All Tigers team 1965-2016, pitching

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Like their positional players, the Tigers have had some excellent pitchers who had long term tenures there. Tiger choices are like comfort food, they are generally known quantities that are reassuring. Here we go.

Starting pitcher: Mickey Lolich Mickey gets the pick as the number one starter, though some might think Jason Verlander should get that honor. But to me, when in doubt, go with the guy built most like me. Mickey had an every man quality about him that made him a fan favorite. He was also really good. During his 13 years with the Tigers he went 217-175 with an ERA of 3.45. During the Tigers world series wining 1968 season, Mickey went 19-11. It was during the world series itself, Mickey cemented his spot in Tigers history. Mickey went 3-0 in the seven game series with the Cardinals. All three of his wins were complete games. Mickey also homered in the series. In 1971 Mickey led the American League with 25 wins. He went on to win 22 games in 1972. During his 13 year stay in Detroit Mickey piled up a WAR of 47.5. Mickey strikes me as an excellent representative of a working class town. That's said with respect.

Starting pitcher: Justin Verlander While Lolich is an every man type of guy, Justin Verlander looks like he's out of central casting when it comes to casting starting pitchers. Justin is in his 13th season with the Tigers. Currently his record with the team is 178-113 with an ERA of 3.52. He's been a real workhorse leading the American League in wins twice. Justin's high water mark was his 24-5 season in 2011. Those 24 wins led the league, as did his 2.40 ERA. His whip of 0.92 also led the league. Jason has a WAR of 51.8.

Starting pitcher: Denny McLain If I was going by peak seasons in putting together this rotation, McLain would probably be the number one starter. Of course McLain is remembered as being the last guy to win 30 games in a season, going 31-6 in 1968 with an ERA of 1.96. He propelled the Tigers to the 1968 World Series. Denny followed that up by going 24-9 the next season. Even before those huge seasons, in 1965-67 his win totals were 16-20-17. Denny was hardly a flash in the pan. While Denny was a great Tiger you wonder what he could have accomplished if he had been more focused long term.

Starting pitcher: Max Scherzer Raise your hand if you think the Nationals overpaid for Max Scherzer. Okay, my hand is up. Maybe we were wrong. Max set up his big payday by his outstanding time in Detroit. After a nice few seasons to start his time with the Tigers, Max hit the accelerator in 2013, going 21-3 with an ERA of 2.90. Those 21 wins led the league. In 2014 Max also led the league in wins the next season, going 18-5. After that, it was off to a huge payday in Washington.

Starting pitcher: Jack Morris I know that wins is a category that is deemed almost meaningless in analyzing baseball, but I still think the category has some merit. Jack Morris is a case in point. Jack went 198-150 with an ERA of 3.90 during his 14 seasons with the Tigers. Jack anchored the 1984 world series winning Tigers rotation, going 19-11. Jack was a number one starter and workhorse for years with the Tigers. He was also a winner.

Relief pitcher: Willie Hernandez The Tigers have had a number of relievers who have put up some nice seasons, but not a lot of sustained greatness. The Tigers all time leader in saves is Todd Jones. Todd's career ERA is 4.07. All time saves leader and ERA over 4.00 don't generally go together. The choice here is Willie Hernandez. From 1984-86 Willie's save totals were 32-51-24. Willie was the closer on 1984 Tigers championship team. All together, it's good enough for Willie to nail down this slot.

Relief pitcher: John Hiller Back in the days before the term closer was invented, relief pitchers would come on in the 7^th inning and close out the game. If certain conditions were right, they were credited with+ a save. Sometimes these guys would pitch more than 100 innings in a season. John Hiller was one of these guys. In 1973 John picked up 38 saves and had a record of 10-5 while pitching125.1 innings out of the pen. He followed that up in 1974 by pitching 150 innings and running up a record of 17-14. He also had 13 saves. In all, John pitched 15 years for the Tigers, compiling a record of 87-76 with 125 saves and an ERA of 2.83. John Hiller, another long time Tigers staple.

Relief pitcher: Mike Henneman This last slot came down to a choice between Mike Henneman and Jose Valverde. Valverde had the more spectacular seasons, recording 26-49-35 saves between 2010-12. Mike Henneman was consistent over a longer period of time, having five seasons of 20 saves or more with the Tigers. I went with longevity and consistency.

Those are my picks. What do you think? Let me know, via respectful discussion.