Everybody is talking about Miguel Cabrera's move to play third base with the acquisition of Prince Fielder. I don't think anybody thinks he'll be an above average defender at third. Most Tigers fans are optimistic that he'll be able to play the position at an acceptable level. Most non-Tigers fans and analysts seem to be more skeptical. Cabrera last played third base for the Tigers in 2008, but that didn't last very long. Manager Jim Leyland moved Cabrera to third base and Carlos Guillen from first to third before the first month of the season was complete. While Cabrera did not look good at third base, the swap was made as much because of Guillen's ineptness as first as Cabrera's problems at third. Cabrera's only two full seasons at the hot corner came in 2006-2007 with the Marlins. The results for those two seasons are shown in the table below. The following advanced statistics are included: Mitchel Lichtman's Ultimate Zone Rating ( UZR) Sean Smith's Total Zone John Dewan's Defensive Runs Saved ( DRS) Baseball Prospectus' Fielding Runs Above Average ( FRAA) The value for each measure is the number of runs Cabrera cost his team defensively compared to the average third baseman. If we average the four numbers together, we arrive at -7 in 2006 and -10 in 2007. Given that he such an incredible hitter, we could certainly live with him giving up 7 to 10 runs defensively over the course of the season. Jay Jaffe's recent article at Baseball Prospectus shows that the worst third basemen cost their teams as many as 20 or more runs a season. Table: Advanced Fielding Statistics for Cabrera at Third Base, 2006-2007 Statistic | 2006 | 2007 | Average | UZR | -3 | -4 | -4 | Total Zone | -6 | -11 | -8 | DRS | -9 | -16 | -12 | FRAA | -10 | -10 | -10 | Aggregate | -7 | -10 | -8 | The question is can Cabrera still field at the same level? He hasn't played third base full-time in five years and he is bigger and probably less mobile than he was as a Marlin. By most accounts, he has good hands and a strong throwing arm. It is less certain that he has the lateral range to play the position. With the steady but immobile Jhonny Peralta at shortstop, he won't get much help there. There is also a question as to how well Cabrera will be able to handle bunts and you can sure he will be tested. Perhaps even more important than his performance at third is his ability to stay healthy. The Tigers can not afford to have him get hurt diving for balls or making unfamiliar movements on hard shots hit in his vicinity. If he can play third regularly, then they will have solved a major positional problem with the alternative being a Brandon Inge/ Don Kelly platoon. Moreover, his ability to play third would prevent a designated hitter/ first base logjam next year when Victor Martinez returns. I'm less optimistic about the move than some fans as I think he'll be closer to -20 than -8. However, I think he will be adequate enough to stay there most days. I also envision him doing some DHing when a ground ball pitcher such as Rick Porcello is on the mound. He also may play some first base with Prince Fielder serving as DH some games. If all that happens, I think things will work out well for 2012. The 2013 season is a different story because there would be less flexibility with Martinez back. It's best to take one year at a time at this point though.
There have been a lot of emotional reactions around the internet to yesterday's shocking Prince Fielder signing. Detroit fans, for the most part, are in love with the acquisition and do not seem to see any possible downside to the deal On the other hand, many national fans and analysts are suggesting that the Tigers have made a mistake. Most of their critique touches upon either the length of the deal or the move of Miguel Cabrera to third base or both. Some of the opposing viewpoints have been listed at Bless You Boys. So, who is right - the euphoric fans or the critical analysts? If you have read my blog before, you probably guessed what I think - that the truth is in between the two extremes. First, I am less concerned about contracts than most analysts. Whether a contract is good or bad depends on so many different variables that you can't really answer the question with a formula. In this case, some critics might not be understanding how Tigers owner Mike Illitch probably views the deal. Illitch is 82 years old and wants to win a World Series badly and he wants it now. I think this signing is a win now move more than a carefully calculated long-term deal. I don't believe Illitch is concerned about what happens nine years from now or seven or even five. For all we know, they might be under new ownership by 2016 and staging a gigantic fire sale. So, I think evaluation of the deal has to be made based on the early years of the contract. In fact, there is so much uncertainty about whether Cabrera can handle the move to third and what happens next year when Victor Martinez returns, I am just going to look at 2012 for now. What follows is my obligatory WAR analysis. Last week, I tried to answer the question of how many games the Tigers would lose if Martinez was replaced by one of the lower priced free agents such as Johnny Damon. I estimated that it was about two games. This week's question is: How many wins do the Tigers gain in 2012 by adding Prince Fielder to replace Victor Martinez? This is not a simple matter of subtracting Martinez's expected WAR from Fielder's expected WAR. There are moving parts which need to be considered - most notably Cabrera's shift to third. What we need to do is compare the WAR totals of the old alignment (Cabrera at first, Brandon Inge/ Don Kelly at third, Martinez at DH,) to the new set up (Fielder at first, Cabrera at third, some DH combo). WAR Projections for the first group are as follows: 1B. Cabrera 7.0 3B. Inge/Kelly 0.5 (barely above replacement) DH. Martinez 3.0 Total 10.5 Now, the second trio: 1B. Fielder 5.5 3B. Cabrera 6.5 (assuming about 20 runs below average defensively) DH. Andy Dirks/ Ryan Raburn/ Don Kelly/ etc 1.5 Total 13.5 So, the Tigers gain three wins (13.5-10.5) by adding Fielder over Martinez. Really? Just three wins? Yes, because Martinez is quite productive. Also remember that three wins is actually a lot for team with playoff aspirations. Fielder's three wins over Martinez and five to six wins over replacement does remind us though that one player generally does not make the huge difference that is traditionally believed. Fielder is a tremendous acquisition, but he can only do so much. A lot of things need to keep going right to assure another division title and hopefully a better post-season result - the pitching in particular. But that's a topic for another post.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Miguel Cabrera has said he will be playing third base. I don't know how well that will work out and normally I would be against such a move. However, they get so little offense out of Brandon Inge/ Don Kelly, it can't hurt to try it. That will be quite an infield both offensively...and defensively. Perhaps, they can move Cabrera to designated hitter when sinker baller Rick Porcello is on the mound. Now, for another new line-up: Jackson CF Boesch RF Cabrera 3B Fielder 1B Young DH Avila C Peralta SS Dirks LF Santiago 2B The DH/LF combo is still a big question mark, but I imagine they'll be trying a few players in those spots with Delmon Young perhaps moving back and forth.
