Top 10 Detroit Tigers of the Last 30 Years

Let's take a break from all the trade rumors and Jim Leyland bashing (deserved bashing, at least today) to reflect on some of the greats that have worn the old English "D" over the last 30 years.

Why only 30 years? Because that is about as far as I go baseball-wise. And sure, I can speculate on all the old-time greats like Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg and Al Kaline, but it would be insincere since I never saw them play.

I can rehash stats all day long, and I will at some point put together an all-time list.

But for now, let's focus on the players that have been special over my lifetime.

10. Bobby Higginson

Bobby Higginson was the Tigers' best player through some really bad years.

Some call these the "lost years" in Detroit, when people kind of forgot about the Tigers.

Higginson called to mind Kirk Gibson with the way he played the game.

True, his decline was steep and sudden, and he never won anything. But for a five or six-year stretch, he was Detroit baseball.

9. Cecil Fielder

I still remember when we signed big Cecil Fielder.

I was just a pup, but even I knew this was a stretch. The guy was playing for some Japanese team the year prior after washing out with Toronto. How much help would he be?

Turns out, quite a bit. Fielder burst onto the seen, immediately hitting 51 home runs and mashing 132 RBI. It was the most homers anyone had hit since 1977.

Over the course of the seven years he was in Detroit, he averaged 38 homers and 108 RBI.

The Tigers never won anything during that time, but he was a force to be reckoned with.

8. Magglio Ordonez

Maggs was a major risk when he signed as a free agent in 2005.

He had just come off of major injuries, and there was no guarantee that he would be able to become the player he had been.

But the Tigers were desperate and needed a star to bring in some fans.

Magglio certainly delivered.

Over the course of the last seven years, he has averaged .313, including a batting title in 2007 when he hit .363. He hit the pennant clinching home run in 2006 and has breathed new life into this franchise.

Sure, the Pudge Rodriguez signing was the real beginning, but Magglio gave us momentum.

7. Lance Parrish

Six seasons of 22 homers or more. Five seasons of 80-plus RBI. Six All-Star selections. Three gold gloves. Oh, and by the way, he was a catcher!

Arguably the best Tigers catcher since WWII, Parrish or Big Wheel was the benchmark behind the plate for a decade.

6. Kirk Gibson

Now this guy was a fun player to watch. No other Tiger in recent memory approached the game with such desire and recklessness as Gibby.

I still remember the day I heard he was leaving for Los Angeles. I seriously built a shrine to him made up of press clippings. The guy was a legend.

His stats don't jump off the page, but he could do it all. He had great speed, could hit for power, had a good arm and hit in clutch situations.

In the Tigers World Series winning season, he hit 27 homers and knocked in 91 runners.

After gaining fame and fortune for the Dodgers, he even came back home and had a couple renaissance years in Detroit.

This guy, through and through, is a Tiger.

5. Justin Verlander

What Jack Morris was in the 80s, Verlander is today.

Verlander has gone from phenom to Rookie of the Year to ace to arguably the best pitcher in baseball.

Combining a blistering four-seam fastball with a devastating curve and a nearly flawless changeup, Verlander can do it all.

What is really impressive is his ability to stay strong deep into games.

We are seeing something special here, and there is no doubt that we will be calling him one of the all-time greats when this is all over.

4. Jack Morris

Who can forget that splitter. Or the fact that he was money in the postseason.

Jack Morris was the ace of Detroit for the better part of a decade, winning more games in the 80s than any other pitcher...a decade that included guys like Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan.

It still kills me that he can't get into the Hall of Fame, but hopefully, the voters figure this one out in my lifetime.

For Detroit Tigers baseball, there simply is no other pitcher you want with the ball when the game is on the line.

3. Miguel Cabrera

Big Miguel Cabrera may be the most gifted Tigers hitter since Al Kaline. He not only can hit for power like big Cecil Fielder, but he can hit for average like Alan Trammell, and he has Darrell Evans' eye for the plate.

Simply put, he is a one-man wrecking crew.

So why isn't he as loved as he should be? Off-the-field problems don't help, but I think it is just a case of a lack of understanding. We don't speak his language so we don't get him.

Nonetheless, Cabrera is a once in a generation talent that we need to appreciate while he is doing what he is doing.

He could be the best hitter in baseball.

2. Lou Whitaker

Whenever I want to get Chicago Cubs fans riled up (which is often), I always throw out the fact that Lou Whitaker was every bit as good as Ryne Sandberg, yet one was a first ballot Hall of Famer, and one never even had a shot at cracking Cooperstown.

If you look at the numbers, they speak for themselves. Whitaker had 2,369 hits, 244 homers, 420 doubles, 1,386 runs, a career average of .276 and an OBP of .363.

Compare that to Sandberg: 2,386 hits, 282 homers, 403 doubles, 1,318 runs, a career average of .285 and an OBP of .344.

How exactly was Ryno that much better than Sweet Lou?

Whitaker was a five-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year and won a World Series ring with the Tigers.

Not to mention, his leather was fantastic.

This still upsets me to no end, but whenever I see the Cubs spot in the standings, I always smile.

1. Alan Trammell

Similarly, I can't help but rile up some St. Louis fans when I mention that Alan Trammell was better than Ozzie Smith.

Again, let's look at the numbers.

Trammell—2,365 hits, 1,231 runs, 185 homers, .285 average and an OBP of .352.

Smith—2,460 hits, 1,257 runs, 28 homers, .262 average and an OBP of .337.

Sure, it is unfair to compare home run totals as Ozzie was about as weak hitting as anyone. He could swipe bases, grabbing 580 to Trammell's 236. But overall, these numbers are pretty similar.

So why is one a first ballot Hall of Famer, and one can't crack half the voters?

Ozzie Smith did back flips. That's about it. They both won a World Series, they both played excellent defense and they both were the face of their franchise for a decade or two.

Trammell and Lou should be in the Hall.

Honorable Mentions

Mickey Tettleton could absolutely mash the ball and played a decent catcher, but he didn't spend enough time here to warrant a place.

Ditto for Darrell Evans, one of my all-time favorites.

Chet Lemon and Larry Herndon also warrant mention here, but they just weren't quite at this level.

Tony Phillips was the picture of versatility for quite a while but just didn't cut it.

Pudge Rodriguez nearly made this list as his signing turned this franchise around. But his numbers just weren't that impressive here.

My favorite Tigers' player since Kirk Gibson was without a doubt Placido Polanco, but he wasn't here long enough to merit inclusion.

Frank Tanana, Dan Petry and Kenny Rogers were excellent in their own ways but not quite at this level.

There have been some great Tigers in my lifetime, and I'm glad I got to see them all!