Detroit Tigers all-time starting rotation by WAR

Tommy Bridges - 51.6 WAR

Tommy Bridges is another name who has begun to be forgotten in recent years, but he has a firm grasp on the number three spot in this rotation with his career 51.6 rWAR. A Tiger from 1930 to 1946, Bridges threw more than 2,800 innings for Detroit with a 3.57 ERA and 3.90 FIP during his Tigers tenure.

Bridges also has the counting stats to bolster his case as he won nearly 200 games, played his entire career with Detroit, made six All-Star teams, and led the league twice in strikeouts in 1935 and 1936 which, again, points to the era he played in as he averaged just 5.3 K/9 in his career.

If one is looking for a defining moment in Bridges' career, they need not look any further than the 1935 World Series. Detroit was looking to clinch the title with Bridges on the mound and he delivered despite having to pitch his way out of a tough spot in the ninth inning to give the offense a chance to walk it off and take home the crown.

Bridges may not be a household name like a lot of other former Tigers pitchers, but frankly he probably should be. What is even wilder is that he would have likely added to his numbers, but he missed the 1944 season while he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He did manage to return for 1945 and promptly won another World Series.