a brilliant three quarters delivery) Scherzer’s Cy Young campaign saw him post a sub 1.000 Whip and in his five years as a Tiger he had an outstanding record of 82 and 35.
Returning from Japan, Cecil Fielder would become a Home Run machine for the Detroit Tigers. Fielder would win the Home Run Title twice, the RBI Title three times and finished second in American League MVP voting twice (1990 & 1991).  Fielder would be ranked higher had he not been a Strikeout machine and a defensive liability but for a two-year period this was one of the biggest stars in Baseball.
After seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Chet Lemon was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1981, where he would play nine seasons until he retired after the 1990 season.  Playing in the Outfield, Lemon had three 20 Home Run seasons for Detroit, nad was an All-Star in 1984.  That was the same year where he was a integral part of the Tigers World Series winning team.  As a TIger, he would have 1,071 Hits with 142 Home Runs.