Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Detroit Tigers.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the Major League Baseball.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Tigers had a whirlwind of a season, where they led the American League Central for a large part of the season, only for Cleveland to overtake them.  They made the playoffs on the last day and defeated the Guardians in the Wild Card Series, but fell to the Seattle Mariners in the Division Series.  Despite the success, only one active player debuted on the Top 50.

As always, we present our top five, which differs from last year's, due to the new algorithm.

1. Ty Cobb
2. Al Kaline
3. Charlie Gehringer
4. Hal Newhouser
5. Miguel Cabrera

You can find the entire list here.

With the new algorithm, Hal Newhouser and Miguel Cabrera took over the #4 and #5 ranks.

The new entrant was Tarik Skubal, who has won the last two Cy Young Awards.  He debuts at #35,

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Tarik Skubal emerged as the premier left-handed starter in the American League by way of the 2018 draft, a ninth-round find out of Seattle University who completely defied his modest draft slot. After debuting in the shortened 2020 season, he quickly established a reputation for high-velocity heat and a menacing presence on the mound.

Skubal’s trajectory in a Detroit uniform began to shift during a breakout 2021 rookie campaign, where he led the staff in wins and became the first Tigers rookie to strike out 100 batters before the All-Star break. While he showed the organization that he was a foundational ace in the making, the road to dominance wasn't without its obstacles. A forearm injury in late 2022 required flexor tendon surgery, a setback that sidelined him for nearly a year. However, his return in July 2023 served as a warning to the rest of the league; he posted a 2.80 ERA over 15 starts and earned American League Pitcher of the Month honors in September, signaling that he had reached a new level of offensive prevention just in time for a historic run.

In 2024, Skubal transitioned into the most dominant arm in baseball, becoming the first pitcher in the American League to win the Triple Crown since Justin Verlander. He demonstrated a specialized ability to miss bats while maintaining elite control, leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. He solidified his status as the leader of the staff by capturing the Cy Young Award and guiding the Tigers to an improbable postseason berth, ending the city's long playoff drought with a series of masterful October performances.

The bulk of his time thus far in Michigan has been spent on the constant refinement of his repertoire. Between 2023 and 2025, Skubal was a constant presence at the top of the leaderboards, recording a strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranked among the best in franchise history. He reached a career peak for individual dominance in 2025, where he won his second consecutive ERA title and earned another All-Star selection while maintaining a focused intensity that silenced opposing stadiums. He possessed a rare blend of power and movement, providing the steady-state dominance required to anchor a young staff. Despite the immense pressure of being the undisputed leader of the rotation, he remained a model of reliability, entering the 2026 season as the consensus best pitcher in the game.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! 

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Detroit Tigers.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Tigers returned to the playoffs in a what was considered a surprise.  They won 86 Games, and made it to the second round, losing to Cleveland in five games in the Divisional Series.  Despite the success, there were no new entrants, but one return based on the new algorithm.

As always, we present our top five, which saw some significant changes.

1. Ty Cobb

2. Al Kaline

3. Charlie Gehringer

4. Harry Heilmann

5. Hal Newhouser

You can find the entire list here.

The top five saw some major changes.  Charlie Gehringer went from #4 to #3 and Harry Helmann went from #6 to #4.  This knocked Miguel Cabrera off the top five, as he went from #5 to #6.

With the new algorithm, Carlos Guillen returns to the list.  He is ranked #49.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Bobo Newsom joined the Tigers in May 1939 as the centerpiece of a massive ten-player trade with the St. Louis Browns, a move that finally placed the league's most colorful right-hander on a team that could match his talent. A high-velocity workhorse with a personality as large as his delivery, he quickly transitioned from a nomadic star into the definitive ace of the Detroit rotation. For three seasons in a Detroit uniform, he provided a specialized brand of durability and big-game bravado, proving that "Old Bobo" could carry a franchise to the brink of a world championship through sheer force of will.

In 1940, he emerged as one of the most dominant arms in the American League, posting a career-best 21-5 record with a 2.83 ERA. He demonstrated a specialized ability to shoulder a massive workload, finishing second in the league in bWAR for pitchers with a 6.8 mark and winning 13 consecutive decisions at one point. He showed the organization that he was a foundational winner, leading the staff to an American League Pennant and earning the first of two consecutive All-Star selections as a Tiger.

Everything culminated in a 1940 World Series performance that stands as one of the most heroic and bittersweet chapters in franchise history. Just hours after his father passed away following Game 1, Newsom returned to the mound to pitch a legendary three-hit shutout in Game 5. Across 26 innings in that seven-game classic, he maintained a staggering 1.38 ERA and a 0.846 WHIP, throwing three complete games and out-dueling the best the National League had to offer. He possessed a focused intensity that saw him nearly single-handedly deliver a title to Detroit, famously coming within a few outs of a Game 7 victory before falling in a 2-1 heartbreaker.

