Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Feb. 4.
1) Doug Fister (1984)
Fister pitched for 10 seasons for the Red Sox, Tigers, Astros, Mariners, Rangers and Nationals. In his third season in 2011 with the Mariners, he got off to a 3-12 start in his first 21 starts, despite a 3.33 ERA, due to the worst run support of the Majors. He was then traded to the Tigers and Fister took off, going 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA as Detroit advanced to the ALCS (falling to the Rangers in six games).
Fister’s best statistical season came in 2014 with the Nationals when he went 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA in 25 starts. He finished eighth in the voting for the NL Cy Young Award.
On Sept. 27, 2012, while with Detroit, Fister established an American League record (later tied by another Tiger, Tyler Alexander, in 2020) by striking out nine consecutive batters in a game against Kansas City. The run started with a whiff of Salvador Perez for the last out of the fourth inning and ended when Perez grounded out to short in the seventh.
2) Dan Plesac (1962)
A first-round pick by the Brewers in 1983, Plesac became a solid left-handed relief pitcher over an 18-year career with six clubs. Plesac was a three-time AL All-Star (1987-89) and finished his career in 2003 with 158 saves, including two 30-save seasons (1988 and 1989). His 1,064 games pitched is the seventh-most all-time.
He is currently an in-studio analyst on MLB Network.
3) Germany Schaefer (1876)
Nicknamed “The Prince,” Schaefer was known as a flashy showman during a 15-year career that spanned the first two decades of the 20th century.
In one story told by a teammate, Schaefer was called on to pinch hit in a game with two outs in the ninth, a runner on base, and his Tigers down by a run. According to “The Glory of Their Times,” Germany announced to the crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, you are now looking at Herman Schaefer, better known as ‘Herman the Great,’ acknowledged by one and all to be the greatest pinch-hitter in the world. I am now going to hit the ball into the left field bleachers. Thank you.”
In another story, Schaefer once “stole” first base. In a 1911 game, Schaefer stole second, hoping to draw a throw and allow a teammate score from third with a steal of home. When the opposing catcher didn’t bite on the attempt, Schaefer, now on second, took his lead toward the first-base side of the bag and promptly stole first on a subsequent pitch in a attempt to try the double-steal gambit again. The official scorer credited Schaefer with only one stolen base.
4) Possum Whitted (1890)
George Whitted played 11 seasons in the big leagues and appeared in the 1914 World Series and the 1915 World Series. He was part of the Miracle Braves team in 1914 and batted clean-up in the Series.
He coached Duke University from 1926-28.
5) Raimel Tapia (1994)
Considered one of the top prospects in baseball when he made his big league debut at the end of the 2016 season, Tapia has hit .280 for the Rockies over his six-year career while also managing to moonlight as a gentleman farmer.