Every era of Detroit Tigers baseball, one lineup. These are the highest-rated Detroit Tigers legends across the 1960s to today — a full nine-man batting order plus an ace, chosen by iKnoBall's era-adjusted engine — and the record they'd post over a 162-game season.
Hitting is weighted 62%, the ace 38% — exactly how iKnoBall scores an MLB lineup. Think you'd start a different nine? Prove it.
Justin Verlander headlines the group at a 94 overall — the kind of number only genuine all-time greats reach on iKnoBall's scale. Around Verlander, the model fills out a complete lineup that balances the ace, the middle of the order, up-the-middle defense, and outfield power across Detroit Tigers history, then simulates all 162 games. The result — 118–44 — reflects both the raw talent and how the pieces fit at the plate and on the mound.
Every Detroit Tigers legend in the iKnoBall pool, ranked by era-adjusted overall. The top group forms the starting lineup above; the rest are the depth chart and the debate.
| Player | Position | Era | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | Starting Pitcher | 2010s | 94 |
| Ivan Rodriguez | Catcher | 2000s | 89 |
| Miguel Cabrera | First Baseman | 2000s | 95 |
| Lou Whitaker | Second Baseman | 1980s | 89 |
| Aurelio Rodriguez | Third Baseman | 1970s | 82 |
| Alan Trammell | Shortstop | 1980s | 91 |
| Al Kaline | Outfielder | 1960s | 93 |
| Magglio Ordonez | Outfielder | 2000s | 90 |
| J.D. Martinez | Outfielder | 2010s | 89 |
| Kirk Gibson | Outfielder | 1980s | 88 |
| Max Scherzer | Starting Pitcher | 2010s | 93 |
| Jack Morris | Starting Pitcher | 1980s | 90 |
| Denny McLain | Starting Pitcher | 1960s | 89 |
| Curtis Granderson | Outfielder | 2000s | 88 |
| Victor Martinez | Designated Hitter | 2010s | 88 |
| Norm Cash | First Baseman | 1960s | 87 |
| Mickey Lolich | Starting Pitcher | 1960s | 87 |
| Lance Parrish | Catcher | 1980s | 87 |
| Ian Kinsler | Second Baseman | 2010s | 87 |
| Bill Freehan | Catcher | 1960s | 87 |
| Willie Horton | Outfielder | 1960s | 87 |
| Rusty Staub | Outfielder | 1970s | 87 |
| Placido Polanco | Second Baseman | 2000s | 86 |
| Carlos Guillen | Shortstop | 2000s | 86 |
| Mark Fidrych | Starting Pitcher | 1970s | 85 |
| Ron LeFlore | Outfielder | 1970s | 85 |
| Chet Lemon | Outfielder | 1980s | 85 |
| Darrell Evans | First Baseman | 1980s | 85 |
| Willie Hernandez | Starting Pitcher | 1980s | 84 |
| Austin Jackson | Outfielder | 2010s | 84 |
Draft your own all-time Detroit Tigers — or any franchise across five sports — build your lineup, and sim a full season chasing a perfect 162–0. Free to play.
Build Your All-Time LineupGet the AppBy iKnoBall's era-adjusted ratings the all-time Detroit Tigers lineup is Justin Verlander (SP, 2010s), Ivan Rodriguez (C, 2000s), Miguel Cabrera (1B, 2000s), Lou Whitaker (2B, 1980s), Aurelio Rodriguez (3B, 1970s), Alan Trammell (SS, 1980s), Al Kaline (OF, 1960s), Magglio Ordonez (OF, 2000s), J.D. Martinez (OF, 2010s), Kirk Gibson (DH, 1980s). Together they project to a 118–44 regular season.
iKnoBall's simulation projects this 10-man lineup at 118–44 over a 162-game season, with an average starter rating of 90. The model runs each game as a probability from the lineup's combined hitting and pitching strength, so an all-time team contends for a historic year but nothing is guaranteed.
Each player's overall is era-adjusted so a 1960s legend and a modern superstar sit on the same 70–99 scale. Hitting (the nine-man batting order) is weighted 62% and the ace pitcher 38%, and only true all-time greats reach the mid-to-high 90s.
Yes — iKnoBall is a free game where you draft one legend per era, build your all-time lineup, and simulate a full season chasing a perfect 162–0. Play it free at play.iknoball.com.
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Ratings are era-adjusted and computed by iKnoBall's simulation engine. Records are model projections for entertainment, not predictions. Player names belong to their respective owners; iKnoBall is an independent fan-made game.