Detroit Tigers Top 10 Shortstops in franchise history

Jhonny Peralta

Detroit Tigers: 2010-2013

Checking in at number seven is Jhonny Peralta, who spent 460 games in a Tigers uniform between 2010 and 2013.

Peralta made his big league debut way back in 2003 with the Cleveland Indians. He posted three 20 home run seasons with Cleveland before getting traded to the Tigers at the 2010 trade deadline for Giovanni Soto. Peralta hit .253 with eight home runs in 57 games down the stretch as the teams primary shortstop.

He opened up 2011 with the same role and had one of the strongest seasons of his career. He made his first All-Star game and finished the year hitting .299/.345/.478 with 21 home runs and a 122 OPS+.

2012 was a down year for Peralta, as he only hit .239 with 13 home runs and a lowly 84 OPS. He more than made up for it in the playoffs, hitting .389 with two home runs in four games against the Yankees in the ALCS. Unfortunately, he went 1-for-15 in the World Series against the Giants, with his one hit being a home run.

Peralta bounced back strong in 2013, hitting a career-high .303 and making his second All-Star game. However, his season was cut short by a 50-game suspension that he began serving on August 5 of that season. The suspension was in relation to his connection with the Biogenesis laboratories that provided illegal PED’s to players.

He returned in the playoffs as a left fielder after the Tigers had acquired Jose Iglesias to man shortstop in his absence. He hit .333 in ten playoff games.

Peralta signed a four-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason, ending his run in the Motor City.

Although his time in Detroit was brief, Peralta had a big impact on the team. He hit .275 with 53 home runs, a 106 OPS+ and a 9.1 WAR. He was a two-time All-Star, one of only four Tiger shortstops to make multiple All-Star games.