From the dead ball era to a roster of millionaires

By Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com

The mission was to look at all of the managers in Detroit Tigers history and rank them from best to worst. It wasn’t easy given the Tigers’ 117-year history began in the dead ball era, continued through the war years when rosters were decimated as players served in the armed forces, included the years black players were excluded from MLB and continues today with players on 30 teams traveling in private planes while making millions in many cases.

We didn’t rank interim managers or those such as Les Moss – who lasted less than one full season before being replaced by Sparky Anderson just 53 games into his tenure. We also didn’t rank managers who didn’t last more than one full season in Detroit. That’s a pretty small sample size to judge somebody against legends like Anderson, Billy Martin or Mickey Cochrane.

It seems only fair to give a manager more than one season to prove whether he’s competent or a complete bust but the men who didn’t last long in Detroit are listed so you can get a look at what they did and when they were in Detroit.

Ken Stevens | MLive file photo

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1. Mickey Cochrane

Years with Tigers: 1934-38

Record: 348-250-2 (.582)

Best finish: First, won 1935 World Series

Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher who played for the Tigers, was a player/manager during his first four seasons in Detroit but twice had to leave the job. In 1936 he reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown before fracturing his skull the following season. Under Cochrane, the Tigers finished second or better four times, reaching the World Series in 1934 before winning it in six games over the Cubs in 1935. He has the highest winning percentage of any manager in team history and the Tigers’ 101 wins in 1934 were a team record until the 1968 team won 103 games.

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2. Sparky Anderson

Years with Tigers: 1979-95

Record: 1,331-1,248 (.516)

Best finish: First twice, won 1984 World Series

This probably isn’t going to be popular, but the feeling here is that Sparky Anderson is one of the most overrated managers in MLB history. How many times did he win when his team wasn’t loaded with stars?

His two World Series champions in Cincinnati featured All-Stars at virtually every position and his ’84 Tigers were loaded with the likes of Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris and Willie Hernandez.

The Tigers finished below .500 during five of his final seven seasons in Detroit but he did win more games than any manager in club history – while managing more than anyone else, too – and Anderson is one of only four men to lead the team to a World Series crown.

John Munson | MLive file photo

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3. Steve O'Neill

Years with Tigers: 1943-48

Record: 509-414-10 (.551)

Best finish: First, won 1945 World Series.

The only first-place finish in Steve O’Neill’s 14-year career as an MLB manager led to the Tigers’ second World Series championship in 1945, when they beat the Cubs in seven games. His .551 winning percentage during six seasons in Detroit is among the best in team history and his Tigers teams finished second in the AL three times. He never had a losing season as a big league manager.

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4. Mayo Smith

Years with Tigers: 1967-70

Record: 363-285 (.560)

Best finish: First, won 1968 World Series

Detroit was the third and final stop of Mayo Smith’s nine-year managerial career. It was also where he experienced his greatest success after sub-.500 records in Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Smith joined the Tigers after the two men who managed them in 1967 – Chuck Dressen and Bob Swift – died two months apart of a heart attack and cancer.

He led the Tigers to at least 90 victories in his first three seasons, including a then club-record 103 in 1968, when Detroit won its first World Series since 1945. Smith pulled off one of the biggest gambles in team history when he played centerfielder Mickey Stanley at shortstop in the World Series to create a spot in the lineup for Al Kaline, who broke his arm early in the season. The Tigers beat the Cardinals in seven games after erasing a 3-1 deficit.

Smith was fired and replaced by Billy Martin after the 1970 season, when the Tigers had their first sub-.500 record since 1963.

Lloyd Moebius | MLive File Photo

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5. Hughie Jennings

Years with Tigers: 1907-20

Record: 1,131-972-23 (.538)

Best finish: First three times

Hughie Jennings held team records for the most games and wins by a Tigers manager until Sparky Anderson came along almost 60 years later. He led the Tigers to the World Series in each of his first three seasons but they lost every time and never finished first again under Jennings, who was on the sidelines for four years after leaving Detroit until managing the Giant for two years. He was a player/manager for four years with the Tigers.

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6. Billy Martin

Years with Tigers: 1971-73

Record: 248-204 (.549)

Best finish: First

There’s no denying Billy Martin was a genius when it came to in-game strategy and getting the most out of his players. But at virtually every stop in his managing career, Martin was done in by two demons – alcohol abuse and an uncontrollable temper that often resulted in fisticuffs at and away from the ballpark.

In his first season with the Tigers, Martin led them to the third-best record (91-71) in the AL before they won the division title the following year, losing a five-game ALCS to eventual World Series champion Oakland in 1972. Martin was fired with 28 games remaining in the 1973 season despite having a 71-63 record.

