BoomGaspar

I've been away from this thread too long. As for the "some semblance of an answer"...the answer depends on what one considers a "card". The winner COULD be outfielder Elliott Maddox, who played in 109 games with the Tigers in 1970 but is pictured capless as a member of the Washington Senators on his 1971 Topps card. He does appear as a Tiger on a stamp and on an oddball card...do these count? Similarly, catcher Gus Triandos got into 106 games with the Tigers in 1963 but is listed as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies on his 1964 Topps card (despite being pictured in a Tigers uniform)...does that count? Utilityman Kevin Witt made 93 appearances for the 2003 Tigers as a DH, first baseman, pinch hitter, and left fielder. He's on a promo card for the 2004 MLB Showdown card game...does that count? Moving forward in time, we find some players who could be outright winners. Casper Wells appeared in 100 games for the Tigers in 2010-2011 and has nothing to show for it. Forum favorite Jim Adduci similarly has nothing to document his 88 games in 2017-2018. Australian reliever Warwick Saupold pitched 82 times from 2016-2018 and comes up empty. Outfielder Alex Presley had 74 appearances in 2016-2017 but is missing in action. Also playing 74 times and never appearing on a Tigers card was outfielder Josh Anderson in 2009. Infielder Scott Fletcher played in 67 games for the 1995 Tigers but fell victim to companies limiting their production of players from bad teams to pull out of the "junk wax" era. A short skip away on the same team is Franklin Stubbs, with 62 games in a Tigers uniform going unrepresented. A second Aussie, Brad Thomas, pitched in 61 games between 2010-2011 but has no cardboard proof of it. A few other players have hit the 50 game mark with no Tigers cards, including catcher Ron Tingley (54 games in 1995), pitcher Louis Coleman (51 games in 2018), and pitcher Shelby Miller (51 games in 2024). So there you have it. Discuss.

Researching for a thread over at tcdb.com, I thought someone here might be interested in this information. The question at hand: What player has appeared in the most total games with the Tigers without ever receiving a baseball card with the team? This considers players who appeared from 1952-onward (the "modern era" of baseball cards). I'll leave this post for a little while to see if anyone cares to venture a guess (no peeking at the other thread) before posting some semblance of an answer.

Shameless plug - I have updated a Sporcle quiz asking you to remember every player who has appeared in a game with the Tigers thus far this decade. Now includes all players from 2020-2024. Play here and see how many you remember. Links for other decades: 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s Let me know what you think.