I just got out of long meeting at work, so I decided to quickly check a couple of things on the internet before I got back to my programming and statistics. I looked at Twitter and saw a tweet about the Tigers signing Prince Fielder and figured that one of the Twitter imposters was messing around again. Then I saw something from the reliable Jon Morosi and realized it was real. My first thought was that Fielder signed with the Tigers for one year so that he could test the free agent marked again next year. Reading a little further, I was shocked to find out that the Tigers are signing him to a nine- year deal worth $214 million.. I've been following the Tigers for 44 years and I've never been this surprised by a move. I don't think anybody saw it coming at all. I'm still digesting this and it's too early to do a thorough analysis, but needless to say the Tigers have found their replacement for the injured Victor Martinez. Apparently, owner Mike Illitch has decided he is not going to worry about budgets and wants to win now at any cost. The first obvious long-term question is what to do about the first base and designated hitter positions when Victor Martinez is ready to play in 2013. I would imagine they would be trading Cabrera or Fielder at that point (Edit: This now seems unlikely with the move of Cabrera to third base) , but it's too early to think about. For now, their 2012 line-up will probably look something like this: Jackson CF Boesch RF Cabrera DH Fielder 1B Young LF Avila C Peralta SS Santiago 2B Inge 3B Do I like the move? Well, there is a risk all the big contracts could put them in a bind if Illitch decides to slash the budget in the future. The move is so big and so unbelievable though that I have no choice but to love it as a fan. It's obvioulsly great for this year. I'll analyze the rest of it later.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.We are down to the final three seasons in the Top Twenty and each has a legitimate argument as the number one season. The 1935 team was the Tigers first world champion. It came during the Great Depression, a time where the city of Detroit needed positive things to happen anywhere they could get it. On the field, it was a powerful team with the highest run differential in franchise history. Finally, the season ended with a dramatic game-winning hit clinching the championship. What keeps this team from the number one ranking was that they did not win quite enough. They started slow (5-9 in April) and finished slow (12-14 in September). They went 93-58 four games ahead of the second place Yankees, but that's not a lot of wins for a team with a run differential of 254. The problem was they were 19-27 in one-run games, something that was surely a source of frustration for fans throughout the season. The Tigers had their typical 1930s offensive powerhouse leading the league with 919 runs scored. First baseman Hank Greenberg batted .328 with a league leading 389 total bases and 170 RBI in route to the MVP award. The 1934 MVP Mickey Cochrane batted .319/.452/.450 as a catcher/manager. Second baseman Charlie Gehringer mechanically batted .330/.409/.502 with 123 runs scored. Detroit also had a solid staff finishing second in the AL with a 3.82 ERA. Tommy Bridges had 21 wins an ERA+ of 118 and a league-leading 163 strikeouts. Schoolboy Rowe had a 112 ERA+ in 275 innings and led the league with six shutouts. The Tigers went on to defeat the Cubs in six games in the World Series. They may have had trouble in close games during the season, but they thrived in those situations during the series. They won game three 6-5 on a 12th inning single by outfielder Jo Jo White. They took game four 2-1 behind a complete game from right handed General Crowder. This put them up three games to one in the series. After losing game five 3-1, the Tigers returned to Detroit for game six. They entered the bottom of the ninth tied at three. Cochrane singled with one out and moved up to second on a ground out by Gehringer. Finally, outfielder Goose Goslin hit a game-winning single to right and the Tigers had their first world championship. It was one of the greatest moments in the history of the Tigers. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.Hundreds of major league players would miss playing time (mostly from 1943-1945) as they served in World War II. In 1945, the final year of the war, the Tigers won their second pennant thanks, in part, to the efforts of returning hero Hank Greenberg. After missing parts of five seasons due to the war, Hammerin' Hank blasted a dramatic game-winning grand slam on the final day of the season to beat the St. Louis Browns 6-3 and the Tigers clinched the pennant. The Tigers finished 88-65, a game and a half ahead of an eccentric Washington Senators team, featuring a starting rotation of four knuckle ballers. The Tigers finished second in the league behind the Senators with a 2.99 ERA. Left-hander Hal Newhouser achieved the pitching triple crown with 25 wins, a 1.81 ERA and 212 strikeouts. His efforts earned him a second consecutive MVP award. The Tigers also received strong seasons from Dizzy Trout (113 ERA+ in 246 innings) and Al Benton (2.02 ERA in 192 innings). The Tigers did not have the awesome offense of some earlier years, but they finished second in the league with 633 runs scored. Despite a great deal of missed time, Greenberg showed little rust batting .312 with 35 extra base hits in 78 games. Outfielder Roy Cullenbine led the league with 113 walks, had a .402 OBP and a 139 OPS+. Steady Eddie Mayo finished second in the MVP voting after posting a 112 OPS+ as a second baseman. The Bengals faced the Chicago Cubs in the World Series and split the first four games. The Tigers went up three games to two with an 8-4 victory in game five as Greenberg pounded three doubles. The Cubs proceeded to tie the series when third baseman Stan Hack doubled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the twelfth in game six. The Tigers then scored five runs in the first inning of game seven and crushed the Cubs 9-3 to win the series. The 1945 team was not a juggernaut, but it was Detroit's second championship and would be their last post-season appearance for two decades. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.With the city of Detroit being hit especially hard by the great depression of the 1930s, fans turned to sports as a source of hope and good news. The Tigers were not doing their part winning just 75 games and suffering their 24th consecutive season without a pennant in 1933. Tigers owner Frank Navin attempted to jump start the team by acquiring two future Hall of Famers - catcher Mickey Cochrane (who would also be the manager) and outfielder Goose Goslin. It worked out quite well. The Tigers had arguably the best regular season in franchise history going 101-53 and finishing seven games ahead of the second-place Yankees. Their .656 winning percentage and 957 runs scored are team records and their 250 run differential was second only to the 1935 squad. After an ordinary 21-18 start, the Tigers went 80-35 from June through September to run away with the pennant. This included a 14-game winning streak in August. Their league leading offense finished more than 100 runs ahead of the second highest run-scoring team. They didn't have great home run power but led the league in batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.376) and doubles (349). Black Mike Cochrane led the team in the dugout and on the field and was the league MVP.. He batted .320/.411/.412 with a 117 OPS+ and was an excellent catcher. Detroit had one of the best infields ever with first baseman Hank Greenberg, second baseman Charlie Gehringer, shortstop Billy Rogell and third baseman Marv Owen combining for 25 WAR. They also accumulated 462 RBI with all of them knocking in at least 96. Gehringer led the league with 134 runs scored, finished second in batting (.356), OBP (.450) and doubles (50). Greenberg batted .339 with an amazing 63 doubles and a 156 OPS+. Unlike many of their previous teams, the Tigers had strong pitching to go with their productive offense. They finished second in the league to the Yankees with a 4.06 ERA. Schoolboy Rowe won 24 games, including 16 in a row and posted a 128 ERA+. Tommy Bridges had a 120 ERA+ in 275 innings and finished second in the AL with 151 strikeouts. Those two led a deep staff which included efficiently used swing men Eldon Auker and Firpo Marberry. In the World Series, the Tigers faced the St. Louis Cardinals famous Gas House Gang, a cast of characters including pitching brothers Dizzy and Paul Dean, outfielder Duck Medwick and infielders Pepper Martin and Leo Durocher. The two teams split the first four games of the series. The Tigers took game five as Gehringer homered and Bridges out dueled Dizzy Dean. The Tigers were up three games to two heading back to Detroit. The Cardinals tied the series at three with a 4-3 win in game six. Paul Dean helped his own cause with a go ahead single in the seventh. The Cardinals then routed the Tigers 11-0 in game seven, a contest most remembered for an ugly incident. It all started when Medwick slid unnecessarily hard into third baseman Owen. The Tigers did not retaliate, but the fans did showering Medwick with garbage when he took his position in left field. Medwick eventually had to be removed from the game, but the Cardinals were already well on their way to a world championship. Game seven was a a rough ending to an otherwise outstanding season, but the Tigers would get another opportunity in 1935.
Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
Mike D. who writes at the blog Yankees Fans Unite is interviewing bloggers of all major League teams as spring training approaches. A couple of weeks ago, he asked me questions about the Tigers 2011 season, their current off-season and what to expect in 2012. He's got my answers posted on his blog today. This interview was done prior to the injury to Victor Martinez. I gave my thoughts on that development in a recent post. Basically, I think it's a tough loss for the Tigers, but not a devastating one. They should still be favorites to win the division even if they don't replace him.
David Berri, author of the Wages of Wins Journal, asked me today how many wins the Tigers are likely to lose due to the ACL injury keeping Victor Martinez out for the 2012 season. This is not an easy question, but I'll keep it as simple as possible. According to Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, Martinez was worth about 3.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 2011. We could simply compare that to the WAR of the various free agent and trade options, but there are a couple of factors which make this question a little more interesting than that. First, Martinez was used in 26 games as a catcher last year, something that Carlos Pena or Johnny Damon or whoever they might get won't be doing. The second factor is situational hitting. Martinez was extraordinary batting with runners on base last year, something he would not have been likely to repeat in 2012. So, instead of calculating his 2011 WAR using Batting Runs, it might be more useful to use RE24. The RE24 statistic considers a players performance in various situations in determining his value. For example, Martinez would get more credit for getting a double with runners on first and third than a double with the bases empty. Inserting RE24 instead of Batting Runs adds about two wins bringing Martinez up to 5.0 WAR in 2011. Would Martinez have had a WAR of 5.0 again in 2012? Probably not. He'd likely hit about as well overall (lower batting average, more homers). However, he might lose a fraction of a win by not catching. More importantly, we would not expect him to come anywhere close to his 2011 performance in situational hitting. Even if he we think he would have hit a little better in clutch situations than other at bats in 2012, we would estimate that he would have had a WAR of about 3.0. So, we have two questions: (1) How much will the Tigers lose going from Martinez in 2011 (5.0 WAR) to Player X in 2012? (2) How much would they have lost going from Martinez's expected performance in 2012 (3.0 WAR) to Player X in 2012? To answer question (1), we can assume that Martinez's 26 catching games would be picked up by Gerald Laird in 2012 and that his 119 DH games would be taken by Player X. Let's assume that Laird is a replacement level player this year as he has been the last couple of years. Now, let's estimate what various replacements might do in 119 games: Carlos Pena 2.3 Carlos Lee 1.8 Casey Kotchman 1.4 Derrek Lee 1.3 Alfonso Soriano 1.3 Johnny Damon 1.2 So, if they were to get Pena, the Tigers would lose 5.0 - 2.3 = 2.7 games from 2012. If they acquired Damon, it would be 3.8 games. Turning that into round numbers, they'd be losing about three or four games between 2011-2012. That's a lot of games, but remember that they probably would have lost a couple of games even if they kept Martinez as he was not likely to keep up his amazing clutch hitting for another year. To answer question (2) from above, we just need to replace Martinez with player X for 145 games. These are the new estimates: Pena 2.6 C. Lee 2.1 Kotchman 1.7 D. Lee 1.5 Soriano 1.5 Damon 1.4 Based on the above numbers, The Tigers would lose 3.0 - 2.6 = 0.4 games by replacing Martinez with Pena and 1.6 games by replacing Martinez with Damon. In round numbers, that's one or two games. In conclusion, they may drop as many as four games from 2012 to 2011 with the injury to Martinez, but they were probably going to lose a couple of wins anyway due to his clutch hitting normalizing. In the end, they probably lose two games max in 2012 with the loss of Martinez. Of course, none of this takes into account the possible benefits of intangibles such as leadership and Martinez's effect on other batters. However, I suspect those factors are overstated and there's no way to measure them anyway. There's no doubt that losing Martinez hurts the Tigers chances in 2012. Just based on the numbers though, the loss should not be a devastating blow to a team that won the AL Central by 15 games last year. They should still be the favorites to take the division.
