In lieu of that, however, I bring you a different list that didn't take any database code.
Sean Smith's released Wins Above Replacement numbers for every player in the major leagues since 1871. You can peruse them at his site and, if you like 'em, support him by donating $25 to use them however you'd like. I did that and got the hitters and pitchers files. That is what I'll be using to look back into plunge into Detroit Tigers history. What I'll be focusing on here, is defense.
Sean Smith has created TotalZone which he uses to judge defense through play-by-play box scores from Retrosheet. You can read his methods here.
So this begs the question: Who had the greatest defensive season in the history of the Detroit Tigers? Find out the answer after the jump...
10. Chet Lemon, 1983 - 16 Runs Saved
The year before the wondrous 35-5 team that won the World Series (two years before I was born, unfortunately), Chet Lemon had the second best season of his career. Then just 28-years-old, Lemon flashed what makes him an underrated player of his era: very, very good defense in a crucial position. He roamed the outfield enough to save the Tigers 16 runs above the average defender, which helped Detroit 92-70 record, 2nd in the AL East behind Baltimore Orioles -- who led by a certain Cal Ripken, Jr., went on to win the World Series over Mike Schmidt and the Philadelphia Phillies. His defense wasn't the only valuable part of his game that year; Lemon hit a career-high 24 long balls and drove in 69 runs. He also showed his trademark impressive patience and was the exact player that was undervalued for so long: great plate discipline, great defense, solid power.
9. Damion Easley, 2000 - 16 Runs Saved
I know, I know. Damion Easley? I had the same reaction. However, he had a nice 3-year stretch of defense for the Tigers from 1998-2000 where he posted TotalZone defensive numbers of +13, -8, +16. For his career, though, he was an average defender. The 2000 Tigers team, for me, are pretty forgettable. Bobby Higginson and Tony Clark led the way offensively, but the only other hitter with an OPS+ over 100 (100 = league average) was Juan Gonzalez at 115. I know, I shiver when I read that name, too. It was the year Comerica Park opened up, as well. We should give Easley some props, though. In his 6 full seasons with the Tigers, he belted 102 homers and a 100 OPS+ -- so he was a league-average hitter playing most of his time at 2nd base.
8. Jerry Priddy, 1950 - 17 Runs Saved
Here we're getting way back. In case you didn't know, the 1950 Detroit Tigers squad was a beast. 95-59 on the season. Unfortunately, they finished 3 back of the mighty Yankees who were in the midst of their monopoly of the game of Baseball. Tigers were anchored by the beloved George Bell at 3rd base and Hoot Evers, Vic Wertz, and Johnny Groth roamed the outfield while these four led the offense -- and it wasn't close. They were the only hitters to post above-average offensive seasons. The fifth best hitter of the starting 9 that year? Jerry Priddy. His 97 OPS+ wasn't good, but his 17 runs saved at 2nd base was. Gerald Edward Priddy finished his career out with the Tigers, from age 30-33 before he retired. After retiring he was convicted of extortion and spent some time in jail. But, he seemed to be a good person. He met a then 11-year-old Maury Wills when Priddy was with the Washington Senators in 1943. The Senators were working with African American kids and Priddy was sent from the ball club. Wills later recalled how surprised he was that Priddy didn't show up and leave 15 minutes later. He also said it was the first time he had looked a white man in the eyes. Priddy stayed and worked with the kids for over two hours and, according to Wills:
"Priddy even singled me out. He told the other kids to move back and said, ‘Watch this kid.’ He bounced a grounder to me, and I got my little feet in place, grabbed the ball, and I took a little hop -- just like the guys I'd seen playing on Sundays. I threw it overhand to him, and the ball made a loud pop in his mitt. I still remember what he said: ‘Wow!’”Then Priddy looked down and asked Maury where his shoes were. He was taking the instructions without shoes.
7. Milt Cuyler, 1991 - 17 Runs Saved
Milt Cuyler was the starting Centerfielder of the 1991 Tigers squad which won 84 games and finished tied with the Boston Red Sox for 2nd place in the AL East -- behind the division champs, the Toronto Blue Jays. Cuyler's career didn't last long as he was out of the majors by age 29 in 1998. In his only season with 350 or more plate appearances, he swiped 41 bases out of 51 tries. Undoubtedly, this speed helped him roam the spacious centerfield of Tigers Stadium. He's still in baseball, now, though as he's currently with the Minnesota Twins Gulf Coast Leauge (rookie ball) squad as the hitting coach.
6. Placido Polanco, 2006 - 18 Runs Saved
What can we say about Polanco that Rod Allen hasn't already told us time and time again? You remember this Tigers squad. The one that led the division the majority of the year and were launched into the playoffs on a pinch-hit homer by Matt Stairs that was finally capped off by the first Tigers World Series win in 22 years. Well, technically that happened. Stairs homered, the Tigers lost the division, made the playoffs and did win a game in the fall classic, no matter how much that series felt like a sweep. Sorry to peck away at that old wound. It hurt me just as much as that hurt you. Polanco was fantastic that year, though, wasn't he? He seemed to get to everything hit his way and made a throw into the chest of Chris Shelton/Sean Casey at first base. Ahh, memories.
5. Brandon Inge, 2007 - 18 Runs Saved
Easily the most popular Tiger of my lifetime, Brandon Inge draw all sorts of love. Even if it does look like a gang initiated him by giving him those aesthetically awful tattoos (sorry Tyler and Chase!) on the last west coast road trip. What can I say here? Like Polanco above, Tigers fans are well aware of the great D Inge brings at the hot corner. I have a feeling, though, this isn't the last time we'll see these two current Tigers defensive stalwarts on this list (oooh, forshadowing).
