Lou Whitaker

In the late 1950s, his mother, Marion Arlene Williams, moved to Martinsville, Virginia.

Whitaker was raised in Martinsville by his mother and grandmother.

Louis Rodman Whitaker Jr. (born May 12, 1957), nicknamed "Sweet Lou", is an American former professional baseball second baseman.

Whitaker spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers.

Whitaker was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1957.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Virginia, Whitaker was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1975.

Whitaker graduated in 1975 and committed to play college baseball for Ferrum College.

The Detroit Tigers selected Whitaker in the fifth round, with the 99th overall selection, of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft.

He signed with the Tigers rather than attend college.

He made his professional debut in 1975 for the Bristol Tigers of the Rookie-level Appalachian League.

He spent three years in the minor leagues and was selected in 1976 as the most valuable player in the Florida State League.

Whitaker was the starting third baseman in 1976 for the Lakeland Tigers of the Class A Florida State League.

Whitaker batted .297, had 48 stolen bases, and 62 runs batted in, and was named the league's most valuable player.

In one game with Lakeland, he stole five bases, including three steals of home.

Because of his "sweet swing" with the bat, Whitaker was given the nickname "Sweet Lou" while playing for Lakeland.

Lakeland manager Jim Leyland said at the time: "For a youngster he's got a lot of poise and self-assurance. He's confident of his ability to play and nothing seems to bother him."

After the 1976 season, the Tigers sent Whitaker to instructional camp to convert him into a second baseman.

Whitaker said at the time: "Detroit needs a second baseman. And even though I've never played that position I'm ready to try. I've got Eddie Brinkman teaching me and he's good. I hope that I can do as well."

Brinkman later recalled, "Whitaker is such a natural athlete that he took to second base right away."

From 1977 to 1995, he appeared in 2,390 games for the Tigers, third most in franchise history behind Ty Cobb and Al Kaline.

He made his Major League Baseball debut in September 1977 and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1978.

During winter ball before the 1977 season, the Tigers also paired Whitaker with shortstop Alan Trammell.

In 1977, they both played for the Montgomery Rebels of the Double-A Southern League.

Whitaker and Trammell were both named to the Southern League all-star team.

Whitaker compiled a .280 batting average with 38 stolen bases, 58 bases on balls, and a .374 on-base percentage.

In September 1977, the Tigers called up Whitaker and Trammell.

Both made their major league debuts on September 9 against the Boston Red Sox.

Whitaker went three-for-five with a stolen base, hit a double off the Green Monster at Fenway Park, and registered his first run batted in (RBI) against the Baltimore Orioles.

He appeared in 11 games at the end of the 1977 season, compiling a .250 batting average and .333 on-base percentage.

In 1978, manager Ralph Houk started the season with Whitaker and Trammell platooning with Steve Dillard and Mark Wagner.

By May, Whitaker and Trammell had established themselves as every day starters.

Asked in 1979 about his father, Whitaker said, "He's never done anything for me. I don't hate him. I haven't got time to hate anybody. I just don't care to meet him. There's nothing emotionally happening between us."

Whitaker attended Martinsville High School.

He played for the school's baseball team as a middle infielder and pitcher.

Whitaker won the Tiger of the Year award in 1983 after hitting .320 and tallying 206 hits.

He helped the Tigers win the 1984 World Series, was selected as an American League All-Star five consecutive years (1983–1987) and won four Silver Slugger Awards (1983–1985, 1987) and three Gold Glove Awards (1983–1985).

The Tigers retired his No. 1 jersey in August 2022.

He repeated as Tiger of the Year in 1989 when he hit a career-high 28 home runs.

Whitaker and shortstop Alan Trammell played beside each other for 19 seasons and are the longest-running double play combination in major-league history.

Whitaker was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.