Detroit Tigers: Best September call-ups in team history

With September nearly here, let’s look at the most notable September call ups in Detroit Tigers franchise history.

The Detroit Tigers are in full-on rebuild mode, and with that comes a chance to see new prospects making their big league debuts. September can often be one of the most fun months of the season for rebuilding teams, as they are no longer in contention and can spend more time allowing their farm system to get their chance in the show.

Perhaps 2018 will be the new 1977, when superstars Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and Lance Parrish all made their big league debuts within four days of each other. It’s important to note than none of the three of them were particularly good in 1977. As one might expect, many players (even elite ones) don’t immediately set the world on fire. So if Christin Stewart hits .180 in September, that does not mean he will never be a major league hitter.

Likewise, sometimes players who light the world on fire aren’t destined for superstardom. Detroit’s third round pick in 1971, Ron Cash, hit a blistering .410 in 46 plate appearances down the stretch in 1973. He only played 34 career big league games.

Let us take a look back at the five best September call ups in Tigers history.

I used August 31 as the cut-off, and I required all hitters to have at least 30 plate appearances and all pitchers to have pitched at least 25 innings.

Before we get into the top-five, here are a few honorable mentions:

1987 Scott Lusader (.319/.377/.489 in 54 plate appearances)

1993 Danny Bautista (.311/.317/.410 in 63 plate appearances)

1974 Vern Ruhle (2.73 ERA, 33 IP)

Lusader was Detroit’s right fielder of the future, but he was unable to stay healthy and ended up out of baseball by age 26. Bautista was Detroit’s next ‘right fielder of the future’, and like Lusader he was never able to reach his full potential. Detroit eventually handed Bobby Higginson the role, which worked out much better.

Ruhle parlayed a solid cameo in 1974 into a starting role in 1975, which he held for a few years before he signed with the Astros.

Now, onto the top five.

5. 1995 Tony Clark – .238/.294/.396 with 3 HR in 109 PA

Clark made his long-awaited big league debut on September 3, 1995. The former second overall pick took over the everyday duties at first base, pushing Cecil Fielder into the full-time DH role. Clark’s slash line wasn’t extraordinary, but he displayed power right off the bat, which ended up being his trademark.

Of course, Clark immediately became Detroit’s premier slugger, hitting 27 or more home runs in each of the next four seasons. He was one of Detroit’s best players of the 1990’s, although he never quite reached the potential many had hoped for him.

4. 2012 Avisail Garcia – .319/.373/.319 in 51 PA

Garcia debuted for the Tigers as a fresh-faced 21-year-old, immediately setting Comerica Park ablaze with his .319 average down the stretch. He looked prime to take over as Detroit’s every day right fielder starting in 2013.

However, things went a different direction with ‘mini-Miggy’. First, Garcia was forced to start in center field for the first half of the 2013 season. He started 23 games in CF, with three in LF and five in RF. His defensive metrics were unbelievably bad, and his hitting wasn’t much better. Garcia slashed a lowly .241/.273/.373 with two home runs in 2013, souring his welcome in Detroit.

When Jhonny Peralta was popped for a 50-game suspension, the Tigers decided to flip Garcia and reliever Bryan Villarreal in a three-team trade that netted them Jose Iglesias. The trade looked great for the first few years, but after Garcia broke out in a big way in 2017 (.330 with 18 home runs) the trade has started to lose some of its luster.

Garcia’s overall career in Detroit wasn’t great, but he was so young. It’s easy to forget that even now he’s only 27 years old, and could be a big part of Chicago’s future.

1952 Harvey Kuenn – .325/.349/.400 with two steals in 84 PA

Perhaps no player was more hyped after their September call up that Kuenn, who was labeled a Hall of Fame caliber shortstop after he hit a blistering .325 with the Tigers in 1952.

Of course, Kuenn effectively lived up to that hype before injuries derailed his career. He made eight consecutive All-Star appearances to begin his career, leading the league in hits four times and doubles three times while winning a batting title in 1959.

From 1952-1962, Kuenn had racked up 1,791 hits, 313 doubles and a .309/.359/.420 slash line. He was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately, injuries absolutely decimated Kuenn in his 30’s, and he only played in 397 more games. He still hit a tidy .271/.342/.344, but he only managed 301 more hits  and a -0.7 bWAR in that time.

As such, Kuenn is one of the first ‘what-if’ shortstops who never reached their potential. Still, Kuenn was at his best in the Motor City, slashing .314/.360/.426 with a 21.0 bWAR in Detroit. That is good enough to rank him quite highly on our list of the greatest shortstops in team history.

In this case, Kuenn’s electric September was a solid sign of things to come.

This September, the Detroit Tigers will likely see a couple of players make their big league debuts. Christin Stewart will be the most notable. It’s worth remembering that whether he performs well or not is not necessarily an indication of things to come. The above examples prove that.