Tigers fans have been waiting all off-season for something big to happen, but this was not what we had in mind. The Tigers announced today that designated Victor Martinez tore his ACL during workouts and will likely miss the entire 2012 season. This is obviously a devastating blow to the Tigers, who already had holes to fill offensively. They will almost surely get a replacement outside the organization. The first thought that comes to mind is free agent Prince Fielder, but that is highly unlikely. He has said that he does not want to be a designated hitter and he is also probably too expensive for the Tigers. So, I think we'll need to think about less exciting options. One possibility would be signing Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to play left field and moving Delmon Young to designated hitter. I suspect that is the Tigers preferred plan, but a lot of teams are pursuing Cespedes. If not Cespedes, then there are number of free agent hitters available. Possibilities include Johnny Damon, J.D. Drew and Carlos Pena. One good thing is that the Tigers probability have some flexibility financially since they will likely get half of Martinez's $13 million 2012 salary back through insurance.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.From 1994 through 2005, the Tigers had the worst stretch in franchise history. Indeed, it was one of the worst for any organization ever. They suffered 12 consecutive losing seasons including 109 loses in 1996, 106 in 2002 and an AL-record 119 in 2003. They also went 19 seasons without a playoff appearance going back to 1988. They began to make improvements after 2003, but were still 20 games below .500 and a team in turmoil in 2005. After the 2005 season, the Tigers fired manager Alan Trammell and replaced him with Jim Leyland. They also added two veteran pitchers - left-handed starter Kenny Rogers and closer Todd Jones. Finally, they had two promising rookie pitchers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya make the team out of spring training. With a nice mix of veterans and youth, the Tigers shocked the baseball world moving into first place in May and staying there most of the summer. On August 7, they were an amazing 76-36, 10 games up on the defending-champion White Sox and 10 1/2 ahead of the Twins. It seemed to good to be true and it actually was. They went into a tailspin going 10-22 and their lead was down to two games over the Twins on September 10. They managed to clinch their first playoff spot since 1987 with a victory over the Royals on September 24. However, they could not win a division title, losing out to Minnesota after five straight losses to end the season. The Tigers finished 95-67, a 24-game improvement over 2005. After many many years of generally awful pitching, everything came together perfectly as they posted a league-best 3.84 ERA. Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Roberston had their best seasons and Rogers solidified the staff with both his pitching and leadership. The big key though were the rapid rises of Verlander and Zumaya. Verlander posted a 126 ERA+ in 186 innings and won the Rookie of the Year award. Zumaya had a 1.94 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 83 innings. Detroit's offense was little better than average finishing fifth in runs scored. Their hitting was led by shortstop Carlos Guillen (136 OPS+) and right fielder Magglio Ordonez (112 OPS+). They also got good all around play from center fielder Curtis Granderson, catcher Pudge Rodriguez and third baseman Brandon Inge among others. The Tigers went on to beat the heavily favored Yankees in the first round of the playoffs three games to one behind some fantastic pitching by Rogers, Bonderman and Zumaya. They proceeded to sweep the Althletics in four games in the ALCS outscoring them 22-9. The climax came when Ordonez blasted a dramatic walkoff in game four to clinch the pennant. It was one of the most memorable moments in Tigers history. They were expected to beat the Cardinals (winners of just 83 games in the regular season) in the World Series, but it didn't go as planned. After a full week off, the Tigers appeared to be rusty as they could neither hit nor field. In particular, their pitchers kept throwing wild to bases. They lost the series four games to one, the only victory coming thanks to eight innings of scoreless pitching by Rogers in game 2. The 53 game improvement from just three years earlier made it arguably the greatest turn around story in baseball history. Despite the disappointing finish, 2006 was one of the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here. The Tigers 1909 season was similar to their 1907 and 1908 seasons covered earlier in the Top 20 series. For the third straight year, outfielders Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford dominated the American League, the Tigers won the pennant and then lost the World Series. The 1909 season ranks the highest of the three as that team had the most wins and put up more of a fight in the World Series. The 1909 squad went 98-54, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. For the third straight season, they led the league in runs scored with 666. Cobb won the triple crown batting .371 with nine homers (all inside the park) and 107 RBI. This overshadowed a another fantastic season by Crawford, who finished first in doubles (35) and second in slugging (.452) and RBI (97). Shortstop Donie Bush also had a fine season finishing in the top three in OBP (.380) and runs (114). Right-hander George Mullin led the league with 29 wins and posted a 114 ERA+ in 304 innings pitched. The Tigers had a deep staff with starters Bill Donovan, Ed Killian, Ed Summers and Ed Willett all finishing with an ERA+ of 108 or better. After winning just one game combined versus the Cubs in 1907 and 1908 World Series, the Bengals would face the Pirates in 1909. The Tigers managed to split the first six games of the series on the strength of two wins by Mullin and some strong hitting by second baseman Jim Delahanty (.326 BA and four doubles for the series). However, the Pirates won 8-0 in game seven when right hander Babe Adams notched his third victory of the series. The three season-run of 1907-1909 has been the only one of its kind in Tigers history, but they would have to wait a quarter of a century before another World Series. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here. The Tigers began the 1940's decade with their sixth pennant in franchise history. They battled the Indians and Yankees (winners of four consecutive pennants) to the wire eliminating both on the final weekend. The clincher came on the third to the last day of the season when obscure rookie Floyd Geibell out dueled future Hall-of-Fame fire baller Bob Feller on the third to last day of the season. The Tigers finished 90-64, a game ahead of Cleveland and two games ahead of New York. Manager Del Baker juggled the Tigers line-up at the beginning of the season, moving Rudy York from catcher to first base and Hank Greenberg from first base to the outfield and inserting Birdie Tebbets as the full-time catcher. The Tigers had their usual powerful offensive results leading the league with 888 runs scored. Hank Greenberg led the junior circuit with 41 homers, 150 RBI and a 171 OPS+. York added 33 round trippers, 134 RBI and a 145 OPS+. They also received strong contributions from second baseman Charlie Gehringer (119 OPS+) and center fielder Barney McCoskey (124 OPS+). Detroit finished fourth in an eight-team league with a 4.01 ERA. The colorful and much traveled Bobo Newsom had his finest season finishing second in the AL with a 2.83 ERA and 164 strikeouts in 264 innings. Tommy Bridges (141 ERA+) and School Boy Rowe (137 ERA+) also had strong seasons. None came close to Feller who won the triple crown with 27 wins, 261 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA. The Tigers then faced the Reds in the World Series, a drama which centered around Newsom. Newsom's father died of a heart attack shortly after watching his son win game one of the series. Despite his tragic loss, Newsom made the decision to keep pitching in the series. Pitching with a heavy heart, the tough-minded Newsom hurled a three-hit shutout in game five putting the Tigers up three games to two. The Reds proceeded to tie the series at three games apiece thanks to a five-hit shutout by ace right hander Bucky Walters in game six. It would come down to Newsom and Reds starter Paul Derringer in game seven. The Tigers led 1-0 through six, but the Reds broke through with two runs in the seventh to take a 2-1 led. That would be the final score as the Reds took the series four games to three. It was certainly a sad finish for Newsom and the Tigers. In retrospect, it still ranked as one of the most entertaining seasons ever for Tigers fans. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.In 1907, Hugh Jennings took over as Tigers manager and 20-year-old Tyrus Cobb emerged as the best hitter in the American League. The result was the Tigers first pennant in franchise history. It would also be the first of three consecutive pennants, an accomplishment which has not been seen again in Detroit. The Tigers finished at 92-58, a game and a half ahead of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. As has so often been the case in team history, they won primarily because of their dominant offense. They led the league with 695 runs scored behind the fearsome duo of Cobb and Sam Crawford. Cobb topped the circuit in batting average (.350), slugging (.468), total bases (283), OPS+ (167) and stolen bases (53). Crawford led the league with 106 runs and finished second with a .323 batting average, .460 slugging average and 160 OPS+. The Tigers also had pretty strong pitching finishing third in the league with a 2.33 ERA. Big Ed Killian was second in the league with a 1.78 ERA in 314 innings. Their four primary starters - Killian, Bill Donovan, George Mullin and Ed Siever - each pitched over 270 innings and combined for 88 of the team's 98 victories. Unfortunately, the Cubs completely stopped the Tigers offense in the World Series sweeping them in four games. Chicago outscored Detroit 16-3 and the Tigers batted just .216 with three extra base hits. Even Cobb (.538 OPS) and Crawford (.524 OPS) could not do anything. They would have two more chances in 1908 and 1909, but came up short in those years as well. It would be a long time before their first world championship. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.The end of the 1987 regular season may have the most fun I've had watching the Tigers in my 43 years as a fan. The Tigers were just a half game back with 11 games to play entering a four-game series with first-place Blue Jays. Toronto won the first three games of the series, all by one run margins. That left the Tigers 3 1/2 games back and it was looking bleak. The Tigers were down 1-0 in game four and the season seemed to be pretty much over. Then Kirk Gibson blasted a dramatic game-tying solo homer in the ninth. The Tigers went on to win 3-2 with Gibson getting a game-winning single in the top of the 13th inning. There was now a ray of hope for the Tigers. The Bengals then took just two games in a four-game series versus the Orioles. Fortunately, the Blue Jays were swept by Brewers at the same time. That left the Tigers one game back prior to a season-ending three-game series versus the Blue Jays. The Tigers took the first game 4-3 behind the pitching of late-season acquisition Doyle Alexander and closer Mike Henneman and home runs by shortstop Alan Trammell and outfielder Scott Lusader. The two teams were now tied for first. The Tigers then moved into sole possession of first-place by winning the second game 3-2 in 12 innings. They got nine strong innings from right-hander Jack Morris and three innings of scoreless relief from Henneman. Trammell knocked in the game winner with a single in the bottom of the 12th. The Tigers clinched the division title on the final day of the season when Frank Tanana out dueled Jimmy Key 1-0 in a battle of southpaws. The Tigers scored their only run on a solo homer by Larry Herndon in the first inning. After seven games between the top two teams, ALL decided by one run, the Tigers finished on top. The Tigers seemingly used up all their energy in winning the division though. The Twins easily eliminated them in the playoffs four games to one. That would be the first of many disappointing series versus the Twins over the next couple of decades. The Tigers finished with a record of 98-64 and led the league in runs scored thanks, in part, to one of Trammell's best seasons. Trammell batted .343 with a 155 OPS+, but mysteriously finished second in the MVP balloting to Toronto outfielder George Bell. Rookie catcher Matt Nokes , first baseman Darrell Evans, center fielder Chester Lemon and Gibson all contributed OPS+ of 130 or above. Morris, Tanana and Walt Terrell carried the starting rotation for much of the year and Henneman came out of no where to solidify the bullpen in his rookie season,. The big key though was Alexander, who went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA after being acquired for minor-league pitcher John Smoltz in August. We know how Smoltz's career went after that, but for those who experienced the greatest divisional race of their lifetime, it seemed worth it. After all, given how bad the Tigers would be over the next 18 years, would Smoltz have made a difference anyway? Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here. The 1915 season would be the first of five 100-win seasons for the Tigers. They went 100-54 with a .649 winning percentage which was the second highest in franchise history. Unfortunately, they finished in second place, two and one half game behind the Boston Red Sox. It was a battle between Detroit's batting and Boston's pitching and it was the Red Sox pitching which won out at the end. In the early decades, the Tigers had some of the best outfields in the history of baseball and 1915 was one of their best. The trio of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford and Bobby Veach led the league in almost every offensive category. Cobb was tops in batting average (.369), OBP (.486), OPS+ (182), total bases (274), runs (144) and stolen bases (96). Crawford led in RBI (112), triples (19) and was second in total bases (264). Bobby Veach lead the circuit with 40 doubles and finished in the top three in total bases and RBI. The Tigers easily led the American League with 778 runs scored. The Tigers two top pitchers were Harry Coveleski (124 ERA+ in 313 innings) and Hooks Dauss (121 ERA+ in 309 innings). They would be no match for the Red Sox staff which had fiver starers with ERA+ of 114 or better. One of those pitchers was a 20 year old rookie name George Herman Ruth who also had a 188 OPS+ in 103 plate appearances. They fell short, but it was a good year for the Tigers. They wouldn't see another one like it for a couple of decades. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
I was going to write a dry statistical post about Jack Morris not belonging in the Hall of Fame, but there's enough of that going on. So, I'm going to tell my personal Jack Morris story instead. I'm not sure why I haven't told this story during my many years on the internet other than I don't usually like to tell personal stories on here. In the Spring of 1988, my father and I made one of our frequent spring training trips to Florida. We stayed at the Tigers team hotel in Lakeland that particular year, so I figured I might catch a glimpse of some players. When we got there, I found out that most of the major leaguers had their own places and didn't stay at the hotel. So, I didn't see any players the first day, except of course at Joker Marchant Stadium. The next night, we were in the hotel lobby when I heard a familiar voice. I knew it was Frank Beckman, who I had heard many times doing news and talk about the Tigers on WJR in Detroit. So, we took the opportunity to talk to Beckman for a few minutes. It was nothing deep, just some general light talk about the Tigers. Beckman then had to leave to do some interviews down the hall. I asked if we could watch the interviews and he said it was OK. The first interview would be with Sparky Anderson. There were no seats left in the small interview room, so my father and I stayed in the hall and watched through the open door. As I was standing there watching Anderson, I saw minor league catcher Chris Hoiles walk by. I only knew it was him because he had a tee shirt with "Hoiles" hand written on the back of it. While I didn't follow minor leaguers that closely back then, it was still pretty cool to see Hoiles in public. I was more interested in watching Sparky though. Then I looked up