Martin, who played for the Tigers in 1958, managed all or parts of 16 seasons with the Twins, Tigers, Rangers, A's and Yankees. His teams finished first six times – including the 1981 split season – second five times and third four times. He led the Yankees to the World Series twice during five stints in New York, winning in 1977.

MLive file photo | Michael Hayman

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7. Jim Leyland

Years with Tigers: 2006-13

Record: 700-597 (.540)

Best finish: First three times

Leyland got a lot of heat when he was on the Tigers bench but was it deserving? In hindsight, probably not. After stints in Pittsburgh, Florida -- where he won the World Series -- and Colorado, Leyland stepped into a real mess in Detroit. Before he arrived, the Tigers had lost at least 90 games in five straight seasons, including two straight with at least 100. Just three years before he came to Detroit, the Tigers lost a club-record 119 games.

Yet in his first season, Leyland guided the Tigers to a 95-67 record and the first two their two World Series appearances while he was the manager. They also went to the World Series in 2012 under Leyland and won three straight division crowns before he called it quits after the 2013 campaign.

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

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8. Del Baker

Years with Tigers: 1933, 1934-42

Record: 417-355-6 (.540)

Best finish: First

Nobody filled the manager’s seat for the Tigers more times than Baker. He served as interim manager in 1933 when Bucky Harris got fired and filled the same role when Mickey Cochrane was unable to manage, first because of a nervous breakdown in 1936 and then due to a fractured skull in ’37. Baker finally replaced Cochrane full-time with 56 games left in the ’38 campaign and held the job for another four years. Baker led the Tigers to the World Series in 1940, when they lost in seven games to the Reds.

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9. Red Rolfe

Years with Tigers: 1949-52

Record: 278-256-5 (.521)

Best finish: Second

Red Rolfe was replaced by Fred Hutchinson 72 games into the 1952 season after posting winning records during his first two years with the Tigers, the only team to hire him as a manager. He led the Tigers to a 95-59 record during his second season. The 95 wins were the third-most in team history at the time and left them three games behind the AL-champion Yankees.

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10. Ty Cobb

Years with Tigers: 1921-26

Record: 479-444-10 (.519)

Best finish: Second

Considered by some to be the greatest hitter ever, Ty Cobb spent 22 of his 24 MLB seasons with the Tigers, a stretch that included six as player/manager. His teams never finished below .500 after his first season but they also never finished first.

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11. Chuck Dressen

Years with Tigers: 1963-66

Record: 221-189-1 (.539)

Best finish: Third

Health issues plagued Chuck Dressen after he was hired by the Tigers 60 games into the 1963 season. The Tigers went 55-47 after Dressen replaced Bob Scheffing before posting an 84-77 mark in 1964. But Dressen’s health began deteriorating when he suffered a heart attack in spring training of 1965. He suffered another heart attack the following season, was replaced by Bob Swift after just 26 games and died Aug. 10, 1966.

Lloyd Moebius | MLive File Photo

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12. Bob Scheffing

Years with Tigers: 1961-63

Record: 210-173-1 (.548)

Best finish: Second

In Bob Scheffing’s first season, the Tigers posted a 101-61-1 record only to finish eight games behind the AL-champion Yankees, who got a combined 115 home runs from Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. The Tigers slipped to 85-76 in Scheffing’s second season and he was fired 60 games into the ’63 campaign with a 24-36 record.

MLive File Photo | Bill Gallagher

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13. Brad Ausmus

Years with Tigers: 2014-present

Record 2014-16: 250-234 (.517)

Best finish: First

Brad Ausmus, the current manager, inherited a team that was loaded with star power (Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Victor Martinez), had reached the World Series just two years earlier and had made the playoffs three straight times. And he extended that playoff streak to four years with a 90-72 record in 2014.

But after winning the division in 2014, the Tigers were swept in the opening round of the playoffs by Baltimore and finished fifth in 2015. Ausmus' critics – and there are a lot of them – might say he's ranked too high given and that his teams have underachieved given he's never won a playoff game despite a star-studded lineup. On the other hand, fans of Ausmus can argue that plenty of managers have had strong lineups only to never finish first.

This season, the Tigers have been below .500 for much of the year and appear to be headed toward a third straight October without a playoff berth. That could signal the end of the line for Ausmus in Detroit.

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

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14. Ralph Houk

Years with Tigers: 1974-78

Record: 363-443 (.450)

Best finish: Fourth

Ralph Houk came to the Tigers after 11 seasons managing the Yankees, who won the World Series in his first two years and went to the Series in his third but finished higher than fourth just once in his final eight seasons.

