Team 79: The 1970 Tigers
By Blake VandeBunte • Dec 3rd, 2009 • Category: Al Kaline, Auerelio Rodriguez, Don Wert, Earl Wilson, Gene Lamont, Jim Northrup, Mickey Lolich, Top 109 Teams, Willie Horton- Year: 1970
- Record: 79-83
- Win %: .488
- Win % Change: -68
- Run Differential: -65
- Pythagorean Record: 74-88
- AL Finish: 7th of 12
- Manager: Mayo Smith
- Best Transaction: Traded Denny McLain, Elliott Maddox, Norm McRae and Don Wert to San Diego for Aurelio Rodriguez, Ed Brinkman, Joe Coleman, and Jim Hannan. This was a blockbuster that sent some long time Tigers out of town. McLain and Wert spent a lot of time in Detroit, but didn’t have a lot left in their tanks. Brinkman was older, but he had a couple of really good seasons with the Tigers, while Coleman topped the 20-win mark twice with the Tigers. Auerelio Rodriguez was young, but he blossomed into one of the better defensive third basemen in the game.
- Worst Transaction: Releasing Earl Wilson. Wilson was done as far as being a decent pitcher, but I like Wilson and am bummed he ever left Detroit.
- Upper: A young Gene Lamont hit .295 with a home run in limited duty. Seriously though, Willie Horton was probably the Tigers top bat in 1970, but he missed 60 games due to injuries. An aging Al Kaline had an OPS+ of 125 at the age of 35 and was third on the club in home runs. Jim Northrup also had a decent season, leading the club with 24 homers.
- Downer: This was a pretty bad season for a team two years removed from being the best team in all of baseball. The offense featured several of weak bats, but it was the starting pitching that was primarily to blame for the teams many losses. No member of the starting rotation had an ERA+ north of the 100 mark and Mickey Lolich lost 19 games. Of the 12 teams in the American League, the Tigers pitching staff ranked 10th in ERA and 11th in hits allowed.
- Summary: This club actually got off to a great start, going 12-6 in April, highlighted by an 8-game winning streak. The Tigers were actually the definition of an up-and-down team in 1970, check out their monthly records, starting with April (12-6, 9-17, 17-10, 19-12, 12-18, 10-20). Talk about weird. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Tigers team that was that up and down. This was also the last season in which Mayo Smith was the Tigers skipper, he would be replaced by Billy Martin for the 1971 season.
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Blake, I am quite sure it was Washington and not San Diego the Tigers made that trade. Ted Williams was the washington manager and he went ballistic when he found out about the trade. Tigers did have an air tight left side infield defense with Aurelio and Eddie B.
It is no small wonder the Tigers pitching suffered in 1970. The greatest pitching coach the Tigers ever had Johnny Sain, was let go after the 1969 season. Mayo Smith was very insecure about Sain’s coaching methods and was constantly intimidated by him from all accounts.
Right you are Ron. I have no idea how San Diego came out when I typed this up. Thanks for pointing it out. I have heard of Sain, he’s mentioned quite a bit in Bouton’s “Ball Four”.
Nice to hear about Joe Coleman
He’s the pitching coach down here for Advanced A Lakeland
“I have heard of Sain”
Spahn and Sain and pray for rain.