Our All Time Top 50 Detroit Tigers have been revised to reflect the 2024 Season.
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
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.
Our All-Time Top 50 Detroit Tigers Have Been Revised to Reflect the 2023 Season
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
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.
4. Hal Newhouser
While many pitching legends were carved into the history books during the deadball era, Hal Newhouser’s peak emerged amidst the fires of the 1940s, a period where he stood as the undisputed titan of the mound. Known as "Prince Hal" for his dignified presence—and occasionally "Hurricane Hal" for his fiery competitive streaks—the Detroit native stayed home while others went to war, held back by a heart condition that would paradoxically allow him to lead his hometown team to the absolute summit of the sport. His legacy is etched in a rare back-to-back MVP achievement, a feat that remains the benchmark for pitching dominance in the modern age.
Newhouser’s rise to the rotation was forged as a teenager, but he reached a staggering high-water mark in 1944. That summer, he put together a 29-win campaign that earned him his first American League MVP trophy, a performance he incredibly duplicated in 1945. This second act was the definitive masterpiece of his career; he captured the elusive Pitching Triple Crown by leading the league in wins (25), strikeouts (212), and ERA (1.81). He was a model of specialized endurance, delivering the high-leverage strikes Detroit needed to carry it to a grueling seven-game World Series victory over the Cubs, including a gutsy complete-game win in the finale.
The most profound aspect of his tenure was how he sustained this elite output even as the game’s greatest stars returned from military service. Newhouser was a master of the shifting landscape of the "Live Ball" era, proving that his brilliance was not merely a byproduct of depleted lineups. Between 1946 and 1948, he continued to dominate the Junior Circuit, leading the league in FIP for three consecutive seasons and securing his fourth 20-win season in 1948. He possessed a specialized, high-velocity delivery that made him a high-frequency strikeout artist, concluding the decade with more wins (170) and punchouts (1,579) than any other pitcher in baseball.
With the Tigers, Newhouser compiled 200 wins and 1,770 strikeouts while securing back-to-back MVP awards and the 1945 Triple Crown.
The organization provided the final punctuation on his incredible journey in 1997, five years after his induction into Cooperstown. The Tigers retired his number 16, ensuring that the legacy of the local boy who conquered the 1940s would remain a permanent fixture of Detroit’s baseball soul.