Detroit Tigers All-Time All-Stars

Apr 6, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers special assistant to the general manager Alan Trammell pitch during batting practice before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

SS-Alan Trammell

It is such a crying shame that Alan Trammell is not in the Hall-of-Fame. No one can quite explain the reason for Tram’s exclusion, but it is just wrong.

But let’s not dwell on the negative, let’s look at the positive for his terrific career.

Those seasons of 1983 and 1984 were among the best of Tram’s career. He notched double-digit home runs for the first time in his career (14 in both ’83 and ’84) and hit .319 and .314 respectively. He had a .351 average with three homers and nine RBIs in the 1984 postseason and won the World Series MVP.

After a couple off-years while battling injuries, Sparky Anderson asked a healthy Trammell to anchor the Tigers’ 1987 lineup and bat cleanup. He responded with the best year of his storied career, setting career highs with a .343 average, 28 homers and 105 RBIs. When it appeared the Tigers would miss out on the postseason after falling behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the standings, Tram came to life. He hit at a .416 clip in September, lifting the Tigers to an astonishing come-from-behind AL East title.

Defensively, Trammell wasn’t thought of in the same sentence as defense-first guys like Ozzie Smith, but he was steady and rarely made miscues or cost his team runs with errors. He won five Gold Gloves during his career and, along with Whitaker, formed the longest continuous double-play combination in baseball history (19 years and more than 2,000 games).

The first face that you see in your mind when you think of the 1984 Detroit Tigers is probably Alan Trammell. It is a good thing he is back with the organization.

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