Team 74: The 1929 Tigers

Year: 1929

Record: 70-84

Win Percentage: .455

Win Percentage Change: .013

Run Differential: -2

Pythagorean Record: 77-77

AL Finish: Sixth of eight

Manager: Bucky Harris

Best Transaction: Signed Hank Greenberg as a free agent

Not a bad pickup here if you’re a Tigers fan. Greenberg, then just 18 years old, went on to become one of the greatest run producers in the history of the game.

Hammerin’ Hank had RBI seasons of 150, 170, and 183. Greenberg led the league in RBI and homers three times apiece. He was twice named the AL MVP. He wasn’t a regular in Detroit until 1933 and missed his prime due to World War II.

Worst Transaction: Let Rick Ferrell walk away as a free agent

Ferrell was let go prior to the 1929 season, but I had to count it here. Ferrell went on to become a Hall of Fame catcher and hung around in the big leagues for 18 seasons. Along with his long career, Ferrell set the all-time record for games caught by a catcher in the AL, a record that stood until Carlton Fisk broke it in 1988.

Ferrell was an eight-time All-Star and worked for the Tigers organization for 30 years after his playing days were finished.

Upper: The Tigers' offensive trio of Harry Heilmann, Charlie Gehringer, and some guy named Dale Alexander

Heilmann and Gehringer are familiar names to most Tigers fans, and they put up their typical great numbers in 1929. They both had an OPS+ of over 139, and Gehringer scored 131 runs while Heilmann drove in 120 runs.

Alexander is the strange story here. His big league career lasted just 662 games, but he was a monster during his 3.5 years in Detroit. In 1929, as a rookie, Alexander led the AL in hits and hit .343. His OPS+ of 148 placed him right behind Heilmann for the team lead. A leg injury prematurely ended his career after only five seasons.

Downer

The pitching staff was a real mess, finishing the season with a staff ERA+ of only 86, last in the American League. No pitching staff in the AL gave up more hits, runs, or walks than the Tigers' group. Of all the Tigers pitchers to throw at least 30 innings in 1929, only one of them had an ERA+ better than 100 (George Uhle, 105).

Summary

This team followed the story of most of the bad Tigers teams in history: They had some decent hitting but just couldn’t put it together on the mound. Uhle won 15 games, while Vic Sorrell and Earl Whitehill each won 14 games with poor ERAs.

Harry Rice and Roy Johnson chipped in with Heilmann to create a pretty powerful outfield trio. The Tigers got no offense at all from the catcher or shortstop positions, but that wasn’t really that big of a deal during this era.

The club went 42-39 in the first half of the season and hung in there in the American League. However, they were doomed by a 9-17 record in the month of July and were unable to recover.