Detroit Tigers: Franchise Four Candidates

courtesy of vallejomuseum.blogspot.com

Ty Cobb (1905-1928)

Cobb is such an instrumental part in baseball’s history that he probably would be a finalist in baseball’s all-time Mount Rushmore.

In his 24-year career, Cobb had 4,189 hits, 2,244 runs, 1,933 RBI, 295 triples and 897 stolen bases. To this day, Cobb is still second all-time in hits, second in runs scored, second in triples, fourth in stolen bases and eighth in RBI.

Nicknamed “The Georgia Peach”, he won the league batting title a record 11 times and hit over .400 in a season twice. Meanwhile, his career batting average of .366 is still the best of all-time.

In 1909, Cobb won the Triple Crown, hitting .377 with a whopping nine home runs and 107 RBI.  He also led the league with 76 stolen bases that season. Cobb is the only player in history to win the Triple Crown and lead the league in stolen bases the same season.

But that wasn’t even his best year.

That was 1911 when Cobb hit .420 with eight home runs, 127 RBI, 147 runs, 83 stolen bases and won his only AL MVP award.

The only negative in Cobb’s candidacy for the Detroit Tigers’ Mount Rushmore is the fact he never won a World Series. Cobb won three AL Pennants in 1907, 1908 and 1909, but lost all three World Series.