Few and Chosen Tigers: Defining Tigers Greatness Across the Eras

Few teams in major league baseball can match the pantheon of stars that played for the Detroit Tigers. From Ty Cobb to Harry Heilmann, Charlie Gehringer to Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline to George Kell, and Willie Horton to Alan Trammel, Tigers' players have won 22 batting championships, 11 home-run crowns, 19 RBI titles, nine MVP trophies, and three Cy Young Awards in the team's illustrious, 100-plus-year history. Now Parrish selects the top five Tigers of all time at each position and ranks them 1-5. Fans may disagree, but they are certain to find his choices interesting, his reasoning for the selections fascinating, and the anecdotes he draws from his years as a Tiger amusing and entertaining.

PARRISH MEETS DETROIT TIGERS FANS IN APRIL
Detroit Tigers fans have a rare chance to meet Tigers legend Lance Parrish at two public appearances in early April, where he will be signing copies of the new book FEW AND CHOSEN: DEFINING TIGERS GREATNESS ACROSS THE ERAS that he wrote with co-author Phil Pepe. On April 1, Parrish will sign books at the Borders in Novi, Michigan, and on April 3 he will be signing books at Barnes & Noble in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Learn more about Parrish's signings and about FEW AND CHOSEN: DEFINING TIGERS GREATNESS ACROSS THE ERAS on the official page for the book.



Detroit Tigers fans get chance to meet Parrish
Detroit Tigers fans have a rare chance to meet Tigers legend Lance Parrish at his only book signing in June where he will be signing copies of the new book FEW AND CHOSEN: DEFINING TIGERS GREATNESS ACROSS THE ERAS that he wrote with co-author Phil Pepe. On June 12, Parrish will sign books at the Barnes & Noble in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Learn more about Parrish's signings and about FEW AND CHOSEN: DEFINING TIGERS GREATNESS ACROSS THE ERAS on the official page for the book.

Few and Chosen Tigers

 

One of the most venerable teams in baseball history, the Detroit Tigers have seen immeasurable talent pass through their ranks. Some of baseball's first superstars wore the Tigers uniform. Now, more than 100 years later, the team, under Jim Leyland, continues the Tigers' tradition of excellence.

 

Former Tigers catcher and eight-time All-Star Lance Parrish knows Detroit. For 10 years he called pitches wearing Detroit pinstripes. In Few and Chosen: Defining Tigers Greatness Across the Eras, Parrish examines the team's rich history, selecting the five best Tigers at every position, as well as the club's best managers. With so many great players in the relatively short existence of the franchise, the choices were anything but easy for Parrish. Some of the more contentious of the debates include:

 

• All-time great Jim Bunning or the abbreviated brilliance of Denny McLain at right-handed starting pitcher?
• The longevity of Bill Freehan or the Hall of Fame credentials of Pudge Rodriguez as the best catcher in team history?
• The powerful Travis Fryman or the hot-hitting George Kell at 3B?
• Hall of Fame snub Bobby Veach or Tigers icon Willie Horton in LF?

 

Few and Chosen possesses many surprises for Tigers fans, with rankings that will raise a few eyebrows. But when readers see the empirical numbers next to analysis and commentary from a Tigers icon they will understand that the ultimate roster for the Tigers has finally been created.

 

About the Author:
Lance Parrish has done it all for the Detroit Tigers: player, minor-league catching instructor, minor-league manager, major-league coach, and television color analyst. As a player he was an eight-time All-Star and the winner of three Gold Gloves. Born in Clairton, PA, and raised in Southern California, Parrish was a three-sport star in high school and was heavily recruited as a football player. He signed a letter of intent to play football at UCLA but opted for baseball after he was selected in the first round of the June 1974 free-agent draft by the Tigers. He ranks first in career home runs among catchers on the Tigers' all-time list and second to Bill Freehan in games played, hits, and runs batted in. Parrish resides in Nashville, TN.

 

Phil Pepe has covered sports for more than five decades and has authored more than 50 books on baseball. He has collaborated on books with Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Billy Martin, Bob Gibson, Ron Santo, Duke Snider, Johnny Pesky, Monte Irvin, Gary Carter, and Tim McCarver. This is his ninth book in the Few and Chosen Series.

 

Contact: Josh Williams, Triumph Books, 312.252-1261, j.williams@triumphbooks.com

 

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