With another year in the books, here's a look at the people associated with the Tigers who passed away in 2024. Jim Hannan pitched for the Tigers in 1971, going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 7 games, all in relief. Acquired in the offseason as part of a blockbuster, 8-player trade with the Washington Senators that netted the team Aurelio Rodriguez and Ed Brinkman, Hannan was again traded six weeks into the ‘71 season, this time to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for John Gelnar and Jose Herrera, neither of whom ever played in a game for the Tigers. Hannan also appeared in the majors with the Senators and Brewers. He died February 8 at the age of 85. Chuck Seelbach pitched for the Tigers from 1971-1974, compiling a record of 10-8 with a 3.38 ERA and 14 saves in 75 total games, with the vast majority coming in 1972. He debuted as a September call-up in 1971, was a heavily used bullpen arm in 1972, and then spent most of the 1973 & 1974 seasons injured. Becoming a history teacher at an all-boys school in Ohio after retiring, Seelbach did not appear in the majors with any other team. He died March 27 at the age of 76. Ed Ott was the Tigers’ bullpen coach from 2001-2002, serving under manager Phil Garner before being fired along with Garner and three other coaches by Dave Dombrowski after the Tigers started the 2002 season 0-6. As a player, Ott appeared in the majors with the Pirates and Angels, and also coached in the majors with the Astros. He died March 3 at the age of 72. Whitey Herzog played for the Tigers in 1963, batting .151 with 7 RBI in 52 games as a backup utility player, used mainly as a pinch hitter. Acquired from Baltimore in a 3-player deal after the 1962 season, he spent the entire season on the major league roster before retiring as a player to concentrate on scouting, coaching, and managing. Elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2010, Herzog also appeared in the majors with the Senators, KC Athletics, and Orioles, and managed the Rangers, Angels, Royals, and Cardinals. He died April 15 at the age of 92. Hank Foiles played for the Tigers in 1960, batting .250 with 3 RBI in 26 games as a catcher, one of three teams Foiles played for in 1960 alone. Acquired from the Indians on July 26, he spent the remainder of the season with the Tigers as the team's backup catcher before being drafted by the Orioles after the season. Usually a part-time player, he was only a starter for two years with the Pirates, but made the most of it, being named to the 1957 NL All-Star team. Foiles also appeared in the majors with the Reds, Indians, Pirates, KC Athletics, Orioles, and Angels. He died May 21 at the age of 94. Mike Brumley played for the Tigers in 1989, batting .198 with 1 home run and 11 RBI in 92 games as a utility player, spending time at second base, shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions. Acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres in spring training, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1989 off-season in exchange for outfielder Larry Sheets. Brumley also appeared in the majors with the Cubs, Mariners, Red Sox, Astros, and Athletics. He died in a car accident June 15 at the age of 62. Jimmy Hurst played for the Tigers in 1997, appearing in 13 games as a September call-up and batting .176 with 1 home run, his bomb coming off of David Wells in a 6-1 loss to the Yankees. Hurst did not appear in the majors with any other team. He died July 6 at the age of 52. Jerry Walker served as the Tigers general manager in 1993. Among his achievements were signing Kirk Gibson and David Wells as free agents and acquiring outfielder Erid Davis in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Walker pitched in the majors with the Orioles, Athletics, and Indians, was a pitching coach for the Yankees and Astros, and also worked in the front offices of the Cardinals and Reds. He died July 14 at the age of 85. Doug Creek pitched for the Tigers in 2005, appearing in 20 games, all in relief. He compiled a record of 0-0, with 0 saves, 18 strikeouts, and a 6.85 ERA in 22 ⅓ innings pitched, receiving his release on July 22. Creek also appeared in the majors with the Cardinals, Giants, Cubs, Devil Rays, Mariners, and Blue Jays. He died July 28 at the age of 55. Billy Bean played for the Tigers from 1987-1989, batting .216 with 4 RBI in 45 total games, many of them as a defensive replacement at various positions. He spent much of his time in the Tigers organization with AAA Toledo, coming up to the major league club as an injury replacement or September call-up. Following his playing career, he became the second MLB player to publicly come out as gay, after which he worked as an inclusivity ambassador for MLB. Bean also appeared in the majors with the Dodgers and Padres. He died August 6 at the age of 60. Jim Brady pitched in 6 games for the 1956 Tigers, surrendering 20 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched for an ERA of 28.42. His contract status as a “bonus baby” meant that he had to spend the entire season on the major league roster, though he was used only 6 times. Following