This Hall of Famer played with Detroit and Grand Rapids as a minor leaguer before making his name in the majors as a young phenom. Known for his childish antics and mercurial moods, he graced two Michigan ball diamonds over a century ago.
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Hall of Fame
Verlander is HOF worthy, but he might have a JAWS problem
From FiveThirtyEight: With a JAWS of 59.0 so far in his career, Verlander remains below the JAWS average for starting pitchers of[…]
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Allou Trammaker
They were mirror images of each other, Trammell and Whitaker, Whitaker and Trammell, one white, the other black; one a left-handed hitter, the other right; one a second baseman, the other a shortstop; one as quiet as a tree, the other, as the old line goes, would talk to a tree–different but exactly the same, too. Good fielders, good baserunners, underrated, beloved, lifetime Detroit Tigers.
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Bill Freehan’s Hall of Fame Case (Part Two)
Of Detroit’s top 24 players ranked by career WAR, Bill Freehan is the only catcher. His career WAR of 44.8 places him 18th on the list. Freehan caught 1,581 games for the Tigers, more than any catcher.
Read moreWhitaker, Trammell Make Pitch For Statue In Comerica Park: ‘Why Wait?’
This is just my dream, but if they do a statue, that it would obviously be of Lou and I,” Trammell said. “I mean, that’s the way it should be, because we are known and we’re linked forever. That would be my dream. Again, I’m willing to wait a little bit, but hopefully someday that’ll happen.”
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Connie Wisniewski: The Iron Woman
Our Michigan Baseball Heritage series explores the rich cultural history of professional baseball in the state of Michigan and honors[…]
Read moreTigers great Harry Heilmann finalist for Hall of Fame broadcasting honor
Harry Heilmann is one of eight candidates for the 2019 Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually by the Hall of Fame for excellence in broadcasting.
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Where’s Whitaker? Eight Theories on a Hall of Fame Snub
If Alan Trammell gets a Hall of Fame plaque, why is his double play partner Lou Whitaker—who had an essentially identical career—shut out not only from induction but from voting consideration altogether? There is no rational reason to induct Ryne Sandberg in 2005, Roberto Alomar in 2011, and Craig Biggio in 2015, while keeping Whitaker—whose numbers keep pace or surpass them—not only out of the Hall but off the ballot. So what’s going on? I’ve seen at least eight different explanations.
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