What players have hammered the Detroit Tigers the most?

On Wednesday, the Morning Woodward Show hosts Adham Beydoun and Terry Foster did a segment about modern day villains with the Detroit teams being subpar and it got me to thinking about an article I did at Motor City Bengals about the Detroit Tigers biggest “killers.” There are several hitters out there who have hit Detroit Tigers pitching very well, so sticking to the format from the show, who are the Detroit Tigers biggest “villains?”

Villain criteria

So here is the criteria I used to determine the Detroit Tigers “villain” on the hitting side:

At least 50 or more plate appearances.
Since 2010 to present.

I will list who has had the top 5 in most home runs, best OPS, and most hits. Let’s start with home runs.

1. Carlos Santana (26)
2. Salvador Perez (26)
3. José Abreu (25)
4. Nelson Cruz (24)
5. Jose Ramirez (22)

Apr 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Hunter Dozier (17) celebrates with Carlos Santana (41) after hitting a two run home run during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

What’s interesting about Carlos Santana is that he has hit only 7 of his career 26 home runs at Comerica Park. Mostly at home, Detroit has neutralized Santana to the slash line of .219/.344/.347. Because all five players are or were part of AL Central teams, I wanted to see outside of the division who has hit the most home runs against the Tigers. That honor belongs to outfielder Mike Trout with 13.

Best OPS

Shohei Ohtani (1.164)
Tim Beckham (1.146)
Franmil Reyes (1.115)
Steven Souza Jr (1.046)
Christian Yelich (1.044)

Ohtani should come to no surprise in his three seasons so far against the Tigers. He has hit six home runs in 14 games against Detroit and is 15-for-48 (.313) As far as number two goes, this one came as a bit of a surprise.If you are familiar with utility player Tim Beckham, who is now on the Minnesota Twins, he has hit over .300 against Tigers pitching in his career. In case you were wondering about Jose Ramirez, he is the only AL Central regular with an OPS over 1.000 against Detroit.

Most Hits

Jose Abreu (178)
Michael Brantley (167)
Carlos Santana (157)
Salvador Perez (149)
Eric Hosmer (141)

Apr 10, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79) reacts after sliding safe for a run during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Anderson comes in 8th on this list with 131 but has the best batting average with at least 100 plate appearances with a slash line of .346/.384/520. Jose Abreu is right behind him at .344.

Later this week, I will examine the pitchers who are “villains” against the Detroit Tigers.

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