and noticed somebody much more intriguing than Hoiles. The Jack Morris (who was next in line to be interviewed) was right next to me watching the interview too. Apparently, he was also more interested in Sparky than Hoiles. I'm not sure what Hoiles was doing there since he was never interviewed. Soon a couple of other fans saw what was going on and timidly asked Morris for an autograph. Morris did not look thrilled, but he signed without complaint. As the fans left, Morris backed away and accidentally bumped into me. Yes, future Hall of Famer Jack Morris and I really did collide. He turned around, glared at me and mumbled "scuse me" (He probably wasn't really glaring but he always looks like he's glaring so I'll pretend he was). I mumbled "hi" and smiled nervously at the Tigers ace. A few moments later, my father then asked Morris if he was ready for the interview. Morris turned around and glared at my father (This time I think he really was glaring) and said "Scuse me?". My father asked him again. Morris responded with "Are you kidding? I own Beckman. I'm going to chew him up. Then none other than Alan Trammell walked in and Morris starting talking to him, probably relieved to get away from the Panases. Finally, it's time for Morris to go in for the interview. A few fans came over to get autographs from Trammell. You could sense that they were more comfortable with Trammell than Morris. One of them had me to take a picture of her and Trammell. Trammell eventually went to chat with Sparky who had now left the interview room. Trammell said something about how tough it was for young players just starting out. Then Anderson gave a long rambling tale about something unrelated. What else would you expect from Anderson? After a while, Morris came out of the interview room and Trammell asked him how it went. Morris said: "I gave Beckman some shit. Then I gave him a little more shit. Then I gave him all the shit." Morris knew there were fans around, but he was going to be his own brash self. It would have been disappointing if he wasn't. In fact, the great thing about this little interview drama was that there was not a huge crowd around and I could watch players be themselves. There's plenty more to talk about from that interview session - like a glimpse into the secret lives of Willie Hernandez and Gary Pettis - but I'll save that for another time. For now, I'll stop with future Hall of Famer Jack Morris.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here. I won't dwell on the 2011 season much because it is still fresh in our minds. The Tigers won their first division title in 24 years finishing 95-67, 15 games ahead of the second place Indians. They separated themselves from the pack with a twelve game winning streak in September, their longest since 1934. Ace right hander Justin Verlander had one of the most outstanding seasons for a pitcher in team history leading the league in innings (251), ERA (2.51), wins (24) and strikeouts (250). He also pitched his second career no hitter in route to the MVP and Cy Young awards. Closer Jose Valverde was a perfect 49 for 49 in save situations which is an American League record. First baseman Miguel Cabrera had another excellent season leading the league in batting average (.344), OBP (.448) and doubles 48 and finishing second in OPS (1.033). Catcher Alex Avila emerged as all star at age 24 batting .295 with a .895 OPS. Designated hitter-catcher Victor Martinez batted .330 with a .850 OPS. The Tigers went on to defeat the Yankees three games to two in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, injuries to Avila, Martinez and Delmon Young put them at a disadvantage in the championship series and they lost to the Rangers four games to two. Despite the loss to Texas, the Tigers still have a strong core and could very well add another team to the top twenty in the near future. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.The 1961 season was the beginning of a new era in baseball with the American League going from 8 to 10 teams, the first MLB expansion in 60 years. Additionally, the schedules in both leagues were increased from 154 to 162 games. It was also the year of the most famous record in all of sports: Yankees outfielder Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's 34-year-old home run record with 61 blasts. It was controversial then because of the increased number of games. For different reasons, it is still part of a controversy today. The 1961 season would be a good one for the Tigers as well. After winning just 71 games in 1960, they went 101-61 tying them for the third highest win total in franchise history. They dominated offensively scoring 841 runs, a total eclipsing that of even the powerful Yankees (827). The Tigers were pretty good at run prevention as well finishing third in the league with 671 runs allowed. Unfortunately, the Yankees staff was a little better and the Tigers finished in second place eight games behind. Detroit's high-octane offense was powered by first baseman Norm Cash, who had arguably the best hitting season in the club's history. Stormin' Norman's 85 Batting Runs was the highest total for a Tiger ever. His 201 OPS+ was surpassed only by the great Ty Cobb with 209 in 1917 and 206 in 1910. Cash led the AL with a .361 batting average, .487 OBP and 1.148 OPS. Right fielder Al Kaline typically dazzled with his all around play batting .324 and finishing third in the league with 8.3 WAR. Another Tigers slugger with an outstanding season was left fielder Rocky Colavito with 45 homers, 140 RBI and a 157 OPS+. The Tigers pitching staff was led by a trio of excellent starters. Left-hander Don Mossi finished third in the league with a 2.96 ERA in 240 innings. Right-hander Frank Lary had a 127 ERA+ and finished second in the league with 23 wins. Future United States congressman Jim Bunning posted a 129 OPS+ and 194 strikeouts (good for third in the league). The only thing that was wrong with the 1961 campaign was timing as the the Yankees had an even better season. Other than that, it had all the ingredients of a special season - a great all around team, a high win total and one of the best individual seasons in club history. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.In 1975, the Tigers had one of the worst seasons in franchise history finishing in dead last 37 1/2 games behind. They lost 102 games and were outscored by opponents by 216 runs. What made things even more frustrating is that the Tigers got worse as the season went along. Starting on July 29, they lost 19 consecutive games and went 11-47 through the end of the season. Something needed to happen to re-invigorate a fan base which had lost confidence in their team. Something did happen in 1976 in a big way. In the summer of 1976, the Tigers finished in 5th place, 24 games out of first with a 74-87 record. Despite the losing record though, I think anyone who experienced that season understands why it made the top 20. That was the year rookie sensation Mark Fidrych captivated fans all over the country with his innocence and enthusiasm and outstanding pitching talent. Nicknamed "The Bird" for his resemblance to the Sesame Street character Big Bird, the 21-year-old right hander led the league with a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games, started the all-star game and finished runner up in the AL Cy Young balloting to Baltimore's Jim Palmer. Beyond his performance, Fidrych was known for his antics on and off the mound. He would groom the mound with his hands between innings, talk to himself (some thought he was talking to the ball) before each pitch, strut around the mound after each out and shake the hands of teammates after they made great plays. The Bird was a breath of fresh air and fans loved him. On a team which typically attracted crowds of under 15,000, Fidrych would regularly draw as many as 50,000 fans in his starts. He was so popular that opposing teams would ask the Tigers to start Fidrych in their home parks. The curtain call was born with Fidrych as fans would refuse to leave to park until he made an appearance after the game. Beyond Fidrych, the Tigers did not have a memorable team, but there were some other highlights. Speedy center fielder Ron Leflore hit in 30 consecutive games, the longest streak in the AL in 27 years. Lefore batted .316 with 58 stolen bases for the season. Right fielder Rusty Staub batted .299 with 46 extra base hits and a 137 OPS+. Both Leflore and Staub joined Fidrych in starting the all-star game that year. This is the only losing season in the top 20 series, but there was no hesitation in inculding it on a list of great seasons. It had to be there. