Happy Birthday Lou Whitaker!!!
Lou Whitaker turns 58 years old today.
‘Sweet Lou’ Whitaker is best known as part of one of the most successful double play combinations in baseball’s history. With the Detroit Tigers, and alongside Alan Trammel, Whitaker excelled as a second baseman.
In his rookie year of 1978, Whitaker walked away with the Rookie of the Year award. In that 1978 season, “Sweet Lou’ managed to hit .285 while connecting for 138 hits and driving in 58 runs. Although Whitaker’s offensive stats cannot compare to the power numbers put up by today’s 2nd basemen, Whitaker’s career totals are very impressive. A career .276 hitter, Lou managed to belt out 244 home runs and drive in 1084 RBI. In addition to this, Whitaker has also accumulated 143 stolen bases.
A 5-time All-star, and a 4-time Silver Slugger winner, Whitaker really cemented his greatness on defense. For 19 season, he patrolled 2nd base for the Tigers and ended his career with a .984 fielding percentage. Lou has also been part of 1,527 double plays.
Happy Birthday to ‘Sweet Lou’!!