Going 9-for-20 with two homers and six RBI, Trammell was named World Series MVP. In 1983, Trammell hit .319 with 14 homers, 66 RBI and 30 stolen bases and was awarded the Comeback Player of the Year in the American League following two straight years where he hit .258. While Trammell has been largely overlooked, there is a strong numbers-based case for him to join those enshrined in Cooperstown.

In many ways, Trammell appears more excited and nervous about Whitaker’s chance for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame than he was for his own consideration two years ago.

And so, we’ll see. Trammell retired following the 1996 season with six All-Star Game selections, three Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Glove Awards. Unlike Trammell, who was on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot for the Hall of Fame for 15 years and never came particularly close, Whitaker was one and done, selected on just 2.9 percent of ballots cast for the 2001 election. I was going to Orlando. In 1980, Trammell earned his first All-Star selection, batted .300 for the first time and won his first of four Gold Glove Awards. It’s just indescribable, really, that feeling. And during those 20 years, Trammell’s all-around excellence led the Tigers to victories while putting him on the path to Cooperstown. Seasons played: Trammell 20 (1977-96) | Larkin 19 ('86-2004)Games played: Trammell 2,293 | Larkin 2,180Hits: Trammell 2,365 | Larkin 2,340Home runs: Larkin 198 | Trammell 185RBI: Trammell 1,003 | Larkin 960Total Zone defensive runs: Trammell 81 | Larkin 28OPS+: Larkin 116 | Trammell 110WAR: Trammell 70.4 | Larkin 70.2JAWS score: Trammell 57.5 | Larkin 56.6. He actually had higher on-base and slugging percentages batting second, but he was Anderson’s preferred option up top. ET on MLB Network. (Jean Fruth/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell leaping in the air to avoid a collision with the base runner sliding into second base.

I didn’t have a sportcoat. Tram and I worked hard those years. It’s fitting, because the way Whitaker played the game is the way Trammell teaches the game, from school-age kids this weekend to Tigers infield prospects come Spring Training. Here is a look at that argument. Results of this year's BBWAA vote will be revealed on MLB Network on Jan. 6, with a news conference involving any electees to be held the following day. Trammell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018. • JAWS, a system developed by Jay Jaffe, measures a player's Hall credentials by comparing his career and peak production with others at his position. That in 1987 Alan Trammell became the first shortstop in history to post a season with at least a .340 batting average, 28 home runs and 100 RBI? It’s just a matter of when, and I’m hoping it’s this year.”.

That ballot included eight current Hall …

Three times he finished in the Top 10 in AL MVP voting. Sparky had me do some things that were going to win ballgames, whether it was bunt a man over, do the things that it takes to win. “And I say that as a compliment to him, as Sparky believed that your job is that maybe you’ve got to take a pitch, because you’ve got to get on base. “Where has this love been all these years?” Trammell asked, half-jokingly.

DETROIT -- Alan Trammell will spend the weekend with kids at a baseball camp he runs with Lance Parrish, but his mind will be on another longtime teammate, Lou Whitaker. Seven times he collected double-digit homers and steals in the same season, and there had been only four 20-20 campaigns by a shortstop before Trammell did it twice in a row from 1986-87. • Part of the problem for Trammell could be that he played at about the same time as some other great shortstops, and since he retired, several more came along who redefined the position offensively. BL-2914.83 (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library), National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 25 Main Street,Cooperstown, NY 13326Phone: 1-888-HALL-OF-FAME | 607-547-7200 | Fax: 607-547-0398, "He’s class; he’s the kind of guy you never had to tell to run a ball out. “I wasn’t prepared. “I’m hoping.”

I’m hoping it’s this year, but if not, just the fact that he’s getting talked about is huge, no doubt.”. And that’s what I did for 19 years.”.

Whitaker was left off the Modern Era Committee ballot that year, while fellow Tigers Trammell and Jack Morris were on it. By the time their careers were over, Trammell and Whitaker played in 1,918 games together – the most by any double-play combination in history. …, “I just hope that phone call comes [for Whitaker]. In fact, when examining the numbers, it's difficult to justify how Trammell has been unable to make significant progress toward induction when Larkin cruised in by getting 86.4 percent of the vote in his third year on the ballot, in 2012.

“The name of the game is to win, right?” Whitaker said on MLB Network Radio. Larkin enjoys a sizable advantage in stolen bases, but otherwise, the two appear to offer nearly identical statistical profiles. • If you want to award bonus points for postseason play, Trammell has that covered.

• As mentioned, Trammell and Larkin produced a similar career value, going by WAR, but the similarities go much deeper. That number puts him right in the same range as two shortstops who easily made the Hall of Fame (Ozzie Smith and Barry Larkin) and one who surely will get in on his first ballot (Derek Jeter). But after receiving 15.7 percent of the vote in his first year of eligiblity in 2002, Trammell never gained much traction, reaching a high of 36.8 percent in '12 before dropping back to 25.1 percent the last time around. His flight from Detroit to San Diego for the Winter Meetings doesn’t take off until the evening. Trammell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018. “Lou and Tram.

