KIRK GIBSON
Right Fielder, 1979-1995
"Gibby"
#23
--Class of 1995--
Bats - Left
Throws - Left
Born - 5/28/1957
Biography:
Kirk Gibson was a hometown boy that was loved and hated throughout his career in Detroit, whether it was as a player, an announcer, or a coach. But what he undoubtedly did for the Tigers was provide many great memories, resulting in many more cheers than jeers. Born in Pontiac, he attended Michigan State where he became an All-American wide receiver. He only spent one season with the Spartans baseball team, but after being drafted by the Tigers, he decided to pursue baseball. Early in his pro career, he occasionally struggled with the bat and the glove, but he quickly became one of the Tigers' most feared power hitters and baserunners. In 1981 he showed a hint of his burgeoning talent, as he posted a .328 batting average while hitting nine home runs and driving in 40 RBI, nearly propelling the Tigers to the second-half division title in what was a strike-shortened season. Best friends with Tigers hurler Dave Rozema, the two men eventually became brothers-in-law when they married sisters. But while Rozema's career went stagnant, Gibby's propsered. In 1984 he finished sixth in the MVP voting after slugging 27 home runs, driving in 91 runs, and stealing 29 bases. He was named ALCS MVP later that season, posting a .417 average en route to the Fall Classic. However, it was during Game 5 of the World Series at Tiger Stadium that he recorded the greatest hit of his Tigers career, clouting Goose Gossage's first pitch into the upper deck in right for a three-run homer, icing the Tigers' fourth World Championship. He flashed that great power consistently between 1984 and 1987, smashing at least 24 homers in each of those four seasons, to go along with no less than 26 stolen bases. He left the Tigers after the squad won the American League East in 1987, but returned in 1993 to notch two more solid years, along with an average one. Gibson ranks tenth on the Tigers' career home run list with 195 four-baggers, and sixth on the organization's all-time stolen base list with 194. He later joined Josh Lewin as a color commentator for the Tigers from 1998 to 2002 before becoming a bench coach for Alan Trammell in 2003. He remained in that position until halfway through the 2005 season, when he was briefly moved to hitting coach before leaving the organization entirely at the end of the year.
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
1979 22 DET AL 12 38 3 9 3 0 1 4 3 3 1 3 .237 .256 .395 71 15 0 0
1980 23 DET AL 51 175 23 46 2 1 9 16 4 7 10 45 .263 .303 .440 100 77 1 1
1981 24 DET AL 83 290 41 95 11 3 9 40 17 5 18 64 .328 .369 .479 140 139 1 2
1982 25 DET AL 69 266 34 74 16 2 8 35 9 7 25 41 .278 .341 .444 114 118 1 1
1983 26 DET AL 128 401 60 91 12 9 15 51 14 3 53 96 .227 .320 .414 104 166 5 4
1984 27 DET AL 149 531 92 150 23 10 27 91 29 9 63 103 .282 .363 .516 142 274 3 8
1985 28 DET AL 154 581 96 167 37 5 29 97 30 4 71 137 .287 .364 .518 140 301 3 5
1986 29 DET AL 119 441 84 118 11 2 28 86 34 6 68 107 .268 .371 .492 133 217 1 7
1987 30 DET AL 128 487 95 135 25 3 24 79 26 7 71 117 .277 .372 .489 130 238 1 5
1993 36 DET AL 116 403 62 105 18 6 13 62 15 6 44 87 .261 .337 .432 107 174 0 4
1994 37 DET AL 98 330 71 91 17 2 23 72 4 5 42 69 .276 .358 .548 130 181 2 3
1995 38 DET AL 70 227 37 59 12 2 9 35 9 2 33 61 .260 .358 .449 109 102 0 3
YR From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB CS OPS+
TOTALS 12 1979 1995 1177 4170 698 1140 187 45 195 668 499 930 .273 .354 .480 194 64 125