Top 10 Best Detroit Tigers Players of All Time

The Tigers are an American League Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers have secured the AL Pennant 11 times and are four-time World Series Champions (1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984). The Tigers entered the baseball scene in 1894, making them one of the oldest teams still in the MLB, as well as one of the oldest to continually play in the same city. Who are the top 10 Detroit Tigers of all time? This article ranks the best of the best from the Detroit Tigers baseball franchise.

Who Are the Best Detroit Tigers Baseball Players of All Time?

1. Ty Cobb
2. Al Kaline
3. Charlie Gehringer
4. Lou Whitaker
5. Hank Greenburg
6. Alan Trammell
7. Justin Verlander
8. Harry Heilmann
9. Mickey Lolich
10. Miguel Cabrera

1. Ty Cobb

• 11-time AL batting title winner
• 1911 MVP
• Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame, 1936

Ty Cobb is one of the most widely respected, albeit somewhat notorious baseball names. Rumors have circulated almost since professional baseball’s beginnings about Cobb’s meanness and “dirty” play. That Cobb would sharpen his spikes before sliding into bases, intentionally making contact with the opposing team’s players, is just one of these many rumors. The degree to which these rumors are true, however, is now widely debated. What is undebatable is that Ty Cobb’s .366 career batting average is an MLB all-time record. Second only to Pete Rose, Ty Cobb managed 4,189 hits over his career.

Unlike most notable batters in the MLB, Ty Cobb is not known for home runs. Instead, the year he won American League MVP (1911), he led the league in every other hitting category. Cobb played Major League Baseball from 1905-1928, and he spent all but two of those years in Detroit’s center field. Not only was Ty Cobb one of only five players inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936, but he received the most votes of this first group of major leaguers to ever receive the honor.

2. Al Kaline

• 10 Golden Gloves
• 18-time All-Star
• Nicknamed “Mr. Tiger”

Al Kaline played right field for the Tigers from 1953-1974. Only 33 Major Leaguers have reached 3,000 hits in their careers, and Kaline is one of them, with 3,007 total hits. Kaline was never voted MVP, but some would consider this a slight, as he led the American League in batting average, with .340, and hits, with 200, in 1955. He was, however, an American League All-Star in 18 different seasons. Kaline was also an enormous part of the Tiger’s third World Series victory in 1968, collecting eight RBIs and two home runs. Kaline’s leadership as a Detroit Tiger cannot be understated, as it, even more than his impressive statistics, is what earned him the name “Mr. Tiger.” Al Kaline was unsurprisingly inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.

3. Charlie Gehringer

• 1937 MVP
• No. 2 jersey retired by the Tigers
• Six All-Star Game appearances

Another career-long Tiger, Charlie Gehringer played second base in Detroit from 1924-1942. Gehringer had a stellar bat, averaging 13 home runs, 10 triples, and over 40 doubles per season. Widely considered as one of the top five of all time at his position, Gehringer’s 60 doubles in the 1936 season place him sixth on the MLB all-time list. Gehringer manned second base in the first of Detroit’s World Series wins, 1935. Though Gehringer could have had a few more successful years of racking up baseball statistics, his career ended in 1942 when he joined the Navy in the thick of World War II. Gehringer coached and played on a baseball team while going through the Naval Academy; he was also inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1949.

4. Lou Whitaker

• 1984 AL Rookie of the Year
• Three Golden Gloves
• Five All-Star appearances

Another second baseman on this list, Lou Whitaker’s defensive prowess was critical in bringing home the Tiger’s most recent World Series win in 1984. Whitaker’s 244 career home runs place him seventh on Detroit’s all time list. His .789 on-base plus slugging percentage is unsurprising when he drove in 1,084 RBIs, knocked 2,369 hits, and walked 1,197 times over his career. 1983 was Whitaker’s best statistical season, one in which he hit 12 of his home runs, drove in 72 RBIs, and ended with a .320 batting average. Whitaker has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but with a career that didn’t wrap up until 1995, there’s still time.

5. Hank Greenburg

• 1935 and 1945 World Series Champion
• 1935 and 1940 MVP
• Cooperstown Hall of Famer, 1956

Hank Greenburg, also known as “Hammerin’ Hank,” played first base for 12 years with the Detroit Tigers. This Hall of Famer with a fantastic bat sat out some of his peak years in favor of serving in World War II. Still, Greenburg managed five All-Star games, two World Series wins, and two American League Most Valuable Player awards. The World Series appearances Greenburg made speak greatly to his potential as a player, had his career continued uninterrupted. Responsible for 22 RBIs, Greenburg batted a .318 average in these critical games. Greenburg was later inducted into the Hall of Fame and served as a general manager for both the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.

