Team 105: The 1975 Tigers

• Year: 1975
• Record: 57-102
• Win %: .358
• Win % Change: -86 from the previous season
• Run Differential: -216
• Pythagorean Record: 57-102
• AL Finish: 12th of 12
• Manager: Ralph Houk
• Best Transaction: This is a tough call.  This transaction took place in 1975, but after the season had finished and it marked the departure of a well-know and accomplished Tiger, Mickey Lolich.  Lolich lost 18 games in 1975 and it was becoming clear that his best years were behind him.  The Tigers traded a no-name player and Lolich to the New York Mets in a deal that netted Detroit a no-name of their own and Rusty Staub.  Lolich played only one season in NY before retiring.  Staub on the other hand, had three good offensive years in Detroit, making an All-Star team and finishing fifth in MVP voting in separate seasons.
• Worst Transaction: Not a lot to chose from here.  There weren’t a lot of moves in 1975 and the Tigers actually did pretty well for themselves in the draft.  In December (again, after the season) the Tigers traded Leon Roberts and others to the Houston Astros for very little.  The main player the Tigers got in the deal was Milt May, who was average at best.  Roberts would have a few good years in Houston.
• Upper: The June draft was good to the Tigers as they picked up both Jason Thompson and Lou Whitaker.  Whitaker obviously was the big prize here for the Tigers.  In the January draft (back when they did that sort of thing), the Tigers picked up Tom Brookens and Dave Rozema.  As far as performances went, there just wasn’t a lot going right for the Tigers.  Mickey Lolich made his final appearance in a Tigers uniform and veteran’s like Bill Freehan were still hanging around, reminding fans of better times.
• Downer: The offense was terrible in 1975.  The Tigers leadoff man was Ron LeFlore.  LeFlore’s story is both inspirational (the Tigers found him in a Detroit prison) and depressing (he spent years after his career, back behind bars).  However, LeFlore was pretty bad in 1975.  He stole 28 bases, leading the team, but was caught attempting to steal 20 times.  He also struck out 139 times against only 33 walks, contributing to an OBP of only .302.    Willie Horton kept plodding long for the Tigers, leading the club with 25 home runs while posting an OBP of only .319.
• Summary: The nice thing about 1975 was that it marked a turning point in Detroit.  The Tigers would not return to the cellar of the AL until 1989 and enjoyed some successes in that 14 year span.  The Tigers awful year in 1975 enabled them to select highly in the draft, something they did often but did well in the mid-1970s.  This club, in a way, was the transitional club between the 1968 club and the young guys that would go on to form the nucleus of the 1984 champs.  The Tigers were in first place on May 1st, but it was all downhill from there.  At the All-Star break the team was 8 games below .500, but would go 18-55 after the break, which is pretty staggering when you think about it.  Amazingly, manager Ralph Houk would hold on for a few more seasons before Sparky Anderson took over the club.

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