Tiger fans turned on Bobby Higginson quickly. He became a lightning rod toward the end of his career. Tiger fans needed someone to blame for the franchise’s poor performance in the first half of the Illitch years. Higginson became the face of failure. Despite this, he put up some nice seasons with the Tigers. His best overall season may have been 2000 when the team moved to Comerica Park. That season, Higginson hit .300, blasted 30 home runs, and knocked in 102 runs leading Detroit to the brink of respectability for one season.
Detroit closed Tiger Stadium in 1999 and the team moved to Comerica Park for the 2000 season. In November 1999, the Tigers traded six players to the Texas Rangers for Juan Gonzalez, Danny Patterson, and Greg Zaun. Gonzalez won two MVP Awards with the Rangers, but also had the reputation as someone more than willing to take a day off. The Tigers gambled Gonzalez would be the superstar the team needed to contend. His presence in the lineup benefited everyone, especially Higginson.
In 1999, injuries limited Higginson to 107 games. He sat on the bench as Robert Fick closed Tiger Stadium with a dramatic grand slam. The injuries and dreariness surrounding the organization caused his average to dip to .239 and limited him to 12 home runs. In 2000, a healthy Higginson, with Gonzalez in the lineup, emerged as a contender for comeback player of the year.
Higginson played in 154 games in the 2000 season. He batted .300 for the second time in his career and hit a career best 30 home runs. He also set career highs in RBI (102), doubles (44), hits (179), runs (104), and slugging (.538). Additionally, the left fielder stole 15 bases, posted a .915 OPS, and had 19 outfield assists. On top of this offensive production, the Tiger led the league in putouts with 305. As a result of his performance, the Detroit baseball writers voted him Tiger of the Year.
As Higginson won awards, Gonzalez slithered out of Detroit after 2000. Although Gonzalez proved a mistake, he did help the Tigers and Higginson for one season. The team improved 10 games in the standings from 1999 winning 79 games. They appeared poised for a breakthrough in 2001. The teams return to prominence did not occur until 2006 when Higginson and Gonzalez were long gone. As a result of his natural decline and the team’s lack of success, Higginson emerged the face of the franchise and fans took out their frustrations on him.
Although Higginson evolved into a lightning rod, he enjoyed several solid seasons with Detroit. In 2000, he enjoyed an all star caliber season at the plate and in the field. His performance helped the Tigers improve 10 games in the standings. Unfortunately, neither Higginson nor the Tigers could build on the momentum of 2000.
Sources:
Detroittigers.com
Baseballreference.com
http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2009/06/best_of_the_worst_tigers_1_bob.html
Comments