Trammell reached the 6.0-WAR mark six times, tied for the second most in history among shortstops. Trammell's 57.5 JAWS score exceeds the 54.7 average of the 21 current Hall of Fame shortstops. DETROIT -- Alan Trammell will spend the weekend with kids at a baseball camp he runs with Lance Parrish, but his mind will be on another longtime teammate, Lou Whitaker. Though seven players have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame over the past two years, many strong candidates remain on the ballot. While Whitaker started in every spot but cleanup in his career, 4,268 of his 9,967 plate appearances came from the top spot in the batting order. He batted better than .300 seven times in his career, finishing with a .285 batting average, 185 home runs, 1,003 RBI, 412 doubles and 2,365 hits. Alan Trammell of the Tigers used this bat to hit two two-run home runs in Game 4 of the 1984 Fall Classic en route to winning World Series MVP honors. “I really didn’t expect it,” Trammell said. And then every year playing in the Major Leagues, we spent time working together, shortstop and second baseman, just to be able to be the best that we could be, to be able to make the plays when we needed to make the play.”. Three times he finished in the Top 10 in AL MVP voting. Alan Trammell visited Cooperstown for the first time as a Hall of Famer in March of 2018. At the same time, they had a willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of the team and for manager Sparky Anderson.

From 1980-90, he averaged 5.4 WAR per season, an All-Star level, with his 59.3 total WAR over that span ranking third in the Majors behind Rickey Henderson and Wade Boggs. His flight to the Winter Meetings had just landed when he received the call that he had been voted in. It’s fitting, because the way Whitaker played the game is the. The Tigers went 104-58 to win the AL pennant and the World Series.

Born on Feb. 21, 1958, in Garden Grove, Calif., Trammell was drafted by the Tigers in the second round of the 1976 amateur draft.

He made his big league debut at the age of 19 on Sept. 9, 1977, and by 1978 Trammell was the Tigers starting shortstop – finishing fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. For anybody who has gotten that phone call, it really is a 'wow' moment.

Tram and I put in a lot of time together. “I’ve got my fingers crossed,” Trammell said. Represent the all-time greats and know your purchase plays a part in preserving baseball history.

The Tigers' 1976 draft included 29 players, seven of whom the team signed that were future big leaguers. In 1984, Trammell battled shoulder tendinitis to finish fifth in the AL batting race (.314) and eighth in on-base percentage (.382). Trammell reached the 6.0-WAR mark six times, tied for the second most in history among shortstops. They were so intertwined over their 19 years as a double-play duo that it was difficult to consider one without the other.

“Lou, for years being the leadoff hitter, really had the bat taken out of his hands,” Trammell said. Unlike Trammell, who was on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot for the Hall of Fame for 15 years and never came particularly close, Whitaker was one and done, selected on just 2.9 percent of ballots cast for the 2001 election. • Defensive metrics, especially during Trammell's time, must be taken with a grain of salt, but his 81 Total Zone runs as a shortstop rank 11th all-time. For 20 seasons, Alan Trammell was the face of the Detroit Tigers. We were sitting in rooms most of the day. Trammell admits he didn’t put much hope into his own induction before then because the old format was so difficult.

He’s hoping it’s a good-luck charm. “I’ve got my fingers crossed,” Trammell said.

That season, Trammell became the first player in big league history to hit at least .340 with 28 home runs and 100 RBI in a season while playing at least half his games at shortstop. Just like two years ago, Trammell will be on a plane when the results are announced Sunday at 8 p.m. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. When the Tigers honored Trammell and retired his number 3 in 2018, Trammell talked at length about wanting Whitaker to join him -- not just for the ceremony, which he did, but in the Hall. The '16 voting is his last chance with the BBWAA, though he eventually could find his way in via the Veterans Committee. • JAWS, a system developed by Jay Jaffe, measures a player's Hall credentials by comparing his career and peak production with others at his position. Though Whitaker had a quieter personality, Trammell said, they had the same competitiveness and desire to be the best at their position. “I’m smiling and I’m thankful now that he’s being brought back into the picture. Trammell hopeful Sweet Lou joins him in Hall. That ballot included eight current Hall of Famers, including Morris.

He participated in the playoffs only twice, but in 1984 he hit .419/.500/.806 with three homers and nine RBIs in Detroit's eight-game championship run. Fellow Modern Era Committee finalists Dave Parker, Dave Murphy, Steve Garvey, Don Mattingly and Tommy John were also on there. ". He became the first Tiger to have 200 hits and 100 RBI in a season since 1955 and finished in the league top 10 in batting average (.343), RBI (105), hits (205), runs (109), total bases (329), on-base percentage (.402) and slugging percentage (.551). Only four Hall of Fame shortstops who began their careers after 1932 are ahead of him. When Trammell retired in 1996, only Cal Ripken Jr. had more career home runs and RBIs as a shortstop. Here is a look at how the two players, who both spent their entire careers with one team, stack up in several key categories. More on one of those comparisons a little later. Privacy Statement/Your California Privacy Rights. You can use little adjectives and words, but there’s really nothing that you can say other than, 'Wow.'