his brief baseball career, he became a college professor of economics and was eventually named president of Jacksonville University. Brady did not appear in the majors with any other team. He died August 18 at the age of 88. Don Wert played for the Tigers from 1963-1970, batting .244 with 77 home runs and 363 RBI in 1,090 games as an infielder, mainly a third baseman. An American League All-Star in 1968, he batted just .118 in the World Series against the Cardinals that year but played in 6 of the 7 games as the team’s starting third baseman. Also in 1968, Wert was hit in the head with a pitch from Cleveland’s Hal Kurtz, shattering Wert’s helmet and knocking him unconscious. He was carried off the field on a stretcher, spending two full days in the hospital recovering, and batted .200 after his return. Traded to Washington after the 1970 season in the Denny McLain-Ed Brinkman deal, Wert also appeared in the majors with the Senators. He died August 25 at the age of 86. John Baumgartner played in 7 games for the 1953 Tigers, batting .185 with 2 RBI in 27 plate appearances as a third baseman before being sent back to the minors for good. Of his 7 major league games, 6 of them were losses. Replaced by Ray Boone at third, Baumgartner did not appear in the majors with any other team. He died September 25 at the age of 93. Ozzie Virgil played for the Tigers in 1958 and from 1960-1961, batting .228 with 7 home runs and 33 RBI in 131 games as an infielder. The first African-American player in Tigers history, he was also the first player born in the Dominican Republic to play in the majors when he debuted with the Giants. After splitting the 1958 season between Detroit and the minor leagues, he played all of 1959 in the minors before again shuttling between the major and minor leagues in 1960, finally being traded to the Kansas City Athletics midway through the 1961 season. Virgil also appeared in the majors with the New York Giants, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Francisco Giants. He died September 29 at the age of 92. Ray Semproch pitched for the Tigers in 1960, going 3-0 with a 4.00 ERA in 17 games, all of them in relief. Acquired from the Phillies in the off-season, he was traded to the Dodgers on June 21 in exchange for fellow reliever Clem Labine and was assigned to LA’s AAA team in Spokane. Semproch also appeared in the majors with the Phillies and Angels. He died October 27 at the age of 93. Merv Rettenmund was the Tigers’ hitting coach in 2002, one of the only coaches to survive the housecleaning after the team’s 0-6 start. He was dismissed following the season as new manager Alan Trammell brought in his own coaching squad. As a player, Rettenmund appeared in the majors with the Orioles, Reds, Padres, and Angels, and he also coached in the majors with the Rangers, Athletics, Padres, and Braves. He died December 7 at the age of 81. Rocky Colavito played for the Tigers from 1960-1963, batting .271 with 139 home runs and 430 RBI in 629 games as an outfielder, mainly in left field. He was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in a blockbuster trade just before the 1960 season in exchange for outfielder Harvey Kuenn, with Colavito, the 1959 home run champion swapped for Kuenn, the 1959 batting champion. Colavito responded by hitting 45 home runs with 140 RBI in 1960, easily leading the team in both categories. A five-time All-Star (twice with the Tigers), Colavito also appeared in the majors with the Indians, KC Athletics, White Sox, Dodgers, and Yankees. He died December 10 at the age of 91. Gary Sutherland played for the Tigers from 1974-1976, batting .251 with 11 home runs and 94 RBI in 320 games as an infielder, mainly at second base. Known for his prowess at turning double plays, he was acquired from Houston in a 3-player deal after the 1973 season and became the starting second baseman for the 1974 squad. After struggling defensively in 1975, he was diagnosed with diabetes after complaining of headaches and dizziness and adopted a custom diet in which he ate peanut butter, saltines, and raisins three times daily. Traded to Milwaukee in exchange for infielder Pedro Garcia midway through the 1976 season, Sutherland also appeared in the majors with the Phillies, Expos, Astros, Brewers, Padres, and Cardinals. He died December 16 at the age of 80. Charlie Maxwell played for the Tigers from 1955-1962, batting .268 with 133 home runs and 455 RBI in 853 games as an outfielder. An excellent defensive outfielder, he led the American League in fielding percentage as an outfielder in four of his seven full seasons with Detroit and was twice an All-Star, in 1956 and 1957. In 1959, Maxwell hit home runs in four consecutive at bats during a Sunday doubleheader, and hit 12 of his 31 home runs overall on Sundays, leading to the nickname “Sunday Charlie” - to go along with his nickname of “Paw Paw” Maxwell, derived from his hometown of Paw Paw, Michigan. Following his playing career, Maxwell returned to Paw Paw and opened a successful auto parts business. Maxwell also appeared in the majors with the Red Sox, Orioles, and White Sox. He died December 27 at the age of 97.

