Some great catchers have taken the field for the Detroit Tigers since the team joined the majors back in 1901.
In this article, we showcase the best catchers in Detroit Tigers history using single-season and career wins above replacement (WAR).
Keep scrolling to find out more!
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Background on the Tigers
The Detroit Tigers first played in the late 19th century as a member of the Western League. They joined the American League in 1901, which marked their first official season in the major leagues.
Since their inaugural season in 1901 the Tigers have had significant success, to include four World Series titles (1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984).
Legendary players like Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer and Alan Trammell spent their entire Hall of Fame careers in Detroit and are common names that come to mind when thinking about the Tigers franchise.
In addition to these players, a number of talented and noteworthy catchers have also spent time in a Tigers uniform. This article focuses specifically on these men, as we highlight the Detroit Tigers’ best backstops in team history.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
The statistic known as Wins Above Replacement, or WAR for short, is used to quantify the value that an MLB player has and it also helps to communicate how well a player may or may not contribute to their team.
A discussion of what WAR is and is not is beyond the scope of this article. If you’re curious to learn more, we’d suggest reading this article.
In our humble opinion, WAR is the best metric available to easily understand the value of a player from a combined offensive and defensive perspective.
Based on this, we researched each catcher that has ever suited up for the Detroit Tigers and ranked them by highest career and single-season WAR (utilizing the Fangraphs calculation, also known as fWAR).
Keep on reading to learn who each of the top Detroit Tigers catchers are based on WAR.
Top 3 Detroit Tigers Catchers by Career WAR
Please note: The player must have at least 100 games played as a member of the Tigers to be eligible for the career WAR list.
#1. Ivan Rodriguez, 69.2 career WAR
One of the greatest catchers of all time, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez had a 21 year big league career and five of those years were spent in Detroit (2004 - 2008).
Pudge batted .296 and collected 2,844 career hits, which is a record among catchers. He also smashed 311 total home runs and had 1,332 lifetime RBIs.
On the defensive side, Pudge spent more than 20,000 MLB innings behind the dish. He maintained a .991 fielding percentage as a catcher and he gunned down 661 runners attempting to steal, good for a 46% caught stealing percentage (CS%).
His many accolades include 14 all star game selections, 13 gold gloves, seven silver sluggers, one MVP award, and a World Series ring with the Florida Marlins.
Pudge was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
#2. Mickey Cochrane, 50.6 career WAR
Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane spent the final four years of his MLB career with the Detroit Tigers.
Cochrane was a dangerous hitter and owned a .320/.419/.478 slash line. He finished his career with 1,652 hits, 119 home runs and 830 RBIs.
Cochrane's lifetime fielding percentage as a catcher was .985 and he had a 39% CS%.
He was a member of three World Series championship teams, including the 1935 Tigers club in which he served as Player-Manager.
Cochrane was also a two-time AL MVP, once with the Philadelphia Athletics (1928) and once with the Tigers (1934).
#3. Bill Freehan, 44.8 career WAR
Bill Freehan was a Michigan native who spent his entire MLB career with the Detroit Tigers.
The University of Michigan product had a lifetime .262 average in the big leagues with 200 career home runs.
An incredible defensive catcher, Freehan had a career fielding percentage behind the plate of .993 and a CS% of 37%.
Freehan was an 11 time AL all star, won five gold glove awards and was an important part of the Tigers 1968 World Series championship team.
Top 3 Seasons by Detroit Tigers Catchers, Ranked by WAR
Please note: The player must have at least 70 games played (as a catcher) in one season with the Tigers to be eligible for this single-season WAR list.
#1. 1968 - Bill Freehan (7.0 WAR)
He hit .263/.366/.454 that season with a career high 25 home runs, 84 RBIs and a league leading 24 times hit by pitch (HBP).
Defensively, Freehan was second among AL catchers that year with a .994 fielding percentage and he led the league with 38 runners caught stealing (37%).
