They’ve had some great ones.
A few weeks ago, I proposed the question, in another open thread, asking who you thought the best Tigers’ pitcher of all time was. Your answers were as delightfully varied as expected, and in that thread, I promised we would continue with the other positions.
So in our open thread today, we’re asking who you think the greatest Tigers’ catcher of all time was. Now, I am a noted fan of Alex Avila, and could wax poetic about his ability to manage pitchers from behind home plate, but my answer to this question has to be the one and only Bill Freehan. Freehan’s legacy with the Tigers is incredible, and in my humble opinion, he deserves attention from the Hall of Fame Era’s committee.
But the Tigers have had a lot of great catchers, and even now we’re in a bit of a golden age for Tigers catching, with effectively two quality starting catchers in Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler (the latter of which is making a strong case to be considered for the All-Star Game).
So, we turn it over to you. Who do you think the greatest catcher in Tigers’ history is and why? Were they a lifer, or just a one-season wonder?
And because I have no other place to leave this video, let us never forget the short-lived catchers who had the greatest moments in Tigers’ history… Nerts forever.