Detroit Tigers: 1990-1999 All-Decade Team
By Matt Snyder
Right Field: Bobby Higginson
Bobby Higginson never became the superstar it once seemed he was destined to be, but his career started out with a (relative) bang with the Detroit Tigers in the mid-1990s.
After debuting in 1995 with modest success as a 24 year old, Higginson snapped off a run of terrific seasons. By the time the decade ended following his age 28 season (his first five years in the league), Higgy had over 100 home runs to his credit with a more-than-solid .277/.364/.477 batting line. That batting line was good for fourth in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging, and fourth in wOBA.
He never made an All-Star team as a member of the Tigers and doesn’t have any black ink to his name, but he had the mix of on-base ability and power that made him a valuable bat to have in the corner outfield (even if the backward-looking defensive metrics don’t particularly care for his glove work).
Higginson’s approximately 10 wins above replacement ranks him as the seventh most valuable Tigers hitter of the decade.
He went on to play with the Tigers for six more years into the 2000s before his retirement following the 2005 season.