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.In the first decade of their existence, the Tigers won three consecutive pennants from 1907-1909. Each of those seasons will be covered in this top 20 series. I'll start with 1908. Like the 1972 team, the 1908 Tigers won by a mere half game due to some odd scheduling. The Tigers had a rain out that did not have to be made up and wound up playing one less game than the second place Cleveland Naps (named after team captain Nap Lajoie). The Tigers clinched the pennant on the final day of the season thanks to a two-hit shutout by right hander Wild Bill Donovan. The final records are shown below: Detroit 90-63 Cleveland 90-64 Chicago 88-64 After the season it was ruled that postponed games potentially impacting a pennant race would have to be made up in the future. The Tigers scored just 4.2 runs per game and allowed 3.6 runs. At first glance, it would appear that the team was led by their pitching, but remember this was during the Deadball era where runs were scarce. In a league where teams averaged 3.4 runs per game, Detroit scored more runs than any team in the league by a wide margin (Cleveland was second with 3.6 RPG). As measured by OPS, the Bengals had four of the top five batters in the league - outfielders Ty Cobb (.842), Same Crawford (.812) and Matty McIntyre (.775) and first baseman Claude Rossman (.748). Those are not great numbers by today's standards but, in a league where only nine batters topped .700, they were quite impressive. Cobb also led the league in batting average (.324), slugging average (.475) and RBI (108). The pitching staff was led by Ed Summers who went 24-12 and finished 4th in the league with a 1.67 ERA in 301 innings pitched. Other key Tigers starters were Donovan (116 ERA+ in 242 IP) and Ed Willett (106 ERA+ in 197 innings). All of these hurlers paled in comparison to Big Ed Walsh of the White Sox who won 40 games and posted a 1.42 ERA in 464 innings! For the second straight season, the Cubs easily eliminated the Tigers in the World Series four games to one. Ty Cobb had a strong series putting up a .368/.400/.421 batting line-up, but he got little help either offensively or defensively. The Cubs won the first two games 10-6 and 6-2. The Tigers got their only win in game three, an 8-3 decision thanks to a four for five performance by Cobb. Chicago then won the final two games on shutouts by Three Finger Brown and Orval Overall. The Tigers would get one more shot at the world championship in 1909. Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 season can be found here.After very successful runs in the 1930s and 1940s, Tigers fans anticipated another entertaining ten years in the 1950s. It didn't work out as they had hoped, but the decade did get of to a good start. In 1950, they went 95-59 for a .617 winning percentage, the seventh best in franchise history. The Tigers roared out of the gate and were 54-27 with a 4 1/2 game lead on July 17. They stayed in first most of the summer, but the Yankees caught them by September. In one of the closest pennant races ever, the Bengals and Bronx Bombers exchanged the league lead eight times in September. unfortunately, the Tigers went 7-9 including 1-5 versus the Indians down the stretch and finished in second place, three behind the Yankees. Detroit had a well balanced team which outscored opponents by 124 runs (837 to 713). Third baseman George Kell had arguably his best season batting .340 with a league-leading 218 hits and 56 doubles. Center fielder Hoot Evers led the team with a 141 OPS+ and finshed third in the AL with a .551 slugging percentage. Right fielder Vic Wertz also had a fine season batting .308 with a 137 OPS+. The Tigers fiinshed second in the AL with a 4.12 ERA as five starters had ERA+ of 106 or better. Right-hander Art Houtteman had his finest season finishing in the top five in the AL in wins (19), innings (275), ERA (3.54) and complete games (21). After their strong first season, The Tigers would not win more than 82 games again during the decade .Some of data for this article were gathered from Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org
The Tigers announced today that they have signed utility man Eric Patterson to a minor league contract. The versatile Patterson has seen action at second base and all three outfield positions in five partial seasons in the majors. The Tigers will be his fifth organization in a career which has included stints with the Cubs, Athletics, Red Sox and Padres. The 28-year-old left-handed batter has hit .217 with 10 homers and 37 extra base hits in 574 major league plate appearances, which is the equivalent of one full season. He walks in about 10% of his PA which is OK, but has an OBP of .294 because he hasn't hit for average. The one thing he thing is does exceptionally well is run and he has stolen 35 bases in 40 career attempts. Patterson may compete for the 25th spot on the roster with outfielders Andy Dirks and Clete Thomas and infielder Danny Worth. The one advantage he has over all those players is the ability to play both infield and outfield. Still, the most likely result is that he'll start the season in Toledo serving as organizational depth in case there are injuries at the major league level.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 season can be found here. If there were a time machine which could place me in any period in baseball history, the first teams I would watch would be the Tigers of the mid-1930s. Between 1934-1938, no fewer than six future Hall of Famers would wear the Olde English D. These teams won two pennants, one world championship and had four of the five highest-scoring teams in franchise history. You can be sure that this span will be well represented in the top 20. The 1937 squad was one of the most explosive Tigers teams ever. They scored 935 runs, a total surpassed only by the 1934 team's 957. They were led by two of the future Hall-of-Famers - second baseman Charlie Gehringer and first basemen Hank Greenberg. Gehringer, won the American League MVP after batting a league-leading .371 with a .458 on-base percentage. Greenberg batted .337 with 103 extra-base hits and an amazing 183 RBI, the third-highest total in MLB history. The supporting cast was also impressive. Rookie catcher Rudy York belted 18 home runs in the month of August, an MLB single-month record that would stand for 61 years until it was broken by Sammy Sosa in 1998. Big Rudy ended the season with 35 homers and a .651 slugging average in 104 games. In addition, outfielders Pete Fox and Gee Walker each contributed over 200 hits, giving them four players above that milestone. Unfortunately, the Tigers lacked the pitching depth of their pennant-winning 1934-1935 teams and finished seventh in an eight-team league with a 4.87 ERA. Their top pitchers were Eldon Auker with a 120 ERA+ in 253 innings and Tommy Bridges with a 115 ERA+ in 245 innings, but they had little beyond that. The staff suffered a big blow when the popular Schoolboy Rowe missed most of the season with a sore arm. The end result was a 89-63 record and a second place finish, 13 games behind the Yankees. Still, this extraordinary offensive team deserves a spot on a list of best Tigers seasons ever.