Lou Whitaker, from Martinsville, VA is one of the most accomplished baseball players to call the Commonwealth home. Drafted in the 5th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in 1975 out of Martinsville High School, Whitaker made his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers in 1977. Over the next 19 seasons, Whitaker would stake his claim as one of the best middle infielders in the game. The 1978 American League Rookie of the Year, Whitaker would be named an All-Star five times, win three Gold Gloves and four Silver Slugger awards at second base, and was an integral part of the Tigers 1984 World Championship team. Whitaker finished his career with a .276 batting average, 2,369 hits, 244 homeruns, 1,084 RBI, and 1,386 runs scored. In total, Whitaker appeared in 2,390 games for the Detroit Tigers, third most in franchise history behind Ty Cobb and Al Kaline. He also ranks fourth in MLB history with 2,308 games played at second base and remains among the Tigers’ all-time leaders in double plays (first, 1,527), assists (second, 6,653), walks (second, 1,197), runs scored (third, 1,386), and wins above replacement (WAR) by position players (fourth, 75.1). Whitaker’s No. 1 jersey has been retired by the Tigers, and in 2000 he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
