For 14 years righty starting pitcher Jack Morris led the way for the Tigers’ starting rotation. Morris pitched in 430 games (408 starts) with the Tigers and he was 198-150 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He was an All-Star 4 times with the Tigers, he won at least 20 games twice for Detroit and he won at least 11 games 14 different years with the Tigers. Morris is #9 all-time in games pitched (430) in Tigers’ history. He is also #5 in wins (198), #4 in innings pitched (3,042 2/3), #2 in strikeouts (1,980), #2 in games started (408), #8 in complete games (154) and #8 in shutouts (24) in Tigers’ history. The master of the split fingered fastball deserves to be inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. If he does get into the Hall it will without a doubt be as a Detroit Tiger.

2B Lou Whitaker and SS Alan Trammell were a outstanding combo in the middle infield for the Detroit Tigers and they were two huge keys to the success of the team during their long tenures in Detroit. Lou Whitaker started his career with the Tigers off fast as he won the Rookie of the Year Award in the A.L. in 1978. Whitaker played in 139 games in 1978 in which he was 138 of 484 (.285 avg, .718 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 3 homers, 58 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. From 1983-87 Whitaker made the All-Star team every year and he also won 3 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Slugger Awards for the Tigers. Whitaker played in 2,390 games in his 19 years with the Tigers and he was 2,369 of 8,570 (.276 avg, .789 OPS) with 1,386 runs scored, 244 homers, 1,084 RBIs and 143 stolen bases. He is #3 all-time in games played with the Tigers (2,390), #6 in hits (2,369), #6 in homers (244), #8 in RBIs (1,084), #10 in stolen bases (143), #5 in doubles (420) and #2 in walks (1,197). Whitaker won’t likely make the Baseball Hall of Fame but if the Tigers have one he should be in it.

SS Alan Trammell also was a 5-time All Star for the Tigers. He also won 4 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Slugger Awards in his 20 years with the Tigers. Trammell played in 2,293 games for the Tigers in which he was 2,365 of 8,288 (.285 avg, .767 OPS) with 1,231 runs scored, 185 homers, 1,003 RBIs and 236 stolen bases. Trammell is fifth all-time in games played (2,293) in Tigers’ history. He is also #7 all-time in hits (2,365), #6 in runs scored (1,231), #10 in RBIs (1,003), #5 in stolen bases (236), #6 in doubles (412) and #7 in walks (850). Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly as they were one of the best double play combos both offensively and defensively of their time.

Righty starting pitcher Dan Petry always played second fiddle to Jack Morris in his time with the Tigers but he was a solid pitcher. He pitched in 306 games (274 starts) in his 11 years with the Tigers and he was 119-93 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Despite being a solid pitcher Petry only made the All-Star team one time. That was in 1985 when Petry pitched in 34 games (all starts) in which he was 15-13 with a 3.36 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Petry finished 9th in 1982 in the Cy Young Award voting and he was #5 in 1984.

In 1987 the Tigers were fighting for the playoffs so they made a trade with the Braves. The Tigers acquired 36-year old righty starting pitcher Doyle Alexander for a little known prospect named John Smoltz. Alexander started 16 games for the Braves before coming to the Tigers and he was 5-10 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. But, Alexander turned things around with the Tigers starting 11 games for them in which he was 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He went on to lose Game #1 and #5 of the American League Championship Series to the Twins that season. He started 2 games in that series and he was 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. In three years with the Tigers, Alexander started 78 games in which he was 29-29 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

If the Tigers only knew what they had in John Smoltz. Smoltz has pitched in 723 games (481 starts) in his major league career and he is 213-155 with 154 saves, a 3.33 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has also whiffed 3,084 batters in his major league career to date which is the 16th highest total in major league history. Smoltz won the Cy Young Award during the 1996 season with the Braves. In 1996, Smoltz pitched in 35 games (all starts) and he was 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He only allowed 199 hits in 1996 in 253 2/3 innings while whiffing 278 batters! That’s not all though as Smoltz is one of the best pitchers in post season history. He has pitched in 41 games (27 starts) in the post-season and he is 15-4 with 4 saves, a 2.67 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. It’s hard to fault the Tigers for making this trade as it was in the heat of a pennant race. The problem was that they didn’t do a good enough job of scouting their own prospects to know what they had in Smoltz.