Top Tigers #4: Charlie Gehringer
By Blake VandeBunte • Mar 13th, 2009 • Category: Charlie Gehringer, Top 100 Tigers- Rank: 4
- Name: Charles Leonard Gehringer
- Position: Second Base
- Tigers Tenure: 1924-1942
- Awards: Received MVP Votes Ten Times, Won MVP Award in 1937, Six-Time All Star, Baseball Hall of Fame (1949)
- Best Season: 1934. Gehringer won the the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1937 and you could easily make the case that it was his best season. However, in 1934 he was at least just as good as he was in 1937. Gehringer finished second in the American league in batting average (he won the title in 1937) with a mark of .356, the second highest mark of his career. He also ranked second in on base percentage, first in runs, first in hits, second in doubles and fifth in runs batted in. His RBI total of 127 was a career high for Gehringer and his 50 doubles were the second most he put together in a single season. His season helped lead the Tigers to their first World Series appearance since 1909. The Tigers lost in the World Series but would rebound to win it the next season.
- Good Stuff: Gehringer is one of the best-hitting second basemen in the history of the game. Gehringer smacked 60 doubles in 1936 are the sixth most ever for a single season and second most in franchise history. Only two second baseman in the history of the game have scored more runs and driven in more runs in their career than Gehringer did. Eight times in his career, Gehringer ranked in the top 10 in walks. This enabled him to have a high on base percentage late in his career when his average began to decline. In addition to be a great hitter, he was also a plus defender. He and double play partner Billy Rogell played over 1,000 games together making them one of the longest tenured double play combos in baseball history. They were passed later by Trammell and Whitaker.
- Bad Stuff: Gehringer really had it all as a player. I really cannot find an honest fault in the man’s game. Like many great players, he probably stuck around a bit too long. He was clearly past his prime in 1941 and 1942 as he played only partial seasons and was not very good.
- Place In Tigers History: Gehringer didn’t have to wait to get elected to the Hall of Fame. He didn’t need the Veteran’s Committee (of which he was later a part) as he got 85% of the vote from the baseball writers in 1949. Gehringer held numerous jobs in the Tigers front office after his playing days were over including General Manager and Vice-President. The Tigers have had some great second basemen in their history, like Lou Whitaker, but Gehringer clearly takes the cake as the best. He ranks third in Tigers history in hits, second in runs, second in doubles and fourth in RBI.
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Gehringer’s numbers speak volumes on the hitter he was. 13 times over .300 batting average, 12 times over 100 runs scored, 7 times over 200 hits, 7 times 40 or more doubles, 7 times over 100 runs batted in. All the while playing flawless defense at second base. Gehringer also struck out only 372 times out of 8,860 at bats, or once every 24 times.
Old timers say that after Hornsby, and eddie collins, Gehringer was the next best ever at second base.