Detroit Tigers - The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)

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1920

1923

1927

1920

Decade

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Titles:

Top Tigers Players of the Twenties

None

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Earl Whitehill (15.08) - 51

Navin Field

Hooks Dauss (15.97) - 50

Howard Ehmke (8.43) - 26

Team Name: Tigers

Ken Holloway (4.07) - 24

Herman Pillette (6.44) - 21

Owner:

Ownie Carroll (7.25) - 19

Frank J. Navin

Rip Collins (5.88) - 17

Lil Stoner (2.82) - 17

General Managers:

Red Oldham (4.08) - 14

None

Dutch Leonard (6.54) - 13

Vic Sorrell (1.56) - 10

Managers:

Hughie Jennings (1920)

Catchers:

Ty Cobb (1921-1926)

Johnny Bassler (19.52) - 55

George Moriarty (1927-1928)

Larry Woodall (4.01) - 5

Bucky Harris (1929)

First Basemen:

No Hitters:

Lu Blue (20.87) - 52

None

Dale Alexander (5.09) - 13

Hall of Famers:

Second Basemen:

Bucky Harris

Charlie Gehringer (15.1) - 34

Charlie Gehringer

Ty Cobb

ShortStop:

Harry Heilmann

Jackie Tavener (3.97) - 29

Heinie Manush

Third Base:

MVP:

Marty McManus (7.08) - 21

None

Bob Jones (4.57) - 12

Fred Haney (7.97) - 10

Notable Events:

Outfield:

1920 - The Tigers spend the Twenties in the middle of the pack. Owner Frank

Harry Heilmann (56.81) - 99

Navin isn't in a financial position to be able to splash big bucks around at this

Ty Cobb (34.86) - 94

point so, considering his resources, Detroit is doing OK.

Heinie Manush (7.08) - 38

Bobby Veach (15.44) - 36

1921 - Ty Cobb succeeds Hughie Jennings as manager. It appears to be an unusual

Fatty Fothergill (13.31) - 35

choice as Ty is not Mr. Personality. It was time for Jennings to go, he looked to be

Topper Rigney (10.92) - 26

fresh out of ideas. Also, it was probably a way to get Cobb more invested in the

Harry Rice (3.93) - 19

team at this stage of his career - there weren't any more challenges as a player.

Al Wingo (6.56) - 17

1921 - For the first time, Ty Cobb takes an interest in Harry Heilmann's hitting.

Notable Events:

A few adjustments based on Cobb's input and Harry goes on to win the

batting title with Cobb finishing second.

1927 - Cobb leaves Detroit in a shroud of mystery at the age of forty.

Tris Speaker left Cleveland at the age of thirty eight at the same time.

1921 - Lu Blue, a twenty four year old first baseman is a rookie. He will have

Rumor had it that they were involved in a betting scandal based on

a solid seven year run in Detroit.

accusations by Tiger pitcher Dutch Leonard. Altho' nothing was

established other than Leaonard's allegations, it looks like both Cobb

1921 - Twenty six year old Johnny Bassler, a catcher, is obtained from Seattle.

and Speaker were forced to move from their ballclubs at the behest

A bargain basement acquisition who hadn't appeared in the big leagues for

of Commissioner Landis. Cobb resigned as manager and went to

seven seasons (he had been up briefly with Cleveland), Bassler turns into a

the A's in '27. Speaker went first to Washington in '27 and then the

solid member of the Tigers squad for the next seven seasons.

A's in '28. Dodgers HOFer Zach Wheat also moved to the A's in '27

but doesn't appear to be involved in these dealings. One would guess

1922 - The Tigers post their first of six consecutive winning seasons.

that Landis mandated that Speaker and Cobb could no longer go back

Although Cobb doesn't win any titles during this stretch,

to their home teams because of their possible ties to local gamblers,.

his tenure as Detroit manager must be labelled as a success.

For the good of the game, he wouldn't kick these two out of

baseball either. A compromise was to send Cobb to the A's where

1922 - Twenty four year old outfielder Fatty Fothergill is obtained from Rochester.

Connie Mack could keep a watchful eye on him while Speaker

Another hard hitter, he will bat .325 lifetime and is a solid member

would go to Washington where Clark Griffith could keep a watchful

of Detroit's lineup thru the end of the decade

eye on him. The idea was probably to turn the whole thing into

a positive by pairing the superstars with venerable managers.

1923 - Earl Whitehill, a twenty four year old lefthander, is a rookie. He goes on

to spend nine seasons as a stellar member of Detroit's starting rotation

1927 - This marks the last year of Detroit's six year over .500 streak

There's a big roster turnover after the season as Blue, 30, Bassler, 32,

1923 - Hard hitting twenty one year old outfielder Heinie Manush is obtained

and Manush, 25. who had been starters for a number of years, are

from Omaha. You had to hand it to the Tigers, they knew how to find

all jettisoned. Unclear why the Tigers cleaned house.

big time hitters from Crawford to Cobb to Veach to Heilmann to Jacobson

to Fothergill to Manush. That was a lot of big time lumber that they were

1928 - Vic Sorrell, a twenty seven year old righthander is obtained

acquiring. Manush has a nice five season run in Detroit

from Toronto. Vic got a late start on his big league career as he

needed to work his family's farm before going on to college.

1924 - Future Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer, 21, is a rookie

It wasn't until Sorrell was twenty five that he joined organized

baseball and it wasn't long after that that he made his way to the

1925 - The Tigers sport the only outfield in history to have three plus .370

Tigers. Vic would go on to an eight year stint as a member of

hitters: Cobb, Heilmann and Al Wingo. It was Wingo's only year as a starter

Detroit's starting rotation.

1928 - One big one that got away, future HOF lefty Carl Hubbell, 25,

is sold to the Giants