His first Tigers team featured 39-year-old Al Kaline in his 22nd and final season; 39-year-old Norm Cash in his final season; former All-Star catcher Bill Freehan, who at age 32 played 65 games at first base; 30somethings Mickey Lolich, Jim Northrup and Mickey Stanley; and rookie centerfielder Ron LeFlore.

The Tigers were clearly on the decline when Houk joined them and they hit bottom in 1975, when their 57-102 record included a club-record 19 straight losses. But his tenure also marked the MLB debuts of young players such as LeFlore, Jason Thompson, Steve Kemp, Mark Fidrych and some of the future stars who led the Tigers to the 1984 World Series crown – Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish and Jack Morris.

Although the Tigers didn't finish over .500 until Houk's final season, when they went 86-76 in 1978, he did nurture those young players who later filled vital roles for the Tigers and that can't be overlooked.

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15. Jimmy Dykes

Years with Tigers: 1959-60

Record: 118-115 (.506)

Best finish: Fourth

Jimmy Dykes managed for 22 seasons with the six teams but he lasted less than two full years with the Tigers. He replaced Bill Norman after a 2-15 start in 1959 and was traded to Cleveland a year later for its manager, Joe Gordon, after going went 44-52 in the first 96 games. Gordon finished the year in Detroit before spending the next two seasons in Kansas City. Dykes also managed the White Sox, A’s, Red, Orioles and Indians but never finished in first place.

Bill Gallagher | MLive File Photo

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16. George Moriarty

Years with Tigers: 1927-28

Record: 150-157-3 (.489)

Best finish: Fourth

George Moriarty has one of the most interesting histories of any Tigers manager. He was an MLB umpire from 1917-26 before managing the Tigers during two uneventful seasons. He returned to the umpiring ranks until 1940 and reportedly went to the defense of Hank Greenberg during the 1935 World Series after some of the Chicago Cubs directed anti-Semitic slurs toward the Tigers slugger. After his umpiring career was over, Moriarty went to work for the AL in public relations.

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17. Phil Garner

Years with Tigers: 2000-02

Record: 145-185 (.439)

Best finish: Third

Phil Garner lasted barely two full seasons in Detroit before being replaced by Luis Pujols after an 0-6 start in 2002. But he wasn’t a complete bust as a manager, spending eight seasons in Milwaukee before being hired by the Tigers and another four in Houston after he was fired in Detroit. He did lead the Astros to the 2005 World Series after never posting a winning record in Detroit. It’s not like he had a ton of talent during his final season with the Tigers, who finished with a 55-106 record after Pujols took over. That team didn’t have a pitcher with more than eight victories or a hitter with more than 19 homers.

Steve Jessmore | MLive file photo

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18. Buddy Bell

Years with Tigers: 1996-98

Record: 184-277 (.399)

Best finish: Third

Buddy Bell had the difficult task of replacing Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson, the winningest manager in team history who retired when the club’s talent level was declining quickly and the longtime stars were aging. The Tigers were his first managerial job, too.

Bell’s first Tigers team included 38-year-old Alan Trammell in his final season; Ruben Sierra, who hit a whopping .222 in 46 games; and Cecil Fielder, who hit 26 homers before being traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline in the deal that brought Sierra to Detroit. Bell was fired with the Tigers in last place and 25 games remaining in the 1998 season. He also managed the Rockies and Royals after leaving Detroit.

Jeff Schrier | MLive file photo

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19. Larry Parrish

Years with Tigers: 1998-99

Record: 82-104 (.441)

Best finish: Third

Larry Parrish’s MLB managing career was limited to 186 games with the Tigers. He took over for Buddy Bell with 25 games remaining in the 1998 season and was replaced after losing 92 games in 1999, when his roster included a 30-year-old catcher named Brad Ausmus. Those Tigers had some big hitters – Dean Palmer hit 38 home runs and Tony Clark hit 31 – but the only pitchers to win at least 10 games were Dave Mlicki (14) and Brian Moehler (10).

Vincent Pugliese | MLive file photo

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20. Bucky Harris

Years with Tigers: 1929-33, 1955-56

Record: 516-557-5 (.481)

Best finish: Fifth

Bucky Harris is one of two men who served two stints as Tigers manager but didn’t fill the role on an interim basis. His first stint lasted five years, produced a 355-410 record and the Tigers never finished higher than fifth. The second came 22 years later – and followed managerial jobs with the Red Sox, Senators, Phillies and Yankees – producing a 161-147 record and two fifth-place finishes. Harris had a winning record in three of his seven seasons with the Tigers. He did lead the Senators to a World Series crown in 1924 before doing it again with the Yankees in 1947. Harris also played two seasons for the Tigers.

