2025 MLB All-Star Game: Building the Best Tigers Lineup

Cue Seven Nation Army. Now that we’re properly acquainted, time to talk about the Motor City Kitties. 

Detroit’s been on a tear lately. But it’s still too early to tell if these Tigers can live up to those previous Corktown squads.

Manager: Sparky Anderson

The Tigers’ all-time winningest manager, with 1,331 victories, Anderson also has the edge over Jim Leyland in World Series titles: the 1984 championship was the Tigers’ first since 1968, and was the result of one of the most dominant seasons in MLB history. Anderson was a star manager elsewhere, too: that ‘84 championship was his third, with the other two coming with the Big Red Machine Reds, making him the first-ever skipper with championships in both leagues. Anderson is one of just 12 managers with at least 2,000 career wins, and his 2,194 victories rank sixth all-time.

Starting pitcher: Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander is a throwback. It’s not that pitchers are made of lesser stuff in the modern era than their old-school counterparts, so much as that, back in the day before reconstructive surgeries were both available and reliable, pitchers were ground down to a fine pulp whether their arms could handle it or not. Verlander, in another time, would look a lot like the Verlander of today: loads of innings and an ability to maintain velocity deep into outings while saving something for the end. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound right-hander is an all-time great by every definition, and Detroit’s finest starter.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Reliever/closer: Todd Jones

The Tigers’ all-time leader in saves, and it isn’t close: Jones’ 235 are 71 ahead of Mike Henneman, who himself has a comfortable lead over third place. While his career began in Houston in the NL, Jones was dealt to the Tigers along with three others in the trade that sent Jose Lima, Brad Ausmus and more to the Astros. He’d lead the AL in saves with 42 in 2000, and though he’d be traded the next summer, Jones rejoined Detroit as a free agent multiple times before calling it a career. 

(Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB via Getty Images)

Catcher: Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan spent the entirety of his 15-year career with the Tigers, and it was an excellent one. The backstop for the World Series-winning 1968 squad, Freehan finished second in the AL MVP race that year, thanks to hitting .263/.366/.454 with 65 walks and an AL-leading 24 hit by pitches — in ‘67, he finished third. Freehan had the occasional down year at the plate, but when he was at his best, there were few better: 11 All-Star selections in 15 years, five Gold Gloves and 200 career homers from a primary catcher is tough to beat.

1B: Hank Greenberg

“What would [player’s] career look like if not for World War II?” is a game you can play all day, but with Hank Greenberg the question is a loud one. In 1940, he hit 41 homers. In 1941, his season ended 19 games in, and he wouldn’t return until midway through 1945. Greenberg would then lead the majors with 44 blasts in ‘46. Over 500 homers? Another shot at Babe Ruth’s record of 61 homers? Greenberg did go deep 58 times in ‘38. All guesswork, but what he did accomplish on the field was worthy of Cooperstown as is. 

(Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

2B: Lou Whitaker 

Lou Whitaker falling off of the Hall of Fame ballot is a well-documented travesty, but it should be said again if only to point out just how excellent he was. Whitaker excelled at second base for decades, despite that the position is regularly manned by players who can’t do that since they were there for not being good enough to play shortstop. Whitaker, though, was as good at the plate in 1995 as he was in 1985, and he was Rookie of the Year back in 1978. A Gold Glove-winning, Silver Slugger with a 19-year career — a wonderful ballpayer.

(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

3B: George Kell

George Kell played for five different teams in his 15-year career, but none for as long as the Tigers, and never as well as there, either. Of his 10 All-Star selections, six came in seasons with Detroit. It’s where won the 1949 batting title, with an MLB-leading .343 average, and also where he hit .325/.391/.433 over the course of seven seasons. Kell ended up inducted into the Hall of Fame nearly three decades after his career ended, in 1983, by the Veteran’s Committee, and in between — and for another decade-plus after — joined the Tigers’ broadcast booth. 

(Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

SS: Alan Trammell

Like his longtime double-play partner, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell did not make it to Cooperstown. At least, not at first. He was finally inducted in 2018 by the Modern Baseball Era Committee, but, again like with Whitaker, it never should have gotten to that point. He was part of the dominant 1984 championship team — as well as World Series MVP for batting .450/.500/.800 with two home runs — and key to that run of quality 80s Tigers clubs. While his bat slowed in the 90s, from 1980-1990, he hit .291/.359/.433 with multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. 

(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

OF: Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb was one of the original all-time hit kings. The first ever to 4,000 hits — there are still just three — and MLB’s all-time hit leader until Pete Rose passed him, Cobb’s .366 career batting average still stands. In 22 years with Detroit, he won a record 11 batting titles — if not for Tris Speaker hitting .386 to his .370 in 1916, Cobb would have won 12 in a row — and batted over .400 twice. His was not an empty batting average, either: Cobb once slugged over .600 in the Deadball Era, and .512 for his entire career.

OF: Harry Heilmann

There have been nine player seasons with a .400 average in AL history: Harry Heilmann’s 1923 was one of them. He hit .403/.481/.632 for the Tigers in his best year, but also won three other batting titles: in 1921 with a .394 average and MLB-leading 237 hits, in 1925 at .393, and a .398 batting average did the trick in 1927. In between, he still hit for a high average, and for his career, finished at .342. Normally that’d be enough for first in a franchise’s history, but, the Tigers also had Ty Cobb. 

(Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)

OF: Al Kaline

Al Kaline is the franchise leader in homers (399), as well as first in games played (2,834). He’s second in hits, as the organization’s second 3,000-hit player after Ty Cobb, and led in walks with 1,277. He’s also second behind Cobb in wins above replacement, with 93, which should be no surprise given how long he continued to mash. Kaline’s career began in 1953, but in 1972, at 37, he still produced a .313/.374/.475 season. Cobb might own more offensive categories, but Kaline did win 10 Gold Gloves, making him the Tigers’ most complete player.

DH: Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera got his start with the then-Florida Marlins, and won a World Series in his impressive rookie season as a 20-year-old. He made his true mark in Detroit, however, after the Marlins shipped Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis north in a blockbuster trade. Cabrera would spend the last 16 years of his career with the Tigers, where he’d win four batting titles, two MVP awards, make seven All-Star teams, surpass 500 career home runs, and win the first Triple Crown since 1967. He’s not enshrined in Cooperstown yet, but only because he just retired after 2023. The Hall will call.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Honorable Mentions:

• Hughie Jennings (manager)
• Jim Leyland (manager)
• Jack Morris (starting pitcher)
• Hal Newhouser (starting pitcher)
• Tommy Bridgers (starting pitcher)
• Mickey Lolich (starting pitcher)
• John Hiller (reliever/closer)
• Mike Henneman (reliever/closer)
• Willie Hernandez (reliever/closer)
• Aurelio Lopez (reliever/closer)
• Lance Parrish (catcher)
• Ivan Rodriguez (catcher)
• Mickey Cochrane (catcher)
• Norm Cash (1B)
• Ian Kinsler (2B)
• Charlie Gehringer (2B)
• Travis Fryman (3B)
• Donie Bush (SS)
• Carlos Guiillen (SS)
• Harvey Kuenn (SS)
• Willie Horton (OF)
• Bobby Veach (OF)
• Chet Lemon (OF)
• Kirk Gibson (OF)
• Sam Crawford (OF)

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!