Tigers | narcissism

Opening Day Roster:

The Tigers in '78 were a team in a lull between championships. Gone were Kaline, Cash, Freehan, Lolich, McClain and others from the late 60's and early '70s. Although guys like Morris, Whitaker, Trammell and Parrish were beginning to arrive, it would be a while before their individual talents would mature to the point of producing wins consistently. To help them along and teach them what it took to win in Detroit, there were still a couple of holdovers from the championship team of 1968 - John Hiller and Mickey Stanley would provide invaluable examples to the youngsters. One of the biggest questions which loomed over 1978 as the season began was the health of The Bird, Mark Fidrych, who had developed recurring arm troubles following his incredible rookie season of 1976. The Tigers wound up getting out of the gate fast - they were in first place alone as late as May 19th before being overtaken for good. They slumped in mid-season, dropping as low as 5th, but were the hottest team in baseball coming out of the break. They went 21-9 from July 13 through August 13, but given how well New York and Boston were playing, they weren't able to rise any higher than third. Ultimately, they had to settle for a 86-76 record, good for 5th place, 13 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

The minors were beginning to produce results, and during 1978 Dan Petry played in Lakeland, Kirk Gibson (drafted June 6th) in Montgomery and Tom Brookens in Evansville. All three would play key roles in what would develop in the Motor City over the next several years.

As a manager, Ralph Houk provided needed stability and experience to a team with so many youngsters. His coaching staff included hitting coach Gates Brown, pitching coach Fred Gladding and bullpen coach Jim Hegan, as well as Dick Tracewski at 1st and Fred Hatfield at 3rd (although mid-season base running miscues saw Houk flip Hatfield and Tracewski to opposite sides of the diamond).

Jack Billingham, SP:

Acquired from the Reds during spring training for two minor leaguers, largely as a hedge against injury concerns throughout the rotation, this veteran of two Big Red Machine championships brought experience to the Tiger rotation and compiled a record of 15-8. Given how the season played out with respect to the rotation, Billingham proved to be a savior. For his part, he was happy to be in Detroit because in Cincinnati he would have been relegated to bullpen duty.

Mark Fidrych, SP:

After a good spring, Mark pronounced himself 100% as the season started. His first start bore him out - on opening day he threw a complete game 5-hitter, beating the Blue Jays 6-2 in Detroit. In his second start, he hurled another complete game, beating the Rangers in Texas 3-2. In his third start, he left due to shoulder stiffness after just 4 innings. He got a cortisone shot and was skipped twice in the rotation, but still had to go to the DL on May 1. He tried getting some work in later in the season in Lakeland, but after just 4 appearances he was shut down completely for the year.

Dave Rozema, SP:

As a rookie in 1977, at age 20, Rozema had gone 15-7. In 1978, he went 9-12. The difference was arm trouble - he was forced to miss a start on May 18 due to shoulder stiffness, and needed a cortisone shot. There were a few more missed starts after that, and he was largely relegated to bullpen duty from 1980 on. He did stay around long enough to contribute to the Tigers' chamionship team of 1984.

Jim Slaton, SP:

Acquired from Milwaukee for Ben Oglivie in December of 1977, the long-time Brewer fixture paced the Tigers' staff with 17 wins and 34 starts in 1978. He ruffled some feathers by announcing upon his arrival in Detroit that he planned on filing for free agency at the end of 1978, and admitted he could understand how fans might resent him for it. At some point late in the year the team did offer him something in the neighborhood of a 7-year deal, but he wound up signing back with the Brewers in November.

Jim Crawford, RP:

The seldom-used lefty posted a record of 2-3 in just 20 relief appearances before being sent to Evansville on August 3 to make room for John Hiller, who was coming off the DL. The veteran's final major league appearance came on July 27 against the Orioles when he was hit hard throwing a single inning in relief of Jim Slaton.

Steve Foucault, RP:

The former Ranger closer earned saves in each of his first 3 appearances in 1978. On May 12, his nose was broken on a ground ball off the bat of Mario Guerrero in Oakland. As the season wore on, he began to fall out of favor with Houk, and, after compiling a record of 2-4 with 4 saves across 24 appearances, he was claimed off waivers by Kansas City on August 16th.

Bruce Taylor, RP:

Bruce's trip north with the big club was made possible by Jack Morris' sore shoulder. While Morris got better in Florida, Taylor made a single appearance, throwing a perfect inning of relief in Toronto on April 14th. On the 17th, Morris was activated from the DL and Taylor was shipped to Evansville.

