3 Tigers Silver Slugger winners who should be in the Hall of Fame

Last year, FanSided announced the winners of the Louisville Silver Slugger Award for both the National League and the American League. That will be the case again this season, which gives us a chance to reflect on the Silver Slugger and Detroit Tigers history.

While the award has only been around since 1980, Detroit had had a fair number of players take home some silver. Several of them also deserve to be enshrined in bronze in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, so let’s take a look at four former Tigers players who won a Silver Slugger and deserve a spot in Cooperstown.

Miguel Cabrera

It’s beyond obvious that Miguel Cabrera will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He will be eligible for the Class of 2029 and he should be overwhelmingly inducted into Cooperstown.

Cabrera took home the Silver Slugger five times in his career: 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016. While he never hit .300 again or reached 20 home runs in a season after 2016, he still put up solid numbers until the end and had a truly special career.

Torii Hunter

While Hunter is far from a shoo-in to make the Hall of Fame and is dangerously close to falling off the ballot, he did indeed win the Silver Slugger for the Tigers in 2013.

Most of his career was spent with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels, but he spent 2013 and 2014 with Detroit. 2013 really was a solid season for him at the age of 37, as he was an All-Star and hit .304/.334/.465 with 17 home runs and 84 RBI.

His combination of speed, power, and defense was impressive, which is why he deserves a place in the Hall of Fame even if he doesn’t quite get there.

Lou Whitaker

Probably the biggest Hall of Fame snub in Detroit Tigers history, second baseman Lou Whitaker is more than deserving of a spot in Cooperstown. He was a five-time All Star and AL Rookie of the Year who spent his entire career in Detroit and helped the team win a World Series in 1984.

He won the Silver Slugger for AL second baseman in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1987. His 75.1 career WAR is better than many second baseman in the Hall, including recently-inducted Jeff Kent.

Whitaker may not get many more chances, but he clearly had a career worthy of recognition in Cooperstown so one has to hope he gets in someday.

The Tigers have had many great players in the history of the franchise. These three players all had great careers and their Silver Slugger wins in Detroit certainly boost their case for the Hall of Fame.

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