1952 Detroit Tigers season
The 1952 Detroit Tigers had a record of 50–104 — the worst record in Tigers' history until the 2003 Tigers lost 119 games. Virgil Trucks became the third pitcher in major league history to throw two no-hitters in one season.Regular season
The 1952 Tigers winning percentage ranks as the second worst in the Tigers' history, as shown in this chart. The club was managed by Red Rolfe, who compiled a win-loss record of 23–49, then by pitcher-manager Fred Hutchinson, who had a record of 27–55 from July 5 through closing day, September 28.Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions
- June 3, 1952: Dizzy Trout, George Kell, Johnny Lipon, and Hoot Evers were traded by the Tigers to the Boston Red Sox for Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Don Lenhardt, Johnny Pesky, and Bill Wight.
- August 14, 1952: Dick Littlefield, Marlin Stuart, Don Lenhardt and Vic Wertz were traded by the Tigers to the St. Louis Browns for Jim Delsing, Ned Garver, Bud Black and Dave Madison.
Roster
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | | 113 | 307 | 68 | .221 | 6 | 36 |
| 1B | | 115 | 459 | 128 | .279 | 23 | 70 |
| 2B | | 75 | 279 | 79 | .283 | 4 | 20 |
| 3B | | 112 | 441 | 104 | .236 | 2 | 25 |
| SS | | 73 | 189 | 43 | .228 | 0 | 13 |
| OF | | 141 | 524 | 149 | .284 | 4 | 51 |
| OF | | 85 | 285 | 70 | .246 | 17 | 51 |
| OF | | 97 | 255 | 64 | .251 | 7 | 35 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| 92 | 265 | 66 | .249 | 13 | 45 |
| 74 | 231 | 56 | .242 | 0 | 14 |
| 86 | 193 | 26 | .197 | 9 | 23 |
| 69 | 177 | 45 | .254 | 1 | 9 |
| 56 | 173 | 41 | .237 | 3 | 13 |
| 39 | 152 | 45 | .296 | 1 | 17 |
| 45 | 144 | 27 | .188 | 3 | 13 |
| 39 | 136 | 30 | .221 | 0 | 12 |
| 19 | 80 | 26 | .325 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | 18 | 3 | .167 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: pitchers' batting statistics not includedPitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| 35 | 224 | 12 | 17 | 4.14 | 138 |
| 35 | 221 | 8 | 20 | 4.36 | 109 |
| 35 | 197 | 5 | 19 | 3.97 | 129 |
| 25 | 154 | 9 | 9 | 3.74 | 57 |
| 23 | 143.7 | 5 | 9 | 3.88 | 57 |
| 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 | 3 |
| 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 10.13 | 0 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| 34 | 125 | 2 | 7 | 4.32 | 65 |
| 10 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 5.33 | 20 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| 28 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4.34 | 32 |
| 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 | 12 |
Awards and honors
League top five finishers
- Art Houtteman: AL leader in losses
- Virgil Trucks: #2 in AL in losses
- Ted Gray: #3 in AL in losses
Players ranking among top 100 of all time at position
The following members of the 1952 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their positions, as ranked by The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001:
- Jerry Priddy: 73rd best second baseman of all time
- Johnny Pesky: 20th best shortstop of all time
- George Kell: 30th best third baseman of all time
- Vic Wertz: 61st best right fielder of all time
- Harvey Kuenn: 62nd best right fielder of all time
- Hal Newhouser: 36th best pitcher of all time
- Virgil Trucks: 61st best pitcher of all time
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Jamestown
