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Detroit Tigers: Top 10 sluggers in franchise history

ByAdam McIntosh|
DETROIT- SEPTEMBER 27: A general view of Tiger Stadium prior to the final baseball game played at the 87 year old Tiger Stadium as the Detroit Tigets host the Kansas City Royals on September 27, 1999 in Detroit, Michigan. There was 6,873 games played at the corner of Michigan and Trumbul streets. The Tigers won the game 8-2. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Gettyimages)
DETROIT- SEPTEMBER 27: A general view of Tiger Stadium prior to the final baseball game played at the 87 year old Tiger Stadium as the Detroit Tigets host the Kansas City Royals on September 27, 1999 in Detroit, Michigan. There was 6,873 games played at the corner of Michigan and Trumbul streets. The Tigers won the game 8-2. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Gettyimages)
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Detroit Tigers
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 18: A detail of a Detroit Tigers hat with an official postseason logo is seen on the bat rack in the udgout againstthe New York Yankees during game four of the American League Championship Series at Comerica Park on October 18, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Nicknamed “Mr. Tiger”, Al Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career the Detroit Tigers.

In that 22-year career, he racked up 399 home runs, 1,583 RBIs, 3,007 hits, and compiled a .297 career batting average.

Kaline skipped the minors and directly joined the Tigers, making his MLB debut on June 25, 1953. He became the youngest player to win the AL batting title in 1955 and the first twenty-year-old to win it since Ty Cobb in 1907.

In 1968 Kaline broke his arm and would end up missing two months of the season. However, when he returned skipper benched shortstop Ray Oyler. He put Mickey Stanley at shortstop and Kaline in the outfield. ESPN would later call this one of the top ten greatest coaching moves of the century. Kaline was a crucial member of the 1968 Fall Classic Title.

After reaching the 3,000 hit mark in 1974 Kaline announced his retirement from baseball at the end of the season. In addition to holding the Tigers home runs record, he holds the Tigers record for career games played (2, 834), walks (1,277) and sacrifice flies (104).

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The ten greatest sluggers in Tigers history are the top ten by home runs. If you feel that someone else was deserving of being on this less, let us know in the comments.

By now means does this list snub anyone on purpose. Ty Cobb is arguably the greatest Tiger ever. He happened to just play at a time when home runs weren’t hit as often.

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