All-Time MLB Teams Pt. 1: Detroit Tigers

Welcome to the first of many articles in this new series, where I’ll compile what I believe to be the best all-time team for every MLB franchise. Some rules for this series:

- All players are in their prime.
- Players can appear on more than one team.
- I will be filling out a starting rotation of 5 pitchers, a bullpen of 8 pitchers, and a bench of 2 infielders, 2 outfielders, and a catcher.
- I tried to fill the bullpen with actual relievers, not just leftover starters.

Today’s team will be the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are one of the most historic franchises in the league, so it comes as no surprise that their all-time team is very strong from top to bottom.

Rotation

1. Justin Verlander

2. Hal Newhouser

3. Mickey Lolich

4. Jack Morris

5. Denny McLain

The starting rotation is very good, with the top two pitchers being the most elite in my eyes. Verlander, Newhouser, Morris, and honestly Lolich were all no-brainers to me. Verlander and Newhouser are clearly two of the franchise’s best pitchers based on stats and accolades, and Morris was a consistent ace for some of the best squads in Tigers history. Lolich was also the ace of some great teams back in the ‘60s. The hardest decision was the last spot. I could’ve gone Max Scherzer, but I decided to pick Denny McLain. While his prime and overall career were quite short, he put up some of the greatest pitching seasons ever and helped the Tigers capture a World Series in 1968.

Lineup/Bench

1. Ty Cobb, CF

2. Alan Trammell, SS

3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B

4. Hank Greenberg, LF

5. Al Kaline, RF

6. Norm Cash, 1B

7. Willie Horton, DH

8. Lance Parrish, C

9. Lou Whitaker, 2B

Bench:

• INF: Charlie Gehringer, George Kell

• OF: Harry Heilmann, Kirk Gibson

• C: Bill Freehan

For the offense, it only makes sense to lead off with Ty Cobb, one of the most legendary players of all time and a fiery baserunner. This bumps Whitaker down to the nine spot, who I decided to start over Charlie Gehringer due to his chemistry with Trammell. Cabrera, Greenberg, and Kaline go 3, 4, 5 in the lineup, which may be one of the more lethal trios of any team. I decided to go with Cabrera and third to put Norm Cash at first, which also means that Hank Greenberg will play left field. Fortunately, this is likely to work out given that Hammerin’ Hank won an MVP at both first base and left field. The starters are rounded out with Willie Horton at the DH spot and Lance Parrish behind the dish. As for the bench, some old-time legends fill out a majority of the spots, while Kirk Gibson adds some extra athleticism.

Bullpen

• Willie Hernandez, CL

• John Hiller

• Aurelio Lopez

• Todd Jones

• Jose Valverde

• Mike Henneman

• Joaquin Benoit

• Terry Fox

While the Tigers’ bullpen has been notoriously bad in recent years, they actually have a pretty solid all-time one. Willie Hernandez is the no-doubt closer in my eyes, even though his prime didn’t last incredibly long. John Hiller may be one of the more underrated relievers in MLB history, while Aurelio Lopez and Todd Jones were both fairly consistent for Detroit. I had the hardest time deciding between the last two spots, but I went with Benoit and Fox. Fox didn’t play long and only had a few really good seasons, but he still ranks pretty high in most of the career leaderboards for Tigers relievers and played the majority of his career with Detroit. Benoit played most of his career with Texas, but his best years came with the Tigers (aside from the David Ortiz grand slam).

That’s all she wrote for the first post of this series! Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!