Milt Wilcox, RP:

Milt started 1978 in the bullpen, but was put into the rotation at the beginning of May to help offset the loss of Fidrych. He went 13-12 as a starter the rest of the way. 16 of his 27 starts wound up being complete games, by far the best ratio on the club. In its July 29th issue, the Sporting News reported extensively on the Wilcox family's side business - raising chinchillas. Shortly before retiring, Milt would win 17 games for the 1984 champion Tigers.

John Hiller, CL:

One of just 2 hold-overs remaining from the 1968 championship team, John saved 15 games as the Detroit closer in 1978. He spent July 13 through August 3 on the DL due to a pulled muscle on his side. As a sign of his popularity and of the respect he was held in by both fans and teammates (and, no, doubt, mindful of his recovery from a heart attack several years before), the team honored him in a pre-game ceremony on June 25th for his decade of service to the Tigers.

Milt May, C:

Milt, a lefty, platooned with rookie Lance Parrish, a righty, behind the plate in 1978. For the first two months of the season, he was better than he ever was before at the plate - 7 HR, 21 RBI and a .323 average. Beginning in June, he slowed down and wound up with numbers more typical of his usual production - 10 HR, 37 RBI and a .250 average.

Lance Parrish, C:

The other half of the Tigers' backstop platoon, Parrish belted 14 HR and had 41 RBI during 1978, his first full season in the majors. He would go on to play in Detroit through 1986.

Steve Dillard, IF:

Going into 1978, it was an open question as to whether Lou Whitaker was ready to assume the full-time starter's role at second. To guard against his possible need for additional seasoning, the Tigers traded two minor leagers to the Red Sox for Dillard in January. He was an upgrade on the base paths and in the field from 1977's starter, Tito Fuentes, whom the Tigers sold to Montreal in January. As it turned out, Whitaker was more than ready, so Steve wound up getting into just 56 games, mainly as a reserve second baseman.

Phil Mankowski, IF:

The left-hitting half of Detroit's third base platoon combination, Phil started against righties just as he had in 1977. In 88 games he hit .275 with 20 RBI and 4 HRs.

Aurelio Rodriguez, IF:

Though he normally embodied the prototypical "good-field, no-hit" infielder model, Aurelio's bat made some noise early in the season. The right-hitting half of the third base platoon was hitting .409, best in the AL, as April turned to May. In the end, he finished at only .265, which was still the second-highest of his 11-year career to that point. In the field he was his usual reliable self - he led all ML third basemen with a .987 fielding percentage, while using the same glove he started wearing when he came to Detroit in 1971.

Jason Thompson, IF:

Jason missed the first two days of camp holding out for more money, and was rewarded with a $50,000 salary bump. And why not? By 1978, he looked like a star in the making. He was in his third major league season, and his third as the Tigers' starting first baseman. His .287 average, 96 RBI and 26 HRs, along with his selection as the team's sole All Star, marked him for big things. However, he was traded to the Angels in 1980 for Al Cowens. He had a few productive seasons in Pittsburgh in the early 1980s, but never achieved the potential he showed in the '70s.

Mark Wagner, IF:

From 1976 through 1980, Mark was a reserve infielder for the Tigers, primarily at short. The arrival of Alan Trammel in 1978 eliminated any chance Mark had of ever getting the starting job, and he was traded to Texas after the 1980 season for Kevin Saucier.

Alan Trammell, IF:

With only 19 previous major league games under his belt, Alan stepped into the Tigers' starting shortstop position in 1978 and held the job for over a dozen years.

Lou Whitaker, IF:

1978 was Lou's first season as Detroit's starting second baseman, a job he wouldn't start relinquishing until 1993. In 1978, he was awarded the American League Rookie of the Year Award after batting .285 with 58 RBI. He missed two weeks after severely spraining his left ankle sliding into first while trying to avoid a double play on April 29.

Tim Corcoran, OF:

Slated to take over right field after the Tigers traded Ben Oglivie to the Brewers for Jim Slaton, Tim wound up forming the left-handed component of a right field platoon which featured both John Wockenfuss and Mickey Stanley as the righties. Tim hit .265, with 1 HR and 27 RBI.