Good. That should save us some runs.

Is there any indication yet of who will fill the empty roster spots, or even who is pitching tonight’s game?

Imagine if this message board had existed in the days of Randy Smith. How many replies would have been on a thread about him swapping 2/3 of the team’s roster for 1/2 of the Astros’ roster, then immediately flipping several of those guys to the Padres, only to re-trade for them a week later? Or a thread saying “Hey everyone, we just got Fausto Cruz!” “Great! Who the &$!@ is Fausto Cruz??”

I have a collection of Tigers media guides from 1970-2019. It seems that starting with the 2020 season, the media guides went fully digital and the team no longer prints a physical copy. For a while at least, the Tigers were the only one of 30 MLB teams not to print a physical copy of their media guide. Bust out that fact the next time someone claims we don't use modern analytical technology...

With Miguel Cabrera's playing career presumably over, where does he rank historically? He is... 17th in MLB history in hits with 3174. He would have needed 11 more to pass Cal Ripken Jr. for 16th. 8th in team history in hits with 2332. He would have needed 34 more to pass Alan Trammell for 7th. Tied with Mel Ott for 25th in MLB history in home runs with 511. He would have needed 2 more to pass Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 23rd. Tied with Norm Cash for 2nd in team history in home runs with 373. He would have needed 27 more to pass Al Kaline for 1st. 13th in MLB history in RBI with 1881. He would have needed 29 more to pass Willie Mays for 12th. 5th in team history in RBI with 1358. He would have needed 70 more to pass Charlie Gehringer for 4th. 13th in MLB history in doubles with 627. He would have needed 6 more to pass David Ortiz for 12th. 5th in team history in doubles with 444. He would have needed 54 more to pass Harry Heilmann for 4th. 14th in MLB history in total bases with 5368. He would have needed 6 more to pass Frank Robinson for 13th. 4th in team history in total bases with 3909. He would have needed 349 more to pass Charlie Gehringer for 3rd. 54th in MLB history in walks with 1258. He would have needed 5 more to pass Jack Clark for 53rd. 7th in team history in walks with 936. He would have needed 70 more to pass Norm Cash for 6th. 57th in MLB history in runs scored with 1551. He would have needed 4 more to pass Hugh Duffy for 56th. 9th in team history in runs scored with 1102. He would have needed 14 more to pass Sam Crawford for 8th. 14th in MLB history in extra base hits with 1155. He would have needed 3 more to pass Carl Yastrzemski for 13th. 4th in team history in extra base hits with 824. He would have needed 61 to pass Charlie Gehringer for 3rd. 25th in MLB history in games played with 2797. He would have needed 12 more to pass Frank Robinson for 24th. 7th in team history in games played with 2077. He would have needed 38 more to pass Sam Crawford for 6th.

Update to the update: The record is now 48 seasons! On April 25, 1982, Cardinals pitcher Jim Kaat intentionally walked rookie Phillies shortstop Julio Franco. That marks 48 years from Kaat's debut in 1959 to Franco's final game in 2007. You're welcome. Update to the update's update: The record is tied at 48. On August 22, 1986, Cubs pitcher Jamie Moyer retired Reds first baseman Tony Perez three times on three fly ball outs. That also marks 48 years from Perez's debut in 1964 to Moyer's final game in 2012.

While making today's post in the "One and Done" thread, I mentioned Ivan Rodriguez playing in a 2004 game with Zack Greinke, representing 32 seasons in a single game. That got me thinking...what game has the most seasons represented between two players? Doing a bit of baseball-reference research (yes, I'm off today)...I came up with 47. On June 16, 1986, pitcher Jamie Moyer made his MLB debut for the Chicago Cubs in a 7-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies starting pitcher that day was Steve Carlton, marking 47 seasons of baseball between Carlton's MLB debut in 1965 and Moyer's final game in 2012. Can any game top that? (Hint: I already checked Nolan Ryan, who did appear in a game opposing Eddie Mathews, but that's only a span of 41 years from Mathews's debut in 1952 to Ryan's final season in 1993.) Update: I don't think 47 seasons can be topped. Second place may be on May 3, 1979, when Mets rookie pitcher Jesse Orosco struck out Giants first baseman Willie McCovey...that's 44 seasons from McCovey's debut in 1959 to Orosco's final game in 2003. Tommy John and Early Wynn were both on the Cleveland Indians roster in September of 1963, but they never appeared in a game together. That would have given us 50 years from Wynn's debut in 1939 to John's final game in 1989, but alas, it was not to be.

