Top Tigers #46: Bobby Higginson
By Blake VandeBunte • Jan 30th, 2009 • Category: Bobby Higginson, Top 100 Tigers- Rank: 46
- Name: Robert Leigh Higginson
- Position: Outfield
- Tigers Tenure: 1995-2005
- Awards: Tiger of the Year (1997, 2000)
- Best Season: 2000. Higginson put up a season for the books in 2000. That season he became the eighth player in MLB history to hit .300, score 100 runs, hit 30 homers, hit 44 doubles, drive in 100 runs and steal at least 15 bases. He is the only player in Tigers history to hit at least .300 with 30 homers, 44 doubles, and 15 stolen bases. His 2000 season was truly one for the books. The usually injured Higginson also appeared in a career-high 154 games in 2000 as the Tigers opened Comerica Park. Higginson was also his usually stellar self in the outfield, picking up 19 assists.
- Good Stuff: Higginson was the face of the Tigers in the last 1990’s and early 2000’s. He spent his entire career in Detroit and at his best, he was one of the top outfielder’s in the American League. He retired with a career OPS+ mark of 113. That mark ranks him tenth –right between Lou Whitaker and Bill Freehan– in Tigers history amongst players who played in as many games as Higginson played. Few outfielders had arm as strong as Higgy. He was usually amongst the league leaders in outfield assists and finished first on two occasions
- Bad Stuff: Higginson missed pretty good chunks of more than a few seasons due to injuries. In 2005, his final season in Detroit, he played in only ten games and collected nearly $9,000,000 for his troubles. From 2003-04, Higginson was collected big time money and putting up awful results. He hit a total of only 26 home runs in that span and hit only .239. He became the object of some boos because of his high pay and sub-par production. From 2002-2005 (four seasons) he missed at least 30 games per season due to various injuries. Higginson retired in 2005 having never played for a team with a winning record.
- Place In Tigers History: While his pinnacle was relatively short-lived, Higginson was a pure joy to watch play from 1995-2001. Even though he played on some bad teams, Higginson stuck it out in Detroit and gave his entire playing career to the team that drafted him when he was 21 years old. You will find Higginson’s name on nearly every offensive leader board in Tigers history.
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Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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I would have him ranked no 3 behind Cobb and Kaline. So would most of the fat chicks in Detroit.
It’s too bad Higgy’s career took such a downward turn the last few years. I think if you polled most fans what they remember about him the most the first thing they would think of is the injured guy picking up the fat $ instead of the really good years he had at the beginning of his career. I think the injuries took a toll on him and he was trying to play through them the last few years and that he probably wasn’t dogging it. At the time I remember being as frustrated as anyone but looking back on it now, Higgy deserved a better fate.
I also found it interesting that according to baseballreference.com, the 9th and 10th most similar players in baseball history are Rondell White and Jacque Jones.
Higgy was the best position player, perhaps best player overall, during the Dark Ages of Tiger baseball. I’m glad to see him this high on the list, and I wonder what might have been if he was on some better ballclubs.
That’s a good point. If Higgy would have had those monster seasons on a team worth a crap I’m sure he’d be even higher on this list. Remember for a while there were rumors of the Tigers trading Higginson to the Yankees? I think that’s what started my hatred for the Yanks.