Detroit Tigers: 1990-1999 All-Decade Team
By Matt Snyder
Second Base: Lou Whitaker
Lou Whitaker is most readily identified with the excellent Detroit Tigers teams of the 1980s, but he remained a productive player through his age 38 season of 1995. He appeared with the Tigers in six seasons in the 1990s and amassed more than 20 wins above replacement according to both FanGraphs’ and Baseball-Reference’s implementations of the metric.
In fact, Whitaker’s best season at the plate came in 1991 when he batted .279/.391/.489 with 23 home runs in 572 plate appearances. That was also his best overall year according to WAR — barely edging out 1983 — with more than six wins above replacement to his credit.
Whitaker would retire following the 1995 season after 19 seasons with the Tigers. Even at age 38, his bat never really saw a decline phase; he hit for a 129 OPS+ in the 1990s.
He remains one of the most iconic and beloved players in franchise history. We might one day see a statue in honor of Sweet Lou erected at Comerica Park.
It’s a shame that Whitaker has been shut out of the Hall of Fame so far, even falling off the ballot due to lack of support after only one year of eligibility. Hopefully he’ll soon get his due recognition on the national stage with a well-deserved induction into baseball’s most famous museum.