Charlie Gehringer (May 11, 1903 - January 21, 1993) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers (1924-1942). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. A native of Fowlerville, Michigan, Gehringer has been considered by most to be one of the greatest second basemen of all time. He led the American League in both assists and fielding percentage seven times each.
Nicknamed "The Mechanical Man" for both his renowned consistency batting and his silent demeanor, Gehringer hit over .300 in 13 seasons and collected 200 or more hits seven times. In 1937 he won the batting title with a .371 average and earned MVP honors.
Gehringer was a career .320 hitter with 184 home runs and 1427 RBI in 2323 games. He added 1774 runs, 2839 hits, 574 doubles and 176 triples. He was also a threat on the bases, compiling 181 steals. Beside his accomplishments, he was selected for the All-Star game for six consecutive years.
After his retirement, Gehringer coached for Detroit and served as a club executive (1951-59) and as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Veterans (1953-90).
Gehringer was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949. He died in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan at age 89.
In 1999, he ranked Number 46 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