In 1941, despite a league-leading 20 losses that reflected the team's overall regression, he still finished third in strikeouts and second in bWAR among pitchers, with a 5.8 mark, proving his stuff remained top-tier. However, his eccentric personality and a high-stakes contract dispute—which famously involved him mailing a loaf of bread and a butcher knife to the general manager- led to his trade to Washington in early 1942. He left behind a statistical footprint that reflected his status as the premier "big-game" starter of his era, amassing 41 wins and 351 strikeouts in just over 800 innings for the club.

It was a brief run, but it was spectacular.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will look at how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Detroit Tigers will be retiring the number 10 of Jim Leyland.

This has been an incredible year for Leyland, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this July.  He also has been announced as an impending member of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame. 

Leyland was Detroit’s Manager from 2006 to 2013, where he had a record of 700-597 and managed the Tigers to American League Pennants in 2006 & 2013.

His number joins Lou Whitaker (#1), Charlie Gehringer (#2), Alan Trammell (#3), Hank Greenberg (#5), Al Kaline (#6), Sparky Anderson (#11), Hal Newhouser (#16), Willie Horton (#23), Jackie Robinson (#42) and Jack Morris (#47).

The ceremony will take place on August 3.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Jim Leyland for this impending honor.

Alex Avila was famously nicknamed the "Titanium Catcher" by fans for his ability to endure getting hit by foul tips. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to concussions and injuries.

Avila had his best years with his first team, the Detroit Tigers. He made his debut with the team in 2009 and became their primary catcher in 2011, which turned out to be the best year of his career. That year he was an All-Star and Silver Slugger, and achieved career-highs in every major metric, including 137 hits, 19 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .508 slugging percentage. He was even 13th in MVP voting. Avila was on track to become a baseball star, but unfortunately, he was plagued by injuries and became a regular on the injured reserve list.

After 2011, Avila struggled to stay healthy. When he was able to play, he was still a good defensive player, but his offense never quite recovered. He never had another season with at least 100 hits. He continued to play for Detroit until 2015 when he signed with the Chicago White Sox. He briefly returned to Detroit before being traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played for Arizona, Minnesota, and Washington before retiring with 714 hits. Unfortunately, his injury struggles mean that he is unlikely to make the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2023 revision of our top 50 Detroit Tigers.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Tigers had a made year failed to make the playoffs and there were no new entries to the Top 50.  Only one active player was on the list, but his rank did not change, but nevertheless we always acknowledge that we took 2023 into consideration.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Ty Cobb

2. Al Kaline

3. Hal Newhouser

4. Charlie Gehringer

5. Miguel Cabrera

You can find the entire list here.

Cabrera, who retired after the season, stayed at #5.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

An era has ended.

Miguel Cabrera played his last game yesterday, concluding the career of one of the best hitters of the last twenty years.

From Venezuela, Cabrera broke in with the Florida Marlins in 2003, where he immediately helped them with the World Series.  A rising star who went to the next four All-Star Games, the frugal Marlins traded Cabrera to Detroit in 2008, where his game reached a new level.

An All-Star annually from 2010 to 2016, Cabrera won two Home Run Titles, four Batting Titles, two OPS Titles, and two MVPs.  Cabrera also won seven Silver Sluggers.

He retires with 511 Home Runs, 3,174 Hits and a lifetime Slash Line of .306/.382/.518.

Cabrera will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2029, and should be a first ballot entry.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Miguel Cabrera the best in his post-playing career.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top Detroit Tigers.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Detroit had another rough year an failed to make the playoffs, and they had no new entrants on our top 50 list, but one impactful elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which has the only change, with a new number five.

1. Ty Cobb

2. Al Kaline                            

3. Hal Newhouser

4. Charlie Gehringer

5. Miguel Cabrera

You can find the entire list here.

As mentioned earlier, Cabrera enters the top five, though at this stage of his career, advancing any higher might prove difficult.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2022 revision of our top 50 Detroit Tigers.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National/American League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

The Tigers are coming off another sub-.500 season, and with a team over a century old, it is hard for any new additions to emerge.

It did not happen, and as of this writing, there is only one active Tiger in the top 50.

As always, we present the top five, which are:

1. Ty Cobb

2. Al Kaline

3. Hal Newhouser

4. Charlie Gehringer

5. Harry Heilmann

You can find the entire list here.

The active Tiger on this list is Miguel Cabrera, who at #6 did not make the top five.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

One of the more unheralded infielders in recent memory was Placido Polanco, a Dominican known for his time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers.

George Mullin spent the first 11 years and change of his career with the Detroit Tigers, and while he is not one of the most well-known hurlers in Major League history, he was a major cog in the machine that was the Detroit Tigers in the late 1900s. 

From 1905 to 1910, Mullin went five for six in terms of 20-Win seasons, leading the American League in Wins in 1909 with 29.  The Tigers won the American League three years in a row (1907-09), and while he and Detroit could not win the Fall Classic, Mullin had a 1.86 ERA in his seven Playoff Games.

Mullin finished his pro career with two years in the Federal League.  Overall, the right-hander had a career record of 228-196 with 1,482 Strikeouts.