Steve Kemp, OF:

With Jason Thompson, Steve stayed away from camp in the spring for 2 days in an effort to get a richer deal from the Tigers. He wound up getting himself a $34,000 pay increase for his troubles. That season, and for a couple years after, Steve started in left field for the Tigers. He displayed great offensive potential, hitting 15 HRs and 79 RBI in 1978, and a total of 80 HRs and 373 RBI between 1977 and 1980. Then, he became one of the cornerstones of George Steinbrenner's failed free-agent signing spree of the early to mid-'80s.

Ron LeFlore, OF:

Discovered by former Tiger manager Billy Martin playing prison ball, the Detroit native was in his 4th season as the team's starting center fielder in 1978. He led the league in stolen bases with 68, and was among the league leaders with a .297 batting average. As the Tigers fell to 5th in mid-season, LeFlore endured a personal slump which some attributed to distractions caused by the filming of a TV movie based on his life. When Thompson and Kemp ended their pre-seaon hold outs and entered the Tiger Club house with their increased pay, LeFlore was heard to yell "Well, here come Ruth and Gehrig!"

Mickey Stanley, OF:

With John Hiller, Mickey was a hold-over from the 1968 championship team. By 1978, the one-time starting center fielder was used in a reserve role, platooning in right field and filling in at first base occasionally. When the season was over, he indicated a desire to stay in Detroit another season, but he was released in December. September 28 at Boston was the last major league game for this veteran.

Charlie Spikes, OF:

It was speculated before the season that Spikes, acquired from the Indians before the 1978 season for Tom Veryzer, would platoon in right field with Tim Corcoran. His ineffective bat took him out of the line-up in late April, and on May 10 he was sent to Evansville so that Fernando Arroyo could be called up.

Rusty Staub, OF:

His days in the outfield largely behind him, Rusty was Detroit's DH in 1978. In fact, he was the starting DH in each and every one of the Tigers' 162 games. He hit 24 HRs and collected 121 RBI in that role.

Johnny Wockenfuss, OF:

Occasionally a catcher, Johnny spent much of 1978 filling in for Tim Corcoran in right field when the day's pitching match-up called for a right-handed bat.

Kirk Gibson signs with the Tigers in June

In-Season Moves:

Jack Morris, RP:

Jack joined the big club on April 17 after his early-season shoulder soreness went away. The future ace made 28 appearances in 1978, performing mostly out of the bullpen but also making 7 starts as well.

Bob Sykes, SP:

Bob was called up from Evansville when Mark Fidrych was placed on the DL on May 1. He was used initially as a starter, winning his first three games, including 2 complete games. He lost 4 of his next 5 starts, and that, combined with an expanding ERA, saw him relegated to the pen for the remainder of the year by late June.

Fernando Arroyo, RP:

Arroyo had knee surgery on February 2, and missed all of spring training. Because of this, he started the year at Evansville. He was called up during the second week of May when Charlie Spikes was sent down. He made just 2 relief appearances before being shuttled back to Evansville in exchange for Steve Baker on May 24th.

Steve Baker, SP:

Steve was brought up from Evansville to replace Fernando Arroyo on May 24th. He made his major league debut on May 25th, getting the start at Baltimore. He went 6.1 innings, striking out 6 and surrendering a single run. He remained in the rotation until he was sent back to Evansville on July 13th to accomodate Kip Young's promotion from the same club. Steve was recalled when rosters expanded in September.

Kip Young, SP:

Kip was called up from Evansville on July 13th in exchange for Steve Baker. He made his major league debut in a relief outing on July 21, and earned a start on July 24th. In it, he threw a complete game 6-hitter and came away with the victory. He remained in the rotation for the rest of the season, going 6-7.

Ed Glynn, RP:

Glynn was summoned from Evansville on July 13th to bolster the Tiger bullpen when John Hiller went on the DL. He made 10 relief appearances the rest of the way, racking up just 14.2 innings pitched.

Dave Tobik, RP:

Called up from Evansville on August 16 when the Tigers lost Steve Foucault on waivers to the Royals, Dave made his major league debut on August 26 giving up 6 hits and 3 runs in 3 innings of relief. In 5 total appearances he recorded 11 Ks against only 3 walks.

Dave Stegman, OF:

Brought up in September when rosters expanded, Dave made his major league debut on September 4, and got into seven additional games as an outfield reserve.

Sheldon Burnside, RP:

A September call-up, Sheldon made his major league debut on September 4th - in a third of an inning of relief work at Yankee Stadium, he walked 2, gave up three hits, and surrendered 4 earned runs.