MVPs and Hall of Famers Lead Detroit Tigers First Basemen in All-Time bWAR
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There are a ton of historic franchises in baseball dating back to the early 1900s, and the Detroit Tigers are just as successful as any of them. A storied franchise that has seen Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Jack Morris wear the uniform, the Tigers have some of the best players in baseball history in their record books.
The first base position is no exception. With a current Hall of Famer who won MVPs and a future Hall of Famer who won MVPs near the top of the list, the top five first basemen in franchise history are not only in Detroit's record books, but baseball's record books.
A franchise icon in Cecil Fielder and a former All-Star like Tony Clark were just off the list, showing just how accomplished the list is. The list kicks off with a Hall of Famer, who hit the third most RBIs in a single season, a number that will never be reached again.
1. Hank Greenberg, 52.8 bWAR
Greenberg had a decorated 13-year career from 1930 to 1947, but missed 3 years due to the war. From the moment he stepped on the field, Greenberg became one of the best RBI men of his era and put up some of the highest totals ever.
He got one at-bat in 1930, but returned in 1933 to have a great rookie season. In 117 games, he put up 2.7 bWAR with 12 home runs and an .835 OPS. It was clear that the first baseman could hit, but beginning in 1934 as a 23-year-old, Greenberg went on an incredible run.
From 1934-1940, Greenberg posted an OPS of 1.005 or higher in every season but one, in which he only played 12 games.
In 1934, Greenberg broke out for 201 hits, 26 home runs and 139 RBIs. His OPS, 1.005, was the lowest of his great stretch. He collected 63 doubles that season as well, making him one of six players to ever hit 60 or more doubles. Somehow, he got even better than that.
He won his first MVP in 1935, leading the league in home runs (36) and RBIs (168) while also hitting 46 doubles and 16 triples with a 1.039 OPS. And it would continue to rise, getting better despite winning an MVP with a career-high 7.5 bWAR.
After missing nearly the entirety of 1936, Greenberg made the All-Star team in 1937, the first of four straight. He led the league in RBIs with 184 while smashing 40 home runs. After finishing third in MVP voting, he would go on to do just that again in 1938 after leading the league with 58 homers.
Greenberg continued his Hall of Fame trajectory with a 1.042 OPS and 5.4 bWAR in 1939 before winning a second MVP while leading the league in homers (41), RBIs (150) and OPS (1.103) in 1940. He missed most of 1941 and all of 1942-44 due to military service. He returned for two seasons, receiving MVP votes and leading the league in home runs and RBIs for a final time.
Greenberg's number five is retired by the franchise.
2. Norm Cash, 51.7 bWAR
Cash had an excellent career, 17 years overall and 15 with Detroit, and has some numbers of a Hall of Famer, but was one-and-done on the ballot. Despite that, he is one of the best players in franchise history.
The first two years of Cash's career came with the Chicago White Sox. In 71 career games, he had a .731 OPS and 0.3 bWAR across two seasons. In the offseason of 1959, Cash was traded to Cleveland before being flipped again to Detroit in April of 1960.
As soon as he donned a Tigers uniform, Cash blossomed into a different player. In his first season, he jumped from a 0.4 bWAR to a 2.9 mark, smacking 18 home runs and improving his OPS+ by 33 points.
As a 27-year-old in 1961, Cash had one of the best seasons in Tigers history. Because of a weird quirk in baseball history with two All-Star games being played from 1959-62, the first baseman made his first two All-Star teams and finished fourth in MVP voting.
In 159 games, Cash led the league in hits (193), batting average (.361) and OPS (1.148). He had a breakout year as a power hitter, mashing a career high 41 home runs and 132 RBIs. His 9.2 bWAR mark is tied for the seventh most in Tigers history, behind only Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb. His 201 OPS+ is the third-highest mark, behind only Ty Cobb.