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21. Bill Armour

Years with Tigers: 1905-06

Record: 150-152-3 (.497)

Best finish: Third

A former player himself, Bill Armour is perhaps best known for being the man who discovered and signed Ty Cobb for the Tigers.

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22. Jack Tighe

Years with Tigers: 1957-58

Record: 99-104 (.488)

Best finish: Fourth

Jack Tighe’s stint in Detroit starting a revolving door in and out of the Tigers manager’s office. He had a 78-76 record in his only full season before being replaced by Bill Norman after 49 games in 1958. The Tigers were the only team he ever managed.

Bill Gallagher | MLive File Photo

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23. Fred Hutchinson

Years with Tigers: 1952-54

Record: 155-235-6 (.397)

Best finish: Fifth

The first three seasons of Fred Hutchinson’s 13 years as an MLB manager were spent with the Tigers. He replaced Red Rolfe 72 games into the 1952 campaign and was a player/manager during his first two years in Detroit. Hutchinson never had a winning record in Detroit but led the Reds to the 1961 World Series.

Bill Gallagher | MLive File Photo

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24. Alan Trammell

Years with Tigers: 2003-05

Record: 186-300 (.383)

Best finish: Fourth.

One of the greatest players in club history couldn't have been a bigger bust as the Tigers manager although in all fairness, Alan Trammell's teams didn't have much talent. He never had a starting pitcher who won more than 14 games but the Tigers did have some offensive punch during his last two years with the likes of Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, Carlos Guillen and Dmitri Young. They also lost a club-record 119 games during Trammell's first season, threatening the MLB record of 120 set by the expansion 1962 Mets.

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

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25. Ed Barrow

Years with Tigers: 1903-04

Record: 97-117-7 (.453)

Best finish: Fifth

Yes, a Hall of Famer ranks last on our list. Ed Barrow is in Cooperstown but it's not for his year's with the Tigers. Barrow compiled a sub-.500 record during his unremarkable Tiger career, resigning 78 games into his second season. But while Tigers fans may have been glad to see him go, Barrow would have the last laugh. Barrow didn’t manage in the Major Leagues again until the Red Sox hired him in 1918, when he promptly led them to a World Series crown during the first of his three seasons there.

He topped that by joining the New York Yankees as an executive in 1920 and is widely credited with assembling famed teams that boasted the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. By the time he retired in 1946, the Yankees had won 10 World Series titles during his term as a team executive.

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What about these guys?

As we said up above, it's not fair to rank the managers who didn't last more than one season in Detroit or managed parts of one season and parts of another before being replaced. It's virtually impossible to rank an interim manager like Dick Tracewzski, who went 2-0 after Les Moss was fired and before Sparky Anderson took over in 1979, or those who inherited an awful team like Luis Pujols did in 2002. Pujols (pictured) posted a 55-100 record after the Tigers started 0-6 under Phil Garner. Here are the rest of the Tigers' managers listed in order from the ones who were with the team most recently to the earliest ones in team history.

John Kuntz | MLive File Photo

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Bob Swift

Years with Tigers: 1965-66

Record: 56-43 (.566)

Best finish: Third

Bob Swift was the Tigers manager by default, replacing Chuck Dressen in both 1965 and ’66 after Dressen suffered two heart attacks. Dressen never returned from the second one, dying Aug. 10, 1966. Tragically, Swift was diagnosed with lung cancer late in the 1966 season and died of the disease Oct. 17 the same year.

Bill Gallagher | MLive File Photo

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Bill Norman

Years with Tigers: 1958-59

Record: 58-64 (.475)

Best finish: Fifth

Bill Norman replaced Jack Tighe 49 games into the 1958 season before getting fired after a 2-15 start in 1959. He was replaced by Jimmy Dykes, who also failed to last two full seasons with the Tigers. The 122 games Norman spent with the Tigers marked the extent of his MLB managerial career.

Bill Gallagher | MLive File Photo

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Frank Dwyer

Years with Tigers: 1902

Record: 52-83-2 (.385)

Best finish: Seventh

Frank Dwyer was the second manager in team history. He also umpired briefly in MLB.

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George Stallings

Years with Tigers: 1901

Record: 74-61-1 (.548)

Best finish: Third

The Tigers were the second of four teams George Stallings managed during a 13-year career. He led the Boston Braves to the 1914 World Series crown.

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MLB's top Michigan-born players

Michigan-born players with the most strikeouts in MLB history

Greatest Michigan-born home run hitters in MLB history

And in honor of the Tigers recent brawl with Kansas City:

Most memorable Tigers brawls

John Dickson | MLive file photo

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Ranking Lions head coaches

Wondering how the Lions head coaches rank since their last championship in 1957? Well, we've got the answer for you right here. Check out our rankings and let us know if we're correct or if we blew some of them.

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