Detroit Tigers’ Best Relievers by bWAR Come From Past Eras, Dating Back to 1961
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The Detroit Tigers have had some famous relievers in recent memory. From the flamethrower Joel Zumaya to a star closer in Jose Valverde and even, more recently, the reliable Will Vest. However, they were not good enough for long enough to even sniff the top of what is a stacked reliever history.
Since 2000, only two relievers are in the top ten of career bWAR for Detroit's relievers; the rest are pre-2000 players. Part of that is due to them not having a closer or reliever be more dominant for more than two or three years at a time. The other part of that is the Detroit Tigers' rich history.
Although they may not have the Hall of Fame talent at the top of the list, there are extremely accomplished relievers in Detroit's record books. From a 15-year stalwart to a Cy Young and MVP winner, the Tigers' reliever history is as deep as its starter's.
1. John Hiller, 31.1 bWAR
Hiller pitched for the Tigers for the entirety of his 15-year career and holds a huge lead in bWAR compared to the second-highest pitcher on this list. The Canadian left-hander did everything that Detroit could've asked for, throwing reliable innings and saving games.
His first six appearances allowed two runs in eight innings over two seasons, but his career didn't truly begin until 1967, at age 24. Over his first five seasons, from 1967 to 1972, the Tigers flirted with him as a starter, giving him 34 starts of his 173 games. He missed the 1971 season after suffering a heart attack.
During that stretch, he was fairly good, throwing over 100 innings twice and accumulating a 2.90 ERA. It was in the 1973 season and beyond that etched him in Tigers' history.
Hiller's 1973 is still, to this day, one of the best reliever seasons ever. The 30-year-old threw 125.1 innings in his 65 appearances and finished 60 games, including saving a league-leading 38 games. He struck out 124 batters and posted a 1.44 ERA, finishing fourth in both Cy Young and MVP. His 7.9 bWAR is the second most in a season by a reliever ever.
From 1973-1976, he had bWARs of at least 3.0 every year, with two 4.0 bWAR seasons and an All-Star appearance in 1974. He had 10.0 more bWAR than the next closest player reliever over that span, with 19, and even had the lowest ERA, 2.18, of any reliever with at least 100 innings.
He pitched until he was 37, and although he wasn't as good in his final two seasons, he was one of the best relievers of the 1970s and is third all-time in saves for the Tigers.
2. Mike Henneman, 12.8 bWAR
Henneman is far behind Hiller in bWAR and in the number of seasons spent with the team. Hiller's 15 year career with one team as a reliever is exceedingly rare, making Henneman's eight and a half year tenure with Detroit look short.
The right-hander had a stellar career in his own right, though. He was impactful immediately upon his big league arrival, posting 2.3 bWAR and a 2.98 ERA in 96.2 innings on his way to finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.
The following season, Henneman earned the closer's role, which he held for the majority of his career. In five of his eight full seasons in Detroit, he recorded at least 20 saves, and that began in his second year, which happened to be his career best.
In 1988, he recorded 22 saves in 91.1 innings with a 1.87 ERA and 3.2 bWAR, a career high. He only saved eight games the following season, but made his first All-Star team. From 1990-1993, he recorded at least 21 saves every season with a bWAR of 1.9 and 1.7 in 1990-91.
In 1993, his final full season with the team, he recorded a 2.64 ERA with 24 saves before only pitching in 30 games in 1994 and ultimately getting traded in 1995 after posting a 1.53 ERA and recording 18 saves.
Henneman's 154 saves are the second most in Tigers history.
3. Aurelio Lopez, 9.6 bWAR
Lopez had a very different career than the two pitchers above him. He didn't make his MLB debut until 1974 after being purchased by the Kansas City Royals from the Mexican league. He was reacquired by the Mexican League the following season and remained there until 1977, when he joined the St. Louis Cardinals and was traded to the Tigers after the 1978 season.
After a lot of bouncing around, Lopez found a home in Detroit. He had a brilliant debut season in the Motor City, throwing 127 innings and recording 21 saves, a 2.41 ERA and 5.3 bWAR, the second most by a reliever in Tigers' history.
He was the closer again in 1980, saving 21 games, but his ERA and bWAR totals took a tumble compared to the previous year. With a 3.77 ERA, his bWAR dropped to 1.4.
He only recorded three saves in a short 1981 season and after dealing with shoulder injuries during 1982, retired and went back to Mexico. However, the retirement wouldn't last long as he returned for the 1983 season.
It was a good thing he did. as the then 34-year-old made his long All-Star team, throwing 115.1 innings with 18 saves, a 2.81 ERA and 2.1 bWAR. During the 1984 World Series season, he recorded 14 more saves and had a 2.94 ERA in a career high 71 games.
After a down 1985 season, he left for the Houston Astros in free agency.
4. Willie Hernandez, 8.4 bWAR
Hernandez, despite being at number four on this list, is by far the most decorated pitcher on this list. After seven and a half years with the Chicago Cubs to begin his career, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983, who turned around and traded him to the Tigers, where his career took off.
The left-hander spent his final six seasons with the Tigers and it started off with a bang. As a member of the 1984 World Series team, Hernandez made his first career All-Star game, posting 4.8 bWAR, a 1.92 ERA and 32 saves in 80 games. His season was dominant enough to win both the Cy Young and MVP.
Hernandez was the second reliever to ever win both awards and etched himself in Tigers lore with his season and World Series win combined.
Over the following two seasons, Hernandez would be good, but didn't reach the levels he did in 1984. He was an All-Star both seasons and recorded at least 24 saves each year. In 1985, his ERA fell to 2.70, but he recorded 31 saves in 106.2 innings.
1986 was the beginning of Hernandez's decline. He recorded 24 saves, but his ERA tumbled to 3.55, and he only threw 88.2 innings.
His decline was fairly steady, and by 1987, he had lost the closer's role. He had a bit of a resurgence in 1988, posting 1.1 bWAR and a 3.06 ERA, but was out of baseball after 1989. Still, Hernandez's brief dominance will always be remembered fondly.
5. Terry Fox, 8.0 bWAR
Fox's career is the furthest back of anyone on this list, going back to his debut season in 1960 and his first year in Detroit in 1961. He had a brief stint with the Milwaukee Braves, but like every other pitcher on this list, he began his Tigers career with a bang.
As a 25-year-old, Fox became the ace of the bullpen in his first season. He led the team with 12 saves, 2.6 bWAR, and a 1.41 ERA in 57.1 innings. He was even better the following season, saving a career high 16 games and once again leading the Tigers bullpen with 3.7 bWAR and a 1.71 ERA.
However, the right-hander regressed over the following two seasons. Although he led the team with 11 saves in 1983, his ERA was at 3.59, and by 1964, he was no longer the team's closer, saving five games with a 3.39 ERA.
Fox had one more great effort in him, it turned out, as he saved a team-best 10 games and had a 2.78 ERA with a bullpen-best 1.7 bWAR in 1965. After a 6.30 ERA in 1966, he was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies that season.
