Detroit Tigers on ESPN’s MLB Top 100 All-Time List

Last week, ESPN came out with the top 100 players in MLB history.  There were six Detroit Tigers that made the list including two within the top 40.

There is no doubt that the Detroit Tigers have one of the most historic teams in MLB history. The Detroit Tigers, founded in 1894, are one of the oldest teams, and since they have been founded, they have had some pretty fantastic players. Including some that did not make this list like Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Jack Morris, and most notably, Charlie Gehringer.

The list is definitely flawed and some will disagree  with a majority of the rankings. For instance Bryce Harper is listed at no. 85 already, and that is definitely a stretch. He has only had one dominant season and has struggled often. ESPN also failed to dock players who have taken PED’s. Barry Bonds is number five on the list, among other players who maybe should have an asterisk by their name in the history books.

There are undoubtedly some players left off the list who should be on it, and others that are on the list that should have been left off it. However, this must have been a very difficult process as there have been so many greats in MLB history. What Detroit Tigers players have made the cut as a top 100 player in history?

Next: Who's Highest on the List?

The next two former Tigers had very different historical impacts on the Detroit Tigers organization.

At no. 56 is a player who played for the Detroit Tigers to end his career. Eddie Matthews is remembered by Tigers fans for being a part of the 1968 World Series championship team. “Although, he only played a total of 67 games with an old English ‘D” on his jersey. Matthews spent most of his career 914 years)  with the Braves where he hit 493 homers and hit .273. He not only won a World Series with the Tigers but also two with the Milwaukee Braves.

Hank Greenberg is next on the list at 52nd all-time. Greenberg was a Detroit Tiger from 1933-1945. Greenberg could have been much higher on the list, but like many baseball players at this time, he was drafted to fight in World War II from 1942-1945. He also got hurt in three of the seasons he was a Tiger and missed considerable amounts of time. Hank was a two-time MVP, a five-time all-star, and is a member of the Hall of Fame. Greenberg hit 331 career home runs, including 58 homers in 1938. Greenberg was one of the best hitters of his generation. Hank also won two World Series with the Detroit Tigers in 1935 and 1945. His career batting average was .313 and he had a .670 slugging percentage. He finished his career with Pittsburgh in 1947.

See no. 60-51 here.

Next: What Detroit Tiger is next?

Next on the list is a current Detroit Tiger, and everyone can probably guess which one it is. At no. 39 is Miguel Cabrera.

Miguel Cabrera‘s placement on the list is very respectable. He is definitely capable of climbing the ladder of this list. There are very few above him that are worth an argument about. In fact, there are only two players of this generation that are ahead of him, Albert Pujols (number 31) and Clayton Kershaw (number 26). Miggy could very easily catch Pujols in just a few years, and could continue to rise on the list.

Detroit struck gold when they traded for Cabrera from the Marlins in 2007.  Cabrera was one of the top young players of his time, and now he is one of the best players to ever play the game. He has also became the face of the Detroit Tigers organization, and is a fan favorite.

Miguel Cabrera is already a very decorated player. He is an 11 time All-Star (seven with the Tigers), a six-time Silver Slugger winner (4 with the Tigers), and has also won 2 MVP awards, one of which went along with winning the Triple Crown in 2012.

Cabrera currently has 1501 RBI’s, with 427 homers, and has a .320 batting average for his career. Miggy has truly been great, and the exciting thing is that these stats are only getting better. Miguel Cabrera has been an integral part of the Detroit Tigers organization for the past nine years, and will always be in the hearts of the fans of this generation.

See no. 40-31 here.

Next: Who's the Best Detroit Tiger of All-time?

ESPN ranks Ty Cobb at number eight all-time, and deservedly so. Ty Cobb is the best Detroit Tiger of all-time.

The Detroit Tigers player that is ranked the highest is Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. This should be a surprise to no one as he was one of the earliest baseball superstars. His name is thrown in with legends such as Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, and Cy Young.

Ty Cobb played 22 years with the Detroit Tigers and was also a player-manager for some of those years. Cobb is truly one of the greatest hitters of all-time.  His career batting average was an astounding .366. Cobb’s career batting average is the best all-time, and almost untouchable. He lead the league in hitting an incredible eight times, and he is second all-time in runs, triples, and hits.  Cobb also has the fourth most doubles of all-time with 724.

Ty is also known as one of the best base runners ever. Cobb is fourth all-time in steals with 897, including 54 steals of home plate. All around, Cobb really will always be remember as one of the greatest Detroit Tigers, and baseball players to ever live.

See no. 10-1 here.

Next: Detroit Tigers: Trade Deadline Lacks Excitement

Fans of all teams should not be disappointed in the list that ESPN provided. It seemed to be pretty thorough, although there were a few minor mistakes. All the Detroit Tigers in the top 100 absolutely deserved to be there. Al Kaline deserves to be a little highers, and Charlie Gehringer was snubbed. However, Tigers fans should be happy to see the rest of these guys go down in history as some of the best players of all-time.