Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman.

After his playing career ended, he operated a company serving as an agent for manufacturers of automobile interior furnishings.

[5] In the fall of 1923, after his first year at the University of Michigan, Gehringer was discovered by Detroit Tigers left fielder Bobby Veach.

[6] Player-manager Ty Cobb was reportedly so impressed that he asked club owner Frank Navin to sign Gehringer to a contract on the spot.

Gehringer committed two costly errors and was hitless in four at bats, leading the Associated Press to write:Yesterday there was written at Navin field the sad story of the ambitious small town boy from a quiet Michigan village and his big league debut.

It was sad because the ambitious boy, who has been called by Ty Cobb one of the best natural ball players he ever saw, made two glaring errors and otherewise deported himself unseemingly.

He also led the American League with 215 hits, 45 doubles, 19 triples (including three in one game on August 5), 131 runs scored, and 27 stolen bases.

[10] In 1932, Gehringer was back at full strength, playing in 152 games and hitting .325 with 112 runs, 107 RBI, and 44 doubles (second best in the league).

Gehringer's 127 RBIs in 1934 is all the more remarkable given the fact that he played in the same lineup with one of the greatest RBI men of all time, Hank Greenberg.

"[16] The 1934 World Series was a match-up between St. Louis's "Gashouse Gang" and Detroit's' "G-Men" (so named because of stars Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, and Goose Goslin).

Late in the game, Brick Owens called Mickey Cochrane out on a play at third base "even though all of the photographs show that he was safe by a mile."

One year, he traveled with a touring group from the Negro leagues, including Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Judy Johnson, and Mule Suttles.

"[24] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at that time noted, "As steady as a turbine, Gehringer comes nearer to mechanical perfection than any infielder since the days of Napoleon Lajoie.

(Another Tiger duo, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, holds the major league record with 1,918 games played as a double-play combination.)

On one occasion, after both failed to cover second on a steal attempt, player-manager Mickey Cochrane charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer.

In 1938, Gehringer was selected as the starting second baseman for the American League All-Star team for the sixth consecutive year.

[29] Gehringer's back problems were such that, by the time of the World Series, he "covered little ground and seldom got the break on the ball.

[10] His defensive prowess also suffered, Detroit sports writer Watson Spoelstra noting in July that "ground balls that once were easy for him are filtering through for base hits.

[10] Following the United States' entry into World War II, baseball players began to be inducted into the military service.

[41] Gehringer was later transferred to the Navy's Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and in February 1945 to Jacksonville, Florida.

[41] In 1945, he led the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Fliers baseball team to a 24–5 record and compiled a .438 batting average.

Upon his release, he was 42 years old and announced his retirement from baseball and his intention to return to work at Gehringer & Forsyth, a manufacturers' agency he formed in 1938 with a friend.

Upon his father's death, Gehringer moved his mother from the family farm outside Fowlerville, Michigan, to live with him in Detroit.

[15] Gehringer noted that his mother was a "great fan" who would either come out to the ballpark to watch him play or listen to Harry Heilmann's radio broadcasts on the porch.

[53] In his first year as general manager, the 1952 Detroit Tigers finished in last place (50–104 record) for the first time in club history.

Although manager Red Rolfe did not survive the disappointing season, having been fired in July, the club's board of directors in September 1952 gave Gehringer a unanimous vote of confidence.

[55] Although the team's on-field performance was poor during Gehringer's time as general manager, Lyall Smith of the Detroit Free Press praised Gehringer for his trades that helped rebuild the club and brought 21 players to the team, including Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Johnny Pesky, Ned Garver, Jim Delsing, Ray Boone, and Steve Gromek.

[63] In 1967, the company built the three-story, contemporary Gehringer & Forsyth building on Woodward Avenue north of Long Lake Road in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

[25] Gehringer suffered from a stroke in December 1992 and died the following month at age 89 at a nursing home in Bloomfield Hills.

[70] In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Gehringer as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.