LOU WHITAKER
Second Baseman, 1977-1995
"Sweet Lou"
#1
--Class of 1995--
Bats - Left
Throws - Right
Born - 5/12/1957
Biography:
For 19 seasons, it was a Detroit Tigers fans' own ritual: cheers of "Loooouuuu" filled Tiger Stadium anytime Louis Rodman Whitaker, Jr. came to the plate. And whether if it was because of his potent glove or because of his potent bat, fans got plenty of chances to cheer on one-half of baseball's most prolific double-play combination. "Sweet Lou" first came up for a cup of coffee in 1977, and by 1978 had really begun to make waves. Earning Rookie of the Year honors, Whitaker batted .285 with 58 RBI and a .361 on base percentage that season. His glove was equally as impressive, and the young second baseman consequently posted a range factor that was well above the American League average. As the years went on, Whitaker added power to his ever-growing arsenal. In 1983, he batted .320 while winning the first of his three Gold Gloves. By the following year, during the Tigers' 1984 World Championship season, he had established himself as the unquestioned table-setter in the lineup, and the team leapt out to a 35-5 start. He finished the year with a .289 average, 13 home runs, and his second of five All-Star appearances. Now a perennial double-digit home run hitter, in 1986 Whitaker became one of the members of the Tigers' vaunted 20-home run infield, each starting infielder having notched twenty round-trippers by year's end. Perhaps his best season, however, was 1991. That year, he clouted a career-best 28 home runs while driving in 85 runs. His power numbers are good for sixth in career home runs in a Tigers uniform (244, one behind Cecil Fielder), and fifth in doubles (420). Whitaker also ranks sixth in hits (2,369), fourth in runs scored (1,386), third in games played (2,390), eighth in RBI (1,084), and second in walks (1,197) on the organization's all-time list. A fairly quiet person, Whitaker was also known for occasional bouts of absent-mindedness, most notably when he forgot his uniform for the 1985 All-Star Game. He ended up puchasing a replica jersey at the stadium to complete his outfit that day. In the end, Whitaker's career numbers come close to mirroring his fellow double play partner, Alan Trammell. Perhaps fittingly, they were the two last players to set foot on the field during Tiger Stadium's closing ceremonies. All-told, Lou played an incredible 1,918 games with Trammell. After Joe Morgan, Whitaker became one of only two second basemen in baseball history to amass 2,000 games, 2,000 hits, and 200 home runs. A remarkable feat for one of the greatest players to ever don the Old English D -- replica jersey or otherwise.
Hitting:
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ TB SH HBP
1977 20 DET AL 11 32 5 8 1 0 0 2 2 2 4 6 .250 .333 .281 67 9 1 0
1978 21 DET AL 139 484 71 138 12 7 3 58 7 7 61 65 .285 .361 .357 101 173 13 1
1979 22 DET AL 127 423 75 121 14 8 3 42 20 10 78 66 .286 .395 .378 108 160 14 1
1980 23 DET AL 145 477 68 111 19 1 1 45 8 4 73 79 .233 .331 .283 69 135 12 0
1981 24 DET AL 109 335 48 88 14 4 5 36 5 3 40 42 .263 .340 .373 103 125 3 1
1982 25 DET AL 152 560 76 160 22 8 15 65 11 3 48 58 .286 .341 .434 112 243 6 1
1983 26 DET AL 161 643 94 206 40 6 12 72 17 10 67 70 .320 .380 .457 133 294 2 0
1984 27 DET AL 143 558 90 161 25 1 13 56 6 5 62 63 .289 .357 .407 113 227 4 0
1985 28 DET AL 152 609 102 170 29 8 21 73 6 4 80 56 .279 .362 .456 124 278 5 2
1986 29 DET AL 144 584 95 157 26 6 20 73 13 8 63 70 .269 .338 .437 110 255 0 0
1987 30 DET AL 149 604 110 160 38 6 16 59 13 5 71 108 .265 .341 .427 106 258 4 1
1988 31 DET AL 115 403 54 111 18 2 12 55 2 0 66 61 .275 .376 .419 127 169 6 0
1989 32 DET AL 148 509 77 128 21 1 28 85 6 3 89 59 .251 .361 .462 133 235 1 3
1990 33 DET AL 132 472 75 112 22 2 18 60 8 2 74 71 .237 .338 .407 107 192 1 0
1991 34 DET AL 138 470 94 131 26 2 23 78 4 2 90 45 .279 .391 .489 142 230 2 2
1992 35 DET AL 130 453 77 126 26 0 19 71 6 4 81 46 .278 .386 .461 136 209 5 1
1993 36 DET AL 119 383 72 111 32 1 9 67 3 3 78 46 .290 .412 .449 133 172 7 4
1994 37 DET AL 92 322 67 97 21 2 12 43 2 0 41 47 .301 .377 .491 122 158 3 1
1995 38 DET AL 84 249 36 73 14 0 14 44 4 0 31 41 .293 .372 .518 128 129 0 2
YR From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB CS OPS+
TOTALS 19 1977 1995 2390 8570 1386 2369 420 65 244 1084 1197 1099 .276 .363 .426 143 75 117