4. Chet Lemon, 1984 - 19 Runs Saved
Isn't it funny that in retrospect, what we think of as pitching just may be defense? Or, how the great Tigers teams seem to have certain things in common like, you know, great defenders? I guess that's pretty common sense when you think about it, though. The 1984 squad that started 35-5 and coasted to a 104-win season and an AL East crown that they took by 15 games. Lemon in centerfield, again provided great defense. This was also Lemon's best total season with the Tigers as he posted a 134 OPS+ to compliment this all-time great defensive season. One thing I found particularly interesting was that Lemon wasn't even a centerfielder when he came up. He was the 22nd overall pick of the 1972 draft, and the Oakland A's kept him at 3rd base. When he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox in June of 1975, they didn't move him off the position either. Combined between the Chicago and Oakland farm system, he committed 38 errors in 112 minor league games. When he finally got to the show in September of 1975, he was at 3rd. He cut off a ball that shortstop Bucky Dent was in position to field and promptly committed an error on the play. It was then that White Sox manager Chuck Tanner pointed to centerfield and told Lemon that he would have all the room in the world to roam. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. Al Kaline, 1961 - 22 Runs Saved
So this Al Kaline fellow was pretty good, huh? I can make the case that Kaline is the most underrated right fielder of all-time. But, that's not something I'll do now. What I will say is that Wins Above Replacement puts Kaline ahead of Roberto Clemente. That's neither here nor there. The 1961 Tigers club won 101 games and, again, finished second to the New York Yankees and their 109 wins that year. Stormin' Norm Cash really picked the wrong year to have a career year. Kaline, however, was just the third best offensive player for Detroit behind Norm Cash and Rocky Colavito. He was no slouch though, as he posted a great 139 OPS+. Cash and Colavito posted 201 and 157 OPS+'s. Kaline's arm was always an asset to him, as his 1961 season saw his arm accrue him 7 runs all by it's lonesome.
2. Al Kaline, 1958 - 23 Runs Saved
OK, I probably shouldn't have wasted all of those words on Kaline up there if I have to fill another paragraph about him here. The 1958 Tigers were the worst team that any of these great defensive seasons were spent on. They were just 77-77 but were a bit better than that with a Pythagorean Record -- which is based on runs scored and runs allowed -- of 83-71. Kaline was the offensive star of this squad posting an OPS+ of 130. Although, the Tigers had 4 other hitters that posted above-average offensive seasons. Al would go on to explode offensively in 1959 with an OPS of .940 (career high) while he belted 27 homers which were also a career high -- and a feat he only matched three other times in his career: 1955, 1956, and 1963. How crazy is it to think Kaline never hit 30 home runs in a season? Something that Rob Deer did twice.
1. Brandon Inge, 2006 - 31 Runs Saved
Go crazy folks, go crazy. Brandon Inge lovers around the state that vote him player of the game, every game of this season must be reading this with permanent smiles on their faces. Just another example of how amazing and wonderful that 2006 season really was. He was a bit below average offensively that year, but his defense more than made up for it. Remember all the diving catches? The soft fly balls that were sure bloop doubles into shallow left field that he caught? The strong throws from behind the bag to nip the speediest of runners at first? The 5-4-3 double plays that he started, turned, and finished by himself? How his Virginia good ol' boy charm made him the write-in winner of the next Mayor Election of Detroit? OK, some of those things might not have happened. But the ones that did added up to the greatest defensive season, as measure by Sean Smith's TotalZone defensive metric.
If only he could've fielded every ball hit to a pitcher during the World Series.
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As for Kaline never hitting 30 or more homers, all one has to do is look at the 400 of the nearly 600 games Kaline missed due to debilitating injuries.
ReplyDelete'55 and '56 crashing into the short foul ground in the rightfield corner on foul fly balls,(this caused Tigers owner to remove several sections out there and the name Kaline's Korner was born) '59 fractured cheekbone,'62 broken collar bone on a game saving catch 5/26, '63 playing with a sore knee and leg, and all these years playing with a bone disease osteomylitis in his foot which caused Kaline to run on the side of his left foot. Corrective surgery in '66 and the injuries continued, '67 broken hand after striking out and slamming his bat into the bat rack, '68 broken arm on a pitch. Kaline was always missing 15 to 60 games regularly with his all out play. I see Kaline with 5 30 homer years and one 40 homer year in 1962 (29 homers in 100 games) if not for these injuries. Kaline's only weakness as a player was his inability to stay healthy for at least 150 games a season. (1961 was his last such season of 150 or more). Great Ballplayer and the most accurate throwing arm of All Time.
Wow, great insight, Anonymous. I guess I really glossed over his games played column. I admit to not knowing enough about Kaline (I've always been more interested in going further back to Hank Greenberg and earlier) given his huge status in the Tigers history. Thanks for that comment, great insight.
ReplyDeleteI love the Tigers History all the way back to Cobb's era. The G-Men Greenberg, Gehringer, and Goslin made the mid 30's Tigers click on all cylinders. With Mickey Cochrane, and the Tigers pitchers of that era, Tommy Bridges, Schoolboy Rowe.
ReplyDeleteOne player who has been all but forgotten in Tigers past was a terrific offensive and defensive leftfielder named Bobby Veach. A career .310 hitter and an excellent rbi man. He played on two of the greatest outfields of all time. With Cobb and Crawford, and later with Cobb and Heilmann.
Mike, I always look forward to the Tigers info you have on your Tigers blog. All the best to you, Ron.
Ron, thanks a lot. I've always loved baseball history and hope to be delving more into this off season. I agree on Veach, definitely. Thanks for the kind words.
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