Lino Urdaneta Lino Urdaneta made a nightmarish appearance on the mound for the Tigers on September 9, 2004 as the team was annihilated 26-5 by the Kansas City Royals. The game is difficult to describe...Tigers starting pitcher Jason Johnson lasted 2 1/3 innings, in which he surrendered 11 runs. Into the game in the third inning (with the bases loaded) trotted Lino, making his MLB debut as a September call-up. He faced six batters, achieving the following results: walk (run scores), single (run scores), single (two runs score), single (run scores), single, single (run scores). That was it for Lino, as manager Alan Trammell trudged to the mound to replace him with fellow September call-up Franklyn German, who promptly surrendered two more singles to clear the bases. Overall, Lino faced six batters. All six batters reached base, and all six batters scored. That means Lino has a Tigers ERA of infinity. Infinity. The Royals sent 16 batters to the plate in the third inning, scored 11 runs, and at one point 13 straight Royals batters reached base. Capping his nightmare, Lino was sent back to AAA Toledo four days later. That's right...during the season of September call-ups and expanded rosters, poor Lino was demoted. He was released from the Tigers organization during the '04 playoffs, but did manage to reappear in two games for the 2007 Mets. 26 runs is, to date, the team record for most runs surrendered in a single game. One more fun fact about this game: the oldest player in the game was Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who made his major league debut in 1991. The Royals winning pitcher in this game was Zack Greinke, who lost to the Tigers YESTERDAY. That's 32 years of baseball in a single game. You're welcome.

Bill Graham Bill Graham pitched 2 innings for the Tigers on October 2, 1966 in a 7-5 loss to the Kansas City Athletics, the final game of the 1966 season. He is the only player in team history to make his MLB debut in the season's final game. Graham pitched the sixth and seventh innings, surrendering two singles and no earned runs, striking out KC center fielder Rick Monday and catcher Phil Roof. Tigers batters **** McAuliffe and Norm Cash both hit home runs, but starting pitcher Johnny Podres was ineffective and took his fifth loss of the year, giving up 6 runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work. Graham was sold to the New York Mets on August 31, 1967 while pitching for AAA Toledo and pitched in 5 games in September of 1967 before leaving professional baseball. He died in 2006 at the age of 69.

I played the game for real and had this result: ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 109 9/9: Rarity: 183 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 Play at: https://immaculategrid.com @immaculategrid x @baseball_ref However, it is possible to (while cheating) produce an all-Tigers grid with quite a rarity score. ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 109 9/9: Rarity: 2 IMMACULATE! 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 Play at: https://immaculategrid.com @immaculategrid x @baseball_ref

John DeSilva John DeSilva pitched 1 inning for the Tigers on August 15, 1993 in a 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Called up from AAA Toledo three days earlier to take the roster spot of pitcher Sean Bergman (who was optioned to Toledo), DeSilva spent 8 days on the Tigers roster before returning to the Mud Hens when pitcher David Wells came off of the disabled list. His only action came when he made his major league debut in the 8th inning at County Stadium, surrendering two hits and one run but benefiting from Tigers third baseman Scott Livingstone making a nice snag of a ground ball off the bat of Brewers right fielder Darryl Hamilton to start a 5-4-3 double play. The Tigers left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth when Alan Trammell was called out on the base path for runner interference on a Kirk Gibson ground ball. DeSilva was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 7 as the player to be named later that netted outfielder Eric Davis for the Tigers. He made brief MLB appearances with the Dodgers and Orioles, but had greater success playing baseball in Venezuelan winter leagues, in which he won 16 games.