6. Alan Trammell

• Hall of Famer, 2018
• Six-time All-Star
• Three-time Silver Slugger winner

Alan Trammell’s defensive presence at shortstop, alongside Lou Whitaker’s at second base, made the 1984 Tigers’ infield tough to crack. Unfortunately for Detroit’s opponents, Trammell and Whitaker played a total of 1,918 games together, the most games played as a duo by a second baseman and shortstop in MLB history. Trammell rightfully collected a Golden Glove four times, and his bat solidified him as Fall Classic MVP in the Tigers’ most recent World Series win. 1987 is widely considered Trammell’s best season, though, both offensively and as a shortstop. Trammell ended the 1987 season with a 7.7 WAR and a .343 batting average. The shortstop earned these stats with 105 RBIs and 28 home runs, and what’s more is most of those were collected in September, when the Tigers needed him most. Trammell is now a Cooperstown Hall of Famer, but the honor was surprisingly long-awaited, his induction not taking place until 2018.

7. Justin Verlander

• Three-time Cy Young Award winner
• 2006 Rookie of the Year
• 2011 American League MVP

Justin Verlander has been pitching in Major League Baseball since 2006, a season he came out of the gate strong in, finishing as American League Rookie of the Year and Number 7 finalist in the Cy Young Awards voting. Verlander is a pitcher of endurance. As a Tiger, he led the AL in innings pitched in three separate seasons. In 2011, he boasted a 2.40 ERA, and his total strikeouts as a Tiger total 2,373. As Verlander’s career continued, his strikeout total rose to 3,198, placing him 12th on the list of all-time MLB strikeouts. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Verlander would not eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame, especially as he is still actively pitching, and is still as good as ever. His last Cy Young, just recently earned in 2022, was won as a New York Met. The Mets are the third MLB team Justin Verlander has pitched for, after the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.

8. Harry Heilmann

• Four-time American League Batting Title winner
• First player to hit a home run in every MLB ballpark
• Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame, 1952

Another World War veteran on this list, Tigers’ outfielder Harry Heilmann missed out on half of the 1918 season due to WWI Navy service. He returned with a flaming bat, claiming the American League Batting Title in 1921, 1923, 1925, and 1927 with an over .390 average each season. He even surpassed .400 in 1923, with a .403. Heilmann wasn’t the only impressive man in Detroit’s outfield at the time. In fact, some would consider this Tigers’ outfield one of the best ever, when Heilmann was joined by Ty Cobb, Bobby Leach, and Heinie Manush. Heilmann played 17 total seasons, and although he wasn’t considered for the Hall of Fame as early as teammate Ty Cobb (1936), he did receive induction in 1952.

9. Mickey Lolich

• Highest WAR of all Tigers’ pitchers, 61.4
• Most strikeouts in Tigers’ history, 2,679
• Most shutouts in Tigers’ history, 39

The second pitcher on this list is Mickey Lolich, a left-handed starting pitcher who dominated Detroit’s mound from 1963-1975. Lolich collected three wins in the Tigers’ 1969 World Series MVP, as well as Fall Classic MVP. In 11 continuous years, Lolich collected at least 14 wins each season, ending with 217 total wins. He ended his career with a 3.44 ERA and over 40 shutouts. Lolich also played for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets; however, his time as a Tiger is best remembered, and what earned him his only World Series win.

10. Miguel Cabrera

• 2012 Triple Crown winner
• Led the AL in home runs in 2008 and 2012
• 2012, 2013 MVP

Miguel Cabrera, born in Venezuela, began his career for the Florida Marlins in 1999. Traded to Detroit in 2008, he is still playing first base and designated hitter for the Tigers today. Cabrera is a Detroit hitting legend, ranked third on their list of all-time homers, with 369. On April 23, 2022, Cabrera became the most recent, and only the 33rd, to join the 3,000-hit club with a single against the Colorado Rockies. Although he may not surpass Ty Cobb’s 3,902 hits before retirement, he did surpass Al Kaline’s 3,007, now boasting 3,088 and counting. Like Justin Verlander, the other active player on this list, it is likely that Cabrera will eventually earn a spot in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mentions

• Dizzy Trout
• George Kell
• Hal Newhouser
• Jack Morris
• Lance Parrish
• Mickey Stanley
• Norm Cash
• Sam Crawford
• Sparky Anderson
• Tommy Bridges
• Willie Horton

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