In honor of the Tigers making the World Series, here's the lineup from the last time the Tigers finished above .500:
Tony Phillips
Lou Whitaker
Travis Fryman
Cecil Fielder
Kirk Gibson
Rob Deer
Mickey Tettleton
Alan Trammell
Dan Gladden
Couple of notes:
- I don't remember Skeeter Barnes, but he was on the team. Awesomest name that ever awesomed.
- Tony Phillips was an absolute beast that season with a .455 OBP. One thing I never really knew about Phillips was that he was a .330 OBP kind of guy until he was 30.
- Eric Davis was on the team, and I had to make sure it was the Eric Davis. It was, as he'd been picked up for a player to be named in the previous season. He only had 195 at-bats for the Tigers over two seasons.
Davis was a 25-year-old player when he hit .293/.399/.593 and went 50 for 56 in stolen base attempts. That he appeared to be done just five years later should always be kept in mind when a young position player seems to be on a Hall of Fame track. I'd guess that's the case, at least. As a Giants fan, I wouldn't know a young position player that seems to be on a Hall of Fame track if they flashed me in a dark alley.
That Davis was able to have two very productive seasons in his mid-30s should always be kept in mind when completely writing a player off.
That Davis totally sucked eggs in a Giants uniform was unfortunate. I really liked that acquisition at the time.
- I have a picture of me with Dan Gladden when I was seven. Good times. Nothing with Rob Deer, though. That's a shame.