Tony Phillips never made an All-Star team, and he only had one year in which he received MVP votes (16^th in 1995).  Yet, here we have a player worth talking about among some of those worth a Hall of Fame look.

What Phillips did well was get on base.  He twice led the league in Walks (1993 & 1996), and he was a key contributor in Oakland's 1989 World Series win.  Phillips accumulated 2,023 career Hits with 160 Home Runs and was also a league-leader in Runs Scored in 1992.  Defensively, he was versatile, able to play in the Outfield, Second, or Third, and do so at a more-than-average level.

Phillips retired with a career bWAR of 50.9, a number that actually eclipses many Baseball Hall of Famers.  Phillips was never a star, but he provided value for years, and if you want to classify him as a utility player (as many publications have), he was one of the best.

While we never thought Virgil Trucks' nickname of "Fire" was that creative, we did believe that the Alabaman was a pretty good Pitcher in his day.

Trucks Strikeout numbers may not be that impressive today, but for his day, he was one of the most capable flamethrowers in Baseball.  The righthander played the first two-thirds of his career with the Detroit Tigers.  In Detroit, he had five seasons in which he posted at least 14 wins and was an All-Star in 1949, when he went 19-11 and led the American League in Strikeouts with 153.  Trucks helped Detroit win the 1945 win the World Series, winning his lone start in their championship over the Chicago Cubs.

Trucks was traded from Detroit before the 1952 season to the St. Louis Browns, where he had a strange season, as St. Louis traded him in June that year to the Chicago White Sox.  In his combined year in St. Louis and Chicago, he went 20-10 with a 2.93 ERA and a fifth-place MVP finish, his highest ever.  Trucks was an All-Star again in 1954, with a 19-12 record and a 2.79 ERA.  He played until 1958 with another stop in Detroit, Kansas City, and the New York Yankees.

He would leave the game with a record of 177-135 and 1,534 Strikeouts.  Trucks was in the top ten in SO/9 and SO/BB ten times, and after he left the game, he lived a long life, finally passing in 2013 at the ripe old age of 95.   That sounds like a great life to us! 

Chet Lemon split his career with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, and over his career, the Centerfielder's main calling card was a dependable defense with underrated offensive skill.

Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe was a Texas boy through and through, and when he joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933, the Michigan fans loved the superstitious Pitcher.

Rowe had his best year early, as in his second season, he posted a 24-8 record and led the American League in SO/BB (1.84).  Rowe was fourth in MVP voting, and he helped the Tigers win the American League Pennant, though they lost to the Cardinals.  The year after, Rowe was an All-Star, won the SO/BB Title again, and, more importantly, he helped Detroit win the World Series.

The remainder of Rowe’s career was marked by ups and downs; he was hurt for most of 1937 and 1938 and rebounded with a 16-3 record in 1940.  His '42 year was split between Detroit and Brooklyn, and he joined the Phillies in 1943, where he won 14 Games before going into the military for World War II.

He came back and was an All-Star again in 1947, before retiring in 1949 with a 158-101 record.

Rudy York was best known for his time with the Detroit Tigers, where he had his greatest success.

York had a cup of coffee with Detroit in 1934, and he returned to stay in 1937, with a 35-home-run year, which would be a career high.  Eighteen of those taters took place in a month, breaking Babe Ruth’s record.  York continued to blast homers, winning the Home Run Title with 34 in 1943, while also leading the American League in Runs Batted In (118).  York finished third in MVP voting that year, and he had eight other seasons where he received an MVP vote.  

The seven-time All-Star also played for Boston, Chicago (AL), and Philadelphia (AL), and he had 277 career Home Runs.

Bobby Veach played most of his career with the Detroit Tigers, where he showed off a good bat and good speed.

When you have a name like Dizzy Trout, you expect that you have a unique and colorful character on your hands.  Trout fit the bill, and while the validity of many of the stories surrounding him might not be valid, he was unquestionably an excellent Pitcher.

Trout played most of his career with the Detroit Tigers, breaking in during the 1939 season.  Due to a hearing impairment, Trout could not serve his country during World War II, and during that time, he had his best run in baseball.  Trout led the American League in Wins (20) in 1943, and he had an even better year in 1944, going 27-14 with a league-leading 2.12 ERA.  Trout was an All-Star that year and was the runner-up to his teammate, Hal Newhouser, for the MVP.  While he was not as good in 1945, Trout helped the Tigers win the World Series.

Trout never had another dominant year, but he was still good enough to be a solid pitcher for Detroit until he was traded to Boston in 1952.  He won 170 Games against 161 Losses over a 15-year career.

A two-time World Series Champion with the Detroit Tigers (the only team he ever played for), Tommy Bridges was a major force in that first championship, winning two games in the Fall Classic.  The curveball specialist led the AL in Strikeouts twice and won twenty games three years in a row (1934, 1935 & 1936).  Bridges was also a six-time All-Star.  Overall, Bridges would have a record of 194-138 with 1,674 Strikeouts.