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 season can be found here.Under normal circumstances, a Tigers team that won a division title and had an exciting playoff series would rank higher than 18 on a list of best seasons. Unfortunately, 1972 was the year of the first league-wide work stoppage in MLB history. It only lasted from April 1-13, but that seemed like forever to a nine-year-old boy who didn't understand why they weren't playing baseball games. That disappointment knocks this season down a few notches, but it still has to be included in the top 20. As it turned out, the strike may have helped the Tigers win the American League East division title. Because of games missed to the strike, the Tigers wound up playing one more game than the Red Sox. That one game proved to be the difference in the race as the Tigers beat out the Red Sox by a half a game. Going into the final weekend, the Red Sox led the Tigers by one half game as the two teams met in a three-game series. The Tigers won the first two games of the series to clinch the division title. The Red Sox won the final game to pull within a half game, but it didn't matter. The final records were: Detroit 86-70 .551 --- Boston 85-70 .548 1/2 The 1972 season was the last hurrah for an aging Tigers team which had won a championship in 1968. The offense was led by two players in the twilights of their career - first baseman Norm Cash and right fielder Al Kaline, both 37 years old. Other holdovers from the '68 team included catcher Bill Freehan, second baseman Dick McAuliffe and outfielders Gates Brown, Willie Horton, Jim Northrup and Mickey Stanley. They finished only fifth in a twelve team league with 558 runs scored. The strength of this team was pitching. Fiery manager Billy Martin worked his top starters - left-hander Mickey Lolich and right-hander Joe Coleman - very hard. Lolich won 22 games and posted a 2.50 ERA and 250 strikeouts in 327 innings. Coleman won 19 games and had a 2.50 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 280 innings. The final piece was not added until late in the season though. On August 2, the Tigers acquired pitcher Woodie Fryman off waivers from the Phillies (who thought the southpaw was all done). Fryman was magnificent down the stretch with a 2.06 ERA and 10 wins, including the division clincher. The Tigers then faced the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in the League Championship Series and gave them a good battle. The A's took the first two games of the series at home, but the series then went to Tiger Stadium for three games. The Tigers took the third game of 3-0 behind a complete game, 14 strikeout effort by Coleman. The fourth game was one of the most memorable in playoff history. The score was tied at one after nine innings, but a two-run tenth put the Athletics in front 3-1. The Tigers then mounted a dramatic three-run rally in the bottom of the inning to win it 4-3. The tying run scored on a bases-loaded walk to Cash by reliever Dave Hamilton. The game winning hit was a single by Northrup scoring Brown. Oakland eliminated the Tigers with a 2-1 win in game five as Blue Moon Odom and Vida Blue held the Tigers to just four hits. One of the hits was a one-out single by Northrup in the ninth, but the Tigers could not score him. This would be the Tigers last post-season game for 12 years.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here.The 1920s decade was not one of the Tigers most successful. They won no pennants, finished as high as second place only once, and never won more than 86 games. However there was was no shortage of individual batting stars playing in Detroit during the period. The decade spanned the end of Ty Cobb's legendary career and the beginning of the Charlie Gehringer era. Other Tiger greats during the time included Harry Heilmann, Heinie Manush and Bobby Veach. They lacked the pitching required to win championships, but it was an exciting decade for those who love offense. The Tigers only second place finish was in 1923 when they went 83-71. Unfortunately, it was a distant second, 16 games behind the powerful New York Yankees. A total of 911,377 Navin Field fans watched a team featuring three future Hall of Fame outfielders in Cobb (also the team's manager), Heilmann and Manush. They finished second in the league with 833 runs scored and batted .300 as a team. This was the year Heilmann took over for Cobb as the team's best hitter and what a season he had. Slug had probably the best year of his fantastic career winning his second of four batting tittles with a .403 batting average. He had incredible numbers across the board finishing in the top five in almost every offensive category - 2nd in on base percentage (.481) and slugging average (.632), third in homers (18), hits (211) and RBI (115), and fourth in doubles (44), runs (121) and total bases (331). It was one of the most amazing individual hitting performances in franchise history. Heilmann had a good supporting cast on a team which had five batters finish in the top 15 in on base percentage. The 36 year old Cobb slipped from a .401 batting average in 1902 to .340 in 1923, but still managed a .413 OBP and 134 OPS+. Manush started his illustrious career with a .334/.406/.471 batting line in 109 games. Other on-base leaders included catcher Johnny Bassler (.414), first baseman Lu Blue (.402), shortstop Topper Rigney (.389) and Bobby Veach .388 (in 339 at bats). Like most Tigers teams of the twenties, the 1923 squad was held back by their pitching. All-time franchise wins leader Hooks Dauss won the team pitching triple crown with 21 wins, a 3.62 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 316 innings pitched. Herman Polycarp Pillette was their second best starter with a 3.85 ERA in 250 innings. They had very little beyond that finishing seventh in an eight-team league with a 4.09 ERA.
In reviewing the history of the Detroit Tigers, I often think about the best seasons to be a Tigers fan. So, I am writing a series of posts listing the top 20 seasons in Tigers history. There is no specific formula for determining the best seasons, but there are some criteria which I consider carefully. Playoff appearances, especially those leading to world championships are, of course, important. Team dominance as measured by winning percentage and run differential also carries a lot of weight. While most of the teams on the list did win a lot of games, this is not simply a ranking of the best teams statistically. Sometimes, a non-winning season stands out because of great individual achievements or because the team was unique in some way. I wanted every decade to be represented and since the Tigers have had a couple of poor decades, this was a challenge. However, the Tigers have managed to put together at least one campaign each decade which was memorable even if it was not a great year in terms of wins and losses and some of those seasons will also be included. The entire list of 20 seasons can be found here. The 1990s were a tough time for Tigers fans, especially those too young to remember the great teams of the mid-1980s. It was a decade where the Tigers failed to make the playoffs and posted only two winning seasons. However, they did have some exciting offensive teams at the beginning of the decade. In 1990, Cecil Fielder came out of nowhere to become the first major league hitter in 13 years to blast 50 homers. That season almost made the list for that reason alone. The best team of the decade though was the collection of hitters which led the American League in home runs, walks and strikeouts in 1991. The Tigers finished in second place at 84-78, seven games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. It wasn't a great team, but the Bengals explosive offense held the attention of fans all year long. They finished second in the league with 817 runs scored and crushed 209 homers which was 32 more than the next highest team, the Rangers at 177. Fielder had another outstanding season leading the majors with 44 homers and 133 RBI and finishing second in the MVP voting to Baltimore's Cal Ripken. However, he may not have been the best hitter on the team. His 27.1 Batting Runs were only third on the team behind catcher Mickey Tettleton (30.4) and second baseman Lou Whitaker (30.2). The Tigers also had perhaps the best utility player of all time in Tony Phillips. Phillips played at least nine games at every position expect catcher and first base while reaching base at a .371 clip. Adding to the character of the team was the hit-or-miss duo of Rob Deer and Pete Incaviglia. They could hit the ball a mile but combined to strikeout 267 times in 916 at bats. With 25 homers and 89 walks. Deer may have been the best .179 hitter ever! Many blamed the lack of success of this team on all the strikeouts, but it was actually an offensive machine. The reason the team did not go further was the pitching. They finished 12th in the league with 794 runs allowed. Their staff was led by right hander Bill Gullickson (3.90 ERA in 226 innings) and Frank Tanana (3.77 ERA in 217 innings), but they had little depth. Gullickson was the last Tigers pitcher prior to Justin Verlander to win 20 games, but much of that was due to some of the best offensive support in baseball.
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