Recently, I read an online article that was written as a memorial to several big named baseball players who sadly had passed on during the past year. There were big names on the list like Harmon Killebrew, Dick Williams, Mike Flanagan, and of course, Detroit’s own Jim Northrup. (Big League Stew)
As 2011 winds down I thought it would be nice to honor the former Detroit Tigers players who have passed on during the past year.
Now, not all of these players were the greatest to wear a Detroit uniform, and some names you might not have heard. Some played for just a short time in Detroit, some made Detroit their home for most of their baseball career, but the common thread that runs through their names is that all of these men wore the uniform at some point during their career. Thus they will always be a Tiger, and for that they will be honored!
DeeTown Tigers remembers:
Benny McCoy (November 9, 1915 – November 9, 2011) was a second baseman who played for the Tigers in 1938 and 1939. He played in place of an injured Charlie Gehringer in 1939 before being traded to the Philadelphia Athletics at the end of the season. Before his death he was recognized as one of the oldest living major league ballplayers. He died on his 96th birthday.
Red Borom (October 30, 1915 – January 7, 2011) played his entire major league career 
for the Tigers (two seasons). Shuffling among second, shortstop and third base, he mostly played second base in 1945 – a year in which the Tigers won the World Series. He ended his career having never hit a major league home run.
Dave Sisler (October 31, 1931 – January 9, 2011) was a pitcher who got his start with the Boston Red Sox in 1956. He was traded to the Tigers in 1959 along with Ted Lepcio for Billy Hoeft. He stayed with Detroit through the 1960 season. His record was 7-5 and he boasted a 2.48 ERA. In that same year, Los Angeles and Washington were expansion teams in the American League, and despite having a good season Sisler was declared eligible for the baseball expansion draft. Sisler was selected by the Senators.
Gus Zernial (June 27, 1923 – January 20, 2011) had the nickname “Ozark Ike. He was a left fielder billed during his career as the “new Joe DiMaggio.” He had joined Mickey Mantle, Larry Doby and Yogi Berra for most home runs in the decade (fifties). Although an outfielder, he played 32 games at first base for the Tigers in 1959. He ended his career as mostly a pinch hitter.
Woodie Fryman (April 15, 1940 – February 4, 2011) pitched for the Tigers during the 1972 championship season. His record was 10-3 with a 2.06 ERA. His .769 win percentage led the American League in 1972 and his ERA+ is one of the highest in Detroit franchise history.
Charlie Metro (April 28, 1919 – March 18, 2011) was born Charles Moreskonich. He adopted the name of his father Metro Moreskonich, a Ukrainian immigrant. He was an outfielder for the Tigers. He wasn’t a great hitter, and never made it as a full-time player. He was with Detroit from 1943 – 1944. He was released after attempting to organize a players union. Later, he would become a scout for the Tigers and the Dodgers.
Reno Bertoia (January 8, 1935 – April 15, 2011) played two separate times for the Tigers as an infielder. His first stint in a Detroit uniform was 1953 -1958, and then again in the 1961 – 1962 seasons. He was close friends with Al Kaline and became an important part of Kaline’s early years with the Tigers.
Lawrence Sidney “Bobo” Osborne (October 12, 1935 – April 15, 2011) also played twice for the Tigers from 1957 – 1959 and 1961 – 1962. He was a first baseman.
Jim Northrup (November 24, 1939 – June 8, 2011) was an outfielder for the Tigers between 1964 and 1974. For more about the “Silver Fox,” here is a link to the story I wrote about him shortly after he passed away. DeeTown Tigers
Ted Gray (December 31, 1924 – June 15, 2011) pitched eight seasons for the Tigers in 1946, and then again from 1948 – 1954. He was born in Detroit and broke into the bigs with the Tigers. He pitched briefly for Detroit in ’46 and played the rest of the season in the minors before coming back with the Tigers. Ted Williams once said of Gray, “He’s (Ted Gray) tough. He’s real quick and he has the moxie to throw the ball in there. He throws it and dares you to hit it. I like that in a pitcher. He’s one of the toughest for me to hit.”
Billy Baldwin (June 9, 1951 – June 28, 2011) was a back-up outfielder during the 102-loss season in 1975. In 1976, he was traded with Mickey Lolich to the Mets for Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton.
Don Buddin (May 5, 1934 – June 30, 2011) played shortstop for the Boston Red Sox for most of his career. He played a portion of the 1962 season (his last) with Houston and Detroit Tigers.
Bill Taylor (December 30, 1929 – September 15, 2011) played in just nine games as an outfielder for the Tigers in 1957. He saw action during eight games in 1958. Taylor played his last major league game in May of that year, spending the remainder of the season with the Tigers AAA affiliate, the Charleston Senators.
Al Federoff (July 11, 1924 – August 2, 2011) spent most of his career in the minors except for 76 games with the Tigers in 1951 and 1952. He played seven seasons in Detroit’s farm system and managed for nine years during the 1960′s winning two championships. He was also a scout for the Detroit Tigers.
During my research I used Wikipedia and Baseball Almanac. I gleaned a small portion of information from Wikipedia to provide a encapsulation, and I have included the Wikipedia links for the players.
~Skip
