A four-time All-Star during his stint with the Detroit Tigers (1990-97), Travis Fryman was a former Silver Slugger winner who smacked 149 Home Runs and had a .300 Batting Average Season in 1993.  Fryman had 1,176 Hits in Detroit.

You would think that he would be much higher wouldn’t you?

It is certainly accurate that Kirk Gibson is best remembered for his dramatic World Series walk-off Home Run for the Los Angeles Dodgers (a year he was named MVP) but the real meat of his career was in Motown playing for the Tigers.  Gibson was already a World Series Champion in Detroit (1984) and won the MVP of the ALCS that year.  As a Tiger, Gibson would hit 195 Home Runs, steal 194 bases with a .480 Slugging Percentage.

After seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Chet Lemon was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1981, where he would play nine seasons until he retired after the 1990 season.  Playing in the Outfield, Lemon had three 20 Home Run seasons for Detroit, nad was an All-Star in 1984.  That was the same year where he was a integral part of the Tigers World Series winning team.  As a TIger, he would have 1,071 Hits with 142 Home Runs.

A Detroit Tiger for 12 of his 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, Virgil Trucks would become the third Pitcher in MLB history to hurl two no-hitters in a season.  Trucks would be an All-Star in 1949 and the Strikeouts Champion the same year.  In 1945, Virgil would win a game in the World Series Title for Detroit.  In his 12 seasons in Detroit, Trucks would go 114-96 with 1,046 Strikeouts.

With the label as the “Yankee Killer” (he had a 27 and 10 record against the Bronx Bombers), Frank Lary was a two-time All-Star who in 1961 finished third in Cy Young voting.  Lary would also lead the American League in Innings Pitched three times and would also lead the AL in Wins in 1956.  Lary would post a record in Detroit of 123-110 with 1,031 Strikeouts.

A six-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers, Lance Parrish was the clean-up hitter for the 1984 World Series Championship Team.  Parrish would twice belt over 30 Home Runs and was named a Silver Slugger five times in addition to his three Gold Gloves as a Tiger.  For a Catcher in his era, Parrish's offense was especialy valuable and he would have 212 Home Runs in Detroit.

Spending the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Willie Horton was a feared power hitter who belted 20 Home Runs six times amassing 262 Home Runs over his Tigers career.  Horton was an All-Star four times and finished fourth in MVP voting in 1968, which was the year he helped the Tigers win the World Series.  Horton was so beloved in Detroit that they would retire his number despite him not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Horton might not have been among the best baseball players in Tigers history, but if this list was based on popularity, he would have been in the top five.

Predominantly a reliever in his baseball career, which was spent in its entirety with the Detroit Tigers, John Hiller was a member of the 1968 World Series Championship Team and in 1973 would finish fourth in MVP and Cy Young Voting.  That season, he would record 38 Saves, an extraordinary mark for that time period.  He would be an All-Star the following season.  Overall, with the Tigers, the lefthander would have a record of 87-76 with 1,036 Strikeouts and 125 Saves.

A member of the 1968 World Series Championship Team, Dick McAuliffe was an three time All Star in the three years leading up to that championship season.  A versatile infielder, McAuliffe and his unorthodox batting stance popped 192 Home Runs for the Detroit Tigers and would lead the American League in Runs Scored in 1968.

Hall of Fame Pitcher Jim Bunning spent less time with the Philadelphia Phillies than he did with Detroit, but it was with the former where he would be more recognized.  Still, it was with the Tigers where he accomplished more accumulatively and went to five All-Star Games.  As a Tiger, Bunning was a two-time league leader in Strikeouts and would lead the AL once in Wins and FIP.  

Overall, as a Tiger, Bunning had a record of 118-87 with 1,406 Strikeouts.  He would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, albeit wearing a Phillies cap.

While George Mullin was not exactly known for his control (he led the AL in Walks four times) he was a workhorse of a power pitcher, exceeding 20 wins in a season six times, including the 1909 season where he led the American League in that category.  Mullin still holds the franchise record for Innings Pitched both all-time and in a single season.

Helping the Tigers win three Pennants (1907-09), Mullin and Detroit may not have won any of those World Series, but he went 3-3 overall with an ERA of 1.86, showing that he certainly did his part.  He was also an excellent batter and was one of the best Detroit ever had.  He batted .261 with 372 Hits for the Tigers.  Overall, he went 209-179 with 1,380 Strikeouts.

Joining the Detroit Tigers in 1903, Bill Donovan was a solid Pitcher who in 1907 helped the Tigers to the Pennant when he posted (what is still) a franchise best winning percentage with a 25 and 4 record.  He was a big part of them winning the next two Pennants and would overall have a record of 140 and 96.  Donovan was also an above average hitter for a Pitcher and batted .207 for Detroit.

Known for his patented curveball (which was why they called him “Hooks”), George “Hooks” Dauss was a career Detroit Tiger (1912-26) who won over 200 Games for the franchise and would reach 20 Wins in a season on three occasions.  Dauss still holds the Detroit Tigers record for Wins with 223, and he would have 1,201 Strikeouts.

While Rudy York had his most productive years in World War II he was still seven-time All-Star (thus reflecting that he was still a great player when MLB was stacked).  York would smack 20 Home Runs in seven consecutive seasons, including winning the Home Run Title in 1943.  That year, he also led the American League in Slugging Percentage and Runs Batted In and finished third in MVP voting.  With Detroit, he would smack 239 Home Runs with 1,317 Hits and a Slash Line of .282/.369/.503.

Sometimes it felt as if Mickey Lolich never got his due, no matter what he accomplished.  

Donie Bush was one of the better defensive Shortstops of his day, finishing in the top ten in Defensive bWAR seven times, but was never really regarded (in his day) as a good hitter.  While he did finish his career (mostly with Detroit) with a .250 Batting Average, he is a five-time American League leader in Walks, an important statistic that is held in higher regard now.

Bush was with Detroit for the first 14 years of his life, and he would have 1,745 Hits and a Defensive bWAR of 9.9 for Detroit.

The Pitcher with the most wins in the 1980s, Jack Morris was the Tigers’ ace for a full decade.  Morris and his split-fingered fastball would hurl the Tigers to the 1984 World Series and would go the All-Star Game four times as a Tiger. 

While Morris did not make the Baseball Hall of Fame through the regular method, he did eventually enter via the Veterans Committee in 2018.  One of the best clutch pitchers ever, Morris would later win three other World Series rings (one with Minnesota and two with Toronto).  With the Tigers, Morris pitched a no-hitter, went 198-150, and had 1,980 Strikeouts.  The Veteran's Committee inducted Morris into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Tigers responded by retiring his number 47.  

While Dizzy Trout easily had his best seasons in the war depleted 1940’s, he was still an effective hurler after World War II.  

Justin Verlander played a pair of Games in 2005, and he shot out of the gate as a rookie in 2006, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award with a 17-9 record.  Some ROYs falter, but this would not be the case for JV.