Lou Whitaker

Born: 5/12/1957 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1977-09-09 | Final Game: 1995-10-01

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: Louis Rodman Whitaker

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Biography

Lou Whitaker, born in 1957, was a distinguished position player who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1977 until his retirement in 1995. Renowned for his exceptional defensive skills and consistent offensive production, Whitaker played a pivotal role for the Detroit Tigers throughout his career. Over the course of 2,390 games, he amassed 2,369 hits, 244 home runs, and 1,084 RBIs, finishing with a career batting average of .276. His ability to steal bases, tallying 143 during his time on the field, complemented his all-around game and contributed to the Tigers' success during the 1980s. Whitaker's accolades included five All-Star selections and the coveted Rookie of the Year award, showcasing his immediate impact upon entering the league. As a member of the Tigers, he was integral to the team's triumph in the 1984 World Series, solidifying his legacy in baseball history. His career unfolded during a transformative era in the sport, where player athleticism and versatility became increasingly vital. Lou Whitaker remains celebrated not only for his individual achievements but also for his role in establishing a winning culture within the Tigers organization, making him a beloved figure in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2390	8570	1386	2369	420	65	244	1084	143	1197	1099	0.276	0.363	0.426	0.789	19564.1

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +6.2% above league average.

Career OBP .363 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.

Career SLG .426 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — +8.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.789 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — +9.9% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1977	DET	AL	11	32	5	8	1	0	0	2	2	4	6	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	DET	AL	139	484	71	138	12	7	3	58	7	61	65	0.285	.257 (+11%)	.323 (+12%)	.378 (-6%)	.702 (+2%)	373.8
1979	DET	AL	127	423	75	121	14	8	3	42	20	78	66	0.286	.265 (+8%)	.329 (+20%)	.397 (-5%)	.727 (+6%)	866.1
1980	DET	AL	145	477	68	111	19	1	1	45	8	73	79	0.233	.264 (-12%)	.326 (+1%)	.387 (-27%)	.714 (-14%)	-1094.5
1981	DET	AL	109	335	48	88	14	4	5	36	5	40	42	0.263	.255 (+3%)	.320 (+6%)	.368 (+1%)	.688 (+4%)	274.0
1982	DET	AL	152	560	76	160	22	8	15	65	11	48	58	0.286	.261 (+9%)	.324 (+5%)	.388 (+12%)	.712 (+9%)	928.5
1983	DET	AL	161	643	94	206	40	6	12	72	17	67	70	0.320	.260 (+23%)	.324 (+17%)	.389 (+17%)	.714 (+17%)	2312.1
1984	DET	AL	143	558	90	161	25	1	13	56	6	62	63	0.289	.259 (+11%)	.322 (+11%)	.384 (+6%)	.707 (+8%)	996.0
1985	DET	AL	152	609	102	170	29	8	21	73	6	80	56	0.279	.257 (+9%)	.323 (+12%)	.390 (+17%)	.714 (+15%)	1883.8
1986	DET	AL	144	584	95	157	26	6	20	73	13	63	70	0.269	.257 (+4%)	.325 (+4%)	.395 (+11%)	.720 (+7%)	842.8
1987	DET	AL	149	604	110	160	38	6	16	59	13	71	108	0.265	.262 (+1%)	.331 (+3%)	.415 (+3%)	.746 (+3%)	373.6
1988	DET	AL	115	403	54	111	18	2	12	55	2	66	61	0.275	.254 (+8%)	.317 (+18%)	.377 (+11%)	.695 (+14%)	1305.8
1989	DET	AL	148	509	77	128	21	1	28	85	6	89	59	0.251	.254 (-1%)	.319 (+13%)	.375 (+23%)	.694 (+18%)	2013.9
1990	DET	AL	132	472	75	112	22	2	18	60	8	74	71	0.237	.257 (-8%)	.324 (+4%)	.385 (+6%)	.710 (+5%)	541.4
1991	DET	AL	138	470	94	131	26	2	23	78	4	90	45	0.279	.255 (+9%)	.323 (+21%)	.384 (+27%)	.708 (+24%)	2503.7
1992	DET	AL	130	453	77	126	26	0	19	71	6	81	46	0.278	.255 (+9%)	.322 (+20%)	.377 (+22%)	.699 (+21%)	2094.9
1993	DET	AL	119	383	72	111	32	1	9	67	3	78	46	0.290	.265 (+9%)	.332 (+24%)	.403 (+11%)	.735 (+17%)	1611.3
1994	DET	AL	92	322	67	97	21	2	12	43	2	41	47	0.301	.269 (+12%)	.338 (+11%)	.424 (+16%)	.763 (+14%)	876.9
1995	DET	AL	84	249	36	73	14	0	14	44	4	31	41	0.293	.266 (+10%)	.337 (+10%)	.417 (+24%)	.755 (+18%)	860.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
13	49	13	10	2	0	1	1	11	10	0.204

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1987	ALCS	DET	5	17	4	3	0	1	1	7	3	0.176
1984	ALCS	DET	3	14	3	2	0	0	0	0	3	0.143
1984	WS	DET	5	18	6	5	2	0	0	4	4	0.278

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	2308	2146	4771	6653	189	1527

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1977	DET	2B	9	9	17	18	0	2
1978	DET	2B	136	124	301	458	17	95
1979	DET	2B	126	114	280	369	9	103
1980	DET	2B	143	130	340	428	12	93
1981	DET	2B	108	104	227	354	9	77
1982	DET	2B	149	144	331	470	10	120
1983	DET	2B	160	151	299	447	13	92
1984	DET	2B	142	131	290	405	15	83
1985	DET	2B	150	146	314	414	11	101
1986	DET	2B	141	136	276	421	11	98
1987	DET	2B	148	146	275	416	17	99
1988	DET	2B	110	103	218	284	8	53
1989	DET	2B	146	137	327	393	11	99
1990	DET	2B	130	117	286	372	6	98
1991	DET	2B	135	119	255	361	4	91
1992	DET	2B	119	112	256	312	9	72
1993	DET	2B	110	97	236	322	11	75
1994	DET	2B	83	73	136	246	12	44
1995	DET	2B	63	53	107	163	4	32

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Second Base	2306
Designated Hitter	32

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1987	Silver Slugger	2B
1985	Gold Glove	2B
1985	Silver Slugger	2B
1984	Gold Glove	2B
1984	Silver Slugger	2B
1984	TSN All-Star	2B
1983	Gold Glove	2B
1983	Player of the Month	June
1983	Player of the Week	Week of 1983-06-10
1983	Silver Slugger	2B
1983	TSN All-Star	2B
1978	Rookie of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#17

Top 20 Second Basemen in history of MLB Baseball

Ranked 17 of 20

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Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1995	DET	AL	$3,783,334
1994	DET	AL	$2,783,333
1993	DET	AL	$3,433,333
1992	DET	AL	$2,200,000
1991	DET	AL	$2,000,000
1990	DET	AL	$1,800,000
1989	DET	AL	$1,025,000
1988	DET	AL	$975,000
1987	DET	AL	$420,000
1986	DET	AL	$670,000
1985	DET	AL	$670,000
Total Career Earnings			$19,760,000