MLB Franchise Four – Biggest Snubs for Each Team
Detroit Tigers – Mickey Lolich
Franchise Four: Miguel Cabrera, Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline
While Justin Verlander has meant a lot to the Detroit Tigers franchise over the last several seasons, I feel like Major League Baseball did a great disservice to the voters by putting Verlander as the only pitching option on the ballot. Perhaps they felt like the four selections of Cabrera, Cobb, Greenberg, and Kaline were a given, so they didn’t invest much time in reviewing the great pitching the Tigers have had over the years. Certainly, Hal Newhouser and Jack Morris would have made a stunning argument.
However, no pitcher in Tigers history could have made a better one that Mickey Lolich.
In 13 seasons for the Tigers, Lolich was a a three-time All-Star, racking up a record of 207-175. While he played on some Tigers teams that definitely didn’t do him any favors during the 60’s and 70’s, Lolich still showed better than average stuff with an ERA of 3.44, an FIP of 3.20, and a 7.0 K/9 ratio. That was good enough to pace all Tigers pitchers in Wins Above Replacement at 61.2 and secured two top-three finishes in the American League Cy Young vote.
Alas, MLB took Lolich out of consideration for the voters, robbing Tigers fans of giving one of their greatest pitchers a proper look.
Next: Twins - Walter Johnson