Detroit Tigers all-time best starting lineup based on WAR

The Detroit Tigers have had a lot of great players over the years. Even though there hasn't been a whole lot of winning over the past 30 years, there have been several great players in Detroit through the team's history.

The Tigers have been around since 1901, so there's bound to be some good players to come through. The question is, who is the best at each position?

Using wins above replacement, more commonly known as WAR, we can figure that out. WAR combines a bunch of different numbers and metrics to determine a player's overall value. Different websites and publications have different ways to calculate WAR, but we're going to use Fangraphs today because it is generally considered more accurate.

Using Fangraphs WAR, or fWAR, we have gathered what the Tigers' all-time best starting lineup would be. These are some of the best players that have ever played for the franchise. We gathered all nine positions, including a starting pitcher and a designated hitter.

Without further ado, let's get things started with the leadoff hitter, and he's a doozy.

1. Ty Cobb, CF, 143.2 fWAR

No sugarcoating here. Cobb is one of the best players of all-time. His speed and contact ability were second to none. It makes him the perfect leadoff hitter.

A career .368 hitter with over 4,000 hits, Cobb was one of the best hitters ever. He played for the Tigers for over 20 seasons. He won an MVP in 1911 with a .411 average and 83 stolen bases.

He led the league in hits in eight different seasons. We could go on and on about him, but chances are you are well aware of Cobb and his acolades. Let's move on to the two-hole hitter.

2. Charlie Gehringer, 2B, 78.6 fWAR

At second base, most people would think of Lou Whitaker for the Detroit Tigers, and rightfully so. He was a key piece of the 1984 World Series team and quite frankly, should be in the hall of fame. But Gehringer actually compiled more WAR than Sweet Lou.

Gehringer was an integral part of the 1935 World Series Championship team, putting up a 7.3 WAR and a 133 wRC+ that year. He was a six-time All-Star and won the AL MVP in 1937.

He was also a local guy. A native of Fowlerville, MI, he attended the University of Michigan and stayed in the area for the rest of his life after retirement.

Like Cobb, Gehringer also has his name etched on the wall out in on the concourse at Comerica Park. He is also considered to be one of the best Tigers of all-time, and his 78.6 fWAR ranks third in the history of franchise.

3. Al Kaline, RF, 88.9 fWAR

What would an all-time Tigers lineup be without Mr. Tiger himself? Kaline is second all-time in franchise history in WAR behind Cobb.

Kaline spent his entire 22-year career with the Tigers, making the All-Star team 15 times and finished as the AL MVP runner-up twice. His defense often goes under the radar. He had one of the best arms in right field ever.

We could talk all day about Al Kaline, but if you're here, you know all about him. We have seven more players to talk about here. Moving on.

4. Hank Greenberg, 1B, 60.6 fWAR

There are a lot of great first baseman to choose from in Tigers history, but Greenberg had the most WAR. Racking up over 60 WAR is pretty impressie for a first baseman. They are typically very limited defensively, so they have to rake in order to have a high WAR. Well, Greenberg raked, and raked a lot.

Another key member of the 1935 Championship team, Greenberg was one of the better power hitters of his era. He hit 58 home runs in 1938, which led the league. He led the league in homers in two other seasons.

He was a five-time All-Star and two-time MVP. He had an OPS over 1.000 seven years in a row. His name is etched in left-center field for a reason. He could mash.

5. Miguel Cabrera, 3B, 48.7 fWAR

The only active player on the list, Miggy obviously played much more first base than third base, but he played there for both the Tigers and the Marlins. He has a significant amount of reps there. He is also easily the most significant name in Tigers history to play third base. Sorry, Brandon Inge fans.

What's there left to say about Miggy? A two-time MVP, a Triple Crown winner, 500 home runs, 3,000 hits. He is one of the best hitters of all-time.

We just had to include him on this list somewhere. There are many other players that were in the mix for the DH spot, and not enough third baseman. Miggy takes the third base spot on our all-time lineup.

6. Norm Cash, DH, 54.6 fWAR

Cash takes the DH spot in the lineup, though he played first base for most of his career. You could really put anybody at DH.

Cash's career was headlined by his 1961 campaign where he hit 41 homers and put up an insane 10.2 fWAR. Unfortunatley for him, some guys named Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were going after Babe Ruth's single-season home run record that year. Maris of course broke the record with 61 bombs, while Mantle hit 54. Cash ended up finished fourth in AL MVP voting that year.

That 1961 Tigers team won 101 games, but finished eight games back of the Yankees for the AL pennant. Times were tough in the age of no playoffs.

Cash went on to have several more good seasons, but never quite lived up to that 1961 perfomance again. Still, his career was good enough to log up over 50 WAR for his career, which is still very impressive.

7. Bill Freehan, C, 44.8 fWAR

The best catcher in Tigers history according to most (including us), Freehan was arguably the most integral member of the 1968 World Series team. He had a 7-WAR season and hit 25 home runs, finishing as the MVP runner-up to his teammate, Denny McClain.

Freehan had several other great seasons. He was an 11-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glover. He is one of the most beloved Tigers ever for a reasons.

Lance Parrish was another option here, but Freehan simply had more WAR, which is the whole point of this. He bats seventh in this order.

9. Sam Crawford, LF, 60.1 fWAR

Crawford is probably the most surprising pick on the list. There are many other more well-known outfielders in Tigers history, but Crawford had some of the highest WAR of them all.

He debuted in 1899 with Cincinnati, then played for the Tigers from 1903-17. He and Ty Cobb created quite the outfield back in the day. His name is also etched on the wall in left-center field at Comerica Park.

He was just incredibly consistent. He hit over .300 11 times, including .378 in 1911. He finished as the MVP runner-up in 1914 to Eddie Collins of the Philadelphia Athletics.

One interesting thing about him is that he led the league in triples six times, including four years where he hit over 20 triples. That's twenty (20), triples. I know it was a different time, but man, that's a lot of three-baggers.

Sam Crawford may not be the first name people think about when talking about the greatest Tigers outfielders ever simply because of the era he played in, but the numbers don't lie. He was one of the best players of his time.

SP Mickey Lolich, 61.4 fWAR

Again, there's a lot of Tigers pitchers that come to mind, but Lolich has the higest WAR. Obviously it was a different era, but Lolich was a horse. His innings pitched went up as his career went on, including a whopping 376 IP in 1971. That's just crazy.

It's kind of hard to believe Lolich never won a Cy Young. He finished in the top three in 1971 and 1972. He lost the award to Vida Blue in '71.

The thing is probably known for most was starting and winning three games in the 1968 World Series, including Game 7. All three were complete games, something that no other pitcher has ever done. As one could imagine, he was the World Series MVP because of his performance.

Overall, this is one heck of an all-time lineup. The Tigers could hold up pretty well against some of the best teams ever. Cobb, Gehringer, Kaline, Greenberg, and Miggy in the same lineup, 1-5? Oof. It would be incredibly difficult to pitch to this team.