He ended the season in second place behind teammate Denny McLain for the 1968 AL MVP.
Freehan caught all seven games in the 1968 World Series, helping the Tigers win their third title in team history up to that point.
#2. 1967 - Bill Freehan (5.8 WAR)
In 1967, Freehan hit .282/.389/.447 with 146 hits, 20 home runs and 74 RBIs. He led the AL that year in intentional walks (15) and HBP (20).
Behind the plate, Freehan had a .992 fielding percentage and a 36% CS% in 1967. He led league catchers that season with a career high 147 defensive games and with 950 putouts.
Freehan was selected for his fourth consecutive all star game in 1967, he won his third straight gold glove award and he finished the season in third place for AL MVP.
#3. 1991 - Mickey Tettleton (5.6 WAR)
He had a productive first season in Detroit. Tettleton hit .263/.387/.491 in ‘91 with a career high 132 hits, and he smashed 31 home runs and 89 RBIs on his way to winning a second silver slugger award.
Tettleton had a .990 fielding percentage as a catcher in 1991 along with a career high (more than 250 innings) 37% CS%. That season he finished in the top five among league catchers in defensive games (125), assists (55) and runners caught stealing (38).
List of All Tigers Catchers With a 2.0+ WAR Season
When catchers have a season with a 2.0 or better WAR, it typically indicates they had a pretty productive year.
A variety of Tigers catchers have reached or exceeded this mark since the team first started playing in the AL back in 1901.
Take a look at the list below which shows every Detroit Tigers catcher to have a 2.0 WAR or better season.
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Tigers Catchers over the Last 10 Years
Please note: the below list of catchers are ordered based on the number of games caught per season for the Tigers. Catchers with the highest number of games caught per season start at the top.
2014 Tigers - Finished first in AL Central, lost ALDS
- Alex Avila (primary)
- Bryan Holaday
- James McCann
- Victor Martinez
2015 Tigers - Finished fifth in AL Central
- James McCann (primary)
- Alex Avila
- Bryan Holaday
2016 Tigers - Finished second in AL Central
- James McCann (primary)
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia
- Bobby Wilson
2017 Tigers - Finished fifth in AL Central
- James McCann (primary)
- Alex Avila
- John Hicks
- Bryan Holaday
- Andrew Romine
2018 Tigers - Finished third in AL Central
- James McCann (primary)
- Grayson Greiner
- John Hicks
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia
2019 Tigers - Finished fifth in AL Central
- John Hicks (primary)
- Grayson Greiner
- Jake Rogers
- Bobby Wilson
2020 Tigers - Finished fifth in AL Central
- Austin Romine (primary)
- Grayson Greiner
- Eric Haase
2021 Tigers - Finished third in AL Central
- Eric Haase (primary)
- Jake Rogers
- Grayson Greiner
- Wilson Ramos
- Dustin Garneau
2022 Tigers - Finished fourth in AL Central
- Tucker Barnhart (primary)
- Eric Haase
- Dustin Garneau
2023 Tigers - Finished second in AL Central
- Jake Rogers (primary)
- Eric Haase
- Carson Kelly
Complete List of All Tigers Catchers Over the Last 10 Years
The following list displays every Detroit Tigers catcher that played in one or more defensive games behind the plate for the team since 2013.
Each player is listed in alphabetical order by first name.
- Alex Avila
- Andrew Romine
- Bobby Wilson
- Bryan Holaday
- Carson Kelly
- Dustin Garneau
- Eric Haase
- Grayson Greiner
- Jake Rogers
- James McCann
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia
- John Hicks
- Tucker Barnhart
- Victor Martinez
- Wilson Ramos
That’s a Wrap!
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Sources for this Article
- Baseball Almanac
- Baseball Reference
- Fangraphs
- The Detroit News
Scott Perry
Scott Perry is the owner and lead author at Catchers Home. He's a former baseball player, a current coach, a husband and a Dad. He remains as passionate about baseball today as he was as a kid.