Cash would never reach those heights again, but he was an incredibly solid player for the rest of his career. From 1962-73, he hit at least 20 home runs in 10 out of the 12 seasons, and hit 30 or more four times. He also had an OPS of at least .800 in every season but one and had an OPS of .903 in 1971.
In the end, Cash finished his Tigers career with 373 home runs, tied for second with Miguel Cabrera. He also had 1,088 career RBI, the eighth most in the franchise's history. While never a superstar or MVP winner, Cash was about 40 percent better than league average for his entire career.
3. Miguel Cabrera, 49.0 bWAR
Cabrera was the face of the Tigers in the 2010s and one of the best players of the 21st century. A young superstar with the then-Florida Marlins, the Tigers acquired Cabrera before the 2008 season, and he instantly became the face of the franchise.
He led the AL in home runs right away, hitting 37 and driving in 127, beginning a streak of at least 100 RBIs that would last until 2015. Cabrera got MVP votes in his first two seasons with the club before reaching another level in 2010. That season, he posted 6.5 bWAR, hitting 38 home runs, leading the league with 126 RBIs and a 178 OPS+.
He made his first All-Star team with the Tigers that season and won his first of five Silver Sluggers with the franchise.
Already one of the best players in baseball, Cabrera leveled up in 2011 while Detroit became a World Series contender. He had a bWAR of 7.6, the best of his career, and hit 30 home runs, drove in 105 runs and won the batting title with a .344 mark.
In 2012 and 2013, Cabrera won back-to-back MVPs and was arguably the best player in baseball. He won the Triple Crown in 2012, with a .330 average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs. It was the first Triple Crown since 1967 and a feat that hasn't been achieved since.
Somehow, he was even better in 2013 when he won his second MVP. He hit 44 home runs again, driving in 137 runs and leading baseball in batting average (.348) and OPS (1.078). His OPS+ of 190 was a career high.
After having one of the best two-year stretches ever, Cabrera posted at least 4.9 bWAR in the next three seasons, winning the batting title again in 2015. 2016 was his last final good season where he hit 38 home runs and had an OPS+ of 155.
Cabrera had signed the biggest contract in team history, an eight-year, $248 million deal, in 2014. While the extension itself didn't work out, he more than earned it. His final seasons, particularly the last three, were rough, but he will still go down in Detroit history and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
4. Rudy York, 21.1 bWAR
A shorter peak and step down from the previous three players, but York had a terrific career in his own right. After appearing briefly in 1934, he returned as a 23-year-old in 1937, where he hit the ground running.
In just 104 games, York smacked 35 home runs and 101 RBIs while posting a career high 1.026 OPS. In not even a full season, he became one of the Tigers' premier power hitters along with Greenberg.
Over the next two seasons, he hit at least 20 home runs each season, including three seasons with 30+ homers. He also had 100 RBIs or more in four seasons.
From 1941-44, York made four straigh All-Star teams and garnered MVP votes in every season. His career year came in 1943, when he led the league with 34 home runs and 118 RBIs, posting a career high 6.1 bWAR.
His career was relatively short, just 10 years, compared to the other players before him on this list. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1946.
York is eighth in franchise history with 239 home runs and is top 10 in both slugging and on-base percentage.
5. Lu Blue, 21.1 bWAR
Blue, the oldest player on the list, debuted in 1921 and had a seven-year career with the Tigers. It was a very different era of baseball, so he doesn't have the power numbers of even a player like Greenberg, who played in a similar era. Power hitters back then were hard to come by.
He still managed to get it done with the bat every year. As a rookie, he posted 2.9 bWAR with 33 doubles, 11 triples and five home runs. His .308 average was solid for a rookie.
Beginning in 1922, until 1926, Blue had at least 3.0 bWAR every season. He was consitsntly hitting at or around .300 and never hit lower than seven triples.
Blue received MVP votes three times with the Tigers, finishing as high as 10th in 1922.
He hit a career high .311 in 1924 and the following season, drove in a career high 94 runs.
