Pick an All-Time Tigers Home Run Derby

by Ian Casselberry on Jul 13, 2009 2:00 PM EDT in Detroit Tigers News

With the All-Star Home Run Derby taking place tonight, along with Brandon Inge's participation in the event, I thought we might try something inspired by something I heard a few weeks on the On the DL podcast.

The hosts, Dan Levy and Nick Tarnowski, picked their own Home Run Derby rosters, with players throughout the history of baseball they'd have liked to see compete in the event. (Sorry, Dan - I can't remember which episode that was in, or I'd provide a link.)

Keeping that in mind, if you had to pick select eight Detroit Tigers to compete in a Home Run Derby, who would you pick? Who have been your favorite Tigers sluggers in your lifetime of Tigers fandom? Kaline, Greenberg, Horton, Parrish, Evans, Tettleton, Fielder, Cabrera... there are a lot of names (and eras) to choose from.

Would you pit the old-timers against the more current players? Would you prefer to see the Derby at Tiger Stadium or Comerica Park? But most importantly, who would win an All-Time Tigers Home Run Derby?

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Rob Deer

Home run hitting machine!

…he’d also somehow strike out and draw a walk.

by 13194013 on Jul 13, 2009 2:05 PM EDT reply actions

My perfect scenario

would be to have a guy like Ty Cobb, who played in the dead ball era, against maybe Miguel Cabrera or Marcus Thames. A guy that we know can pound the ball against someone who hit 100 at a time where HR’s just weren’t hit or even all that popular. I’d love to see what kind of pop Ty had compared to the guys today.

by KidRick48 on Jul 13, 2009 2:08 PM EDT reply actions

Did Cobb hit ‘em over the fence, or just race around the bases for his home runs? honestly don’t know…just never had the impression that Cobb really hit for power, he’d just flash the spikes and intimidate fielders into giving up bases…

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by ahtrap on Jul 13, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Cobb's HR potential

Cobb could definitely be a contender, maybe even a finalist. Tom Stanton’s great book “Ty and the Babe” paints a vivid picture of how Cobb’s distaste for the longball and how it changed baseball fueled his bitter rivalry with Babe Ruth, which continued to rage on the golf course after they’d both retired. Cobb could hit homers as well as anyone but chose not to for the most part because of how he thought the game should be played.

However, based on awestruck personal experience, I would have to go with Big Daddy himself, Cecil Fielder, to take the crown of all-time Tiger home-run king.

by RoarOf84 on Jul 13, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions

No question

The answer to Ian’s last question is Hank Greenberg.

by MacRae on Jul 13, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions

Greenberg would win

1319 totally stole my thunder, I saw the topic, and “Rob Deer” was the first name to pop into my head….hey, maybe the guy hit below the Mendoza line, but I seem to recall a couple of Marcus Thames like streaks, where if he got a hit it went over the fence….

Hank Greenberg’s competition, other than Deer, would include the likes of Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Willie Horton, Cecil Fielder, Kirk Gibson and Rudy York (18 in a month? Sign the man up for the derby!).

And if you wanted to throw in another wild card, may I suggest someone like Robert Fick, who hit the last bomb at Tiger Stadium, a grand slam that hit the right field roof, a fitting send off if there ever was one….I’d give him a place in he derby on the strength of that one hit alone.

Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!

by ahtrap on Jul 13, 2009 3:36 PM EDT reply actions

My 8 HR bashing Tigers

Fun topic. I’ll take these 8 for my entertainment buck.
1. Marcus Thames
2. Miguel Cabrera
3. Cecil Fielder
4. Mickey Tettleton
5. Kirk Gibson
6. Lance Parrish
7. Willie Horton
8. Hank Greenberg

Gotta do it at Ye Olde Tiger Stadium (RIP).

1st round advancers – Thames, Fielder, Tettleton, Greenberg
Finals – Thames vs. Greenberg
Winner – (gotta agree with MacRae) Greenberg

by J-Torto on Jul 13, 2009 3:39 PM EDT reply actions

I'll bite

1. Hiram Bocachica
2. Nook Logan
3. Brian Hunter
4. Alex Sanchez
5. Milt Cuyler
6. Kimera Bartee
7. Josh Anderson
8. Jacque Jones

by Tagne13 on Jul 13, 2009 4:01 PM EDT reply actions

great list

can’t believe you left off andres torres, but i guess someone had to be the odd man out

by lobaseballa25 on Jul 13, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

He'd be the fill-in when Alex Sanchez got injured

Drugs are bad, mm’kay!

by Tagne13 on Jul 13, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha

You forgot Torey Lovullo

by djiddy on Jul 13, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

No Bip Roberts or Andujar Sanchez, NO CARE!

Fire Jim Leyland

by Mike Rogers on Jul 13, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Whoops, that’s supposed to be in response to Tagne13’s list.

Fire Jim Leyland

by Mike Rogers on Jul 13, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Why not Pudge?

Sounds crazy because he’s not a home run hitter, but when he represented the Tigers in 2005 at the Copa, he put up a pretty good display and lost in the Final round to Abreu—better than any other Tiger before him.

I think Inge is going to put up a good effort tonight, too. I wrote a piece laying out all the pitchers Inge has homered off in limited at bats if you’re interested in seeing. There are some big names on it.

Also, remember he said he wanted to hit a homer off Wainwright this year to repay him for striking him out to end the 2006 World Series and he did. He also promised that sick boy he’d hit a home run and he did. Can he do the same thing tonight if he just puts his mind to it and promises someone????

Detroit4lyfe

by Detroit4lyfe on Jul 13, 2009 5:01 PM EDT reply actions