The hot rumor of the week is that the Detroit Tigers are very interested in resigning Johnny Damon to replace the injured Victor Martinez as the DH for the club in 2012. If Damon ultimately returns to the club, he would join several prominent players who served two tours of duty with teh Detroit Tigers. The Detroit Free Press made a list of such players, something that we can expand upon here.
The biggest return in the team's recent history was Kirk Gibson. A first round draft pick in the 1978 draft Gibson left Detroit following the 1987 season. He would return to the team in 1993 as a free agent. He would finish his career with the team hitting above .260 for his last three seasons.
Dan Petry was another member of those great 1970's draft classes of the Tigers. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1976 draft. After the 1987 season he was traded to the then California Angels for Gary Pettis. He would return to the Tigers before the 1990 season, after a season and half he was again traded this time to the Atlanta Braves.
Pitcher Walt Terrell originally came to Detroit in the Howard Johnson trade following the 1984 season. He would be a mainstay in the Detroit rotation until the trade dealing in 1988 when he was dealt to the San Diego Padres. He would return to Detroit two years later.
When all is said and done the most successful second tour of duty with the Tigers has to go to RP Todd Jones. He came to the team by way of trade and after the 2001 season was traded to Minnesota for Mark Redman. After the 2005 season he would resign with the team and serve as the closer for the 206 team that made a World Series apperance.
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