We all like to talk about the good old days of our beloved teams, especially during the rockier points of a rebuild, when the youthful new recruits are just getting their legs under them. With the Tigers, we finally started to see those young players start to gel in 2024 and glimmers of the team they could become were visible, especially in the latter half of the season.
But it’s definitely fun to look back and thing about some of the greats who sported the Old English D, and what it might be like to see them play alongside Riley Green, Tarik Skubal, and Colt Keith.
So for our open thread topic of the week, the challenge before you is this. Pick ONE former Tiger who you would bring back at their prime to play with the 2025 Tigers team. This is trickier than you might think, as modern rules are in effect (try making those vicious slides now, Ty Cobb) and the game looks a lot different now that it did even ten years ago.
Who do you pick? Do you go for an unstoppable pitcher like Hal Newhouser, or even prime Justin Verlander? Maybe a slugger like Hank Greenberg or Miguel Cabrera? Or you could go niche, if you happen to be catcher-obsessed, and opt for Bill Freehan. The possibilities are endless and not just limited to the retired numbers on the wall.
Who would you pick?