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.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Tigers Top 20 Seasons: #17 1937
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.
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.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Tigers Top 20 Seasons: #18 1972
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.
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.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Tigers Top 20 Seasons: #19 1923
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.
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.
Tigers Top 20 Seasons: #20 1991
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.
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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