In Memoriam 2024

[BoomGaspar]

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.

[Tenacious D]

Thanks for posting this.

[Edman85]

Good stuff