Top Tigers #8: Alan Trammell
By Blake VandeBunte • Mar 9th, 2009 • Category: Alan Trammell, Top 100 Tigers- Rank: 8
- Name: Alan Stuart Trammell
- Position: Shortstop
- Tigers Tenure: 1977-1996
- Awards: Fourth in Rookie of the Year Voting (1978), Six-time All Star, Four-Time Gold Glove Winner, Three-Time Silver Slugger, AL Comeback Player of the Year (1983), World Series MVP (1984), Received MVP Votes Seven Times (2nd in 1987)
- Best Season: 1987. Trammell was absolutely robbed of the 1987 MVP award. Ask anyone other than a Blue Jays fan and they will tell you the same thing. Home run numbers were inflated across baseball and George Bell of the Jays walked away with the trophy. Never mind that Trammell was still the superior hitter and played shortstop while Bell played left field where he wasn’t even an average fielder. Trammell finished the season with an OPS+ of 155, the highest of his career and nine points higher than George Bell. Tram ranked third in the AL in batting average (.343) while scoring over 100 runs, driving in more than 100 runs and collecting more than 200 hits. Trammell was an absolute beast in 1987 and should have won the award.
- Good Stuff: Trammell was one of the best shortstops in an era full of great ones. He ranks right up there with Cal Ripken Jr. and Ozzie Smith. Trammell was a terrific defensive player always finishing ahead of the league averages in both fielding percentage and range factor. The 1990s and 2000s have seen the rise of the power hitting shortstop. Trammell and Ripken in the 1980s started that trend. Tram reached double-digits in home runs eight times during his career and hit at least .300 on seven different occasions. Trammell was also speedy on the basepaths, swiping 30 bags in 1983 and reaching double-digits 13 times during his 20 seasons in Detroit. In the 1984 World Series, Trammell led the Detroit charge by hitting .450 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. Trammell was named the series’ MVP.
- Bad Stuff: Maybe he hung around for too long. That’s really all you can say, though. Tram was a pro andwho can blame him for sticking around? After the 1987 season, Trammell topped the 130 game mark only one time in the next nine years. That could be why he’s still waiting for that call from Cooperstown.
- Place In Tigers History: Trammell is the best shortstop in franchise history. He is the Tigers all-time leaders amongst shortstops in hits, doubles, home runs and runs batted in. Trammell was also the last of a dying breed in that he stayed with the team that drafted him for his entire career. He was basically Derek Jeter before Derek Jeterwas around. I hate to make that comparison, but it’s true. When you think of Derek Jeter you think of the Yankees. When you think Alan Trammell, all you think of is the Detroit Tigers. Nothing wrong with that.
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Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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Trammell was a fundamentally perfect shortstop. A really exceptional hitter and probably my favorite Tiger of the last 30 years. I do think that he will gain entry into the HOF by the Veterans Committee. Just another Tigers player who if he played in a large market, New York, Los Angeles, would have been automatic by now.
Looking at Trammell’s stats, his health was a factor with his production from 91 to 96. Alan played in roughly half of the Tigers’ games, 458 out of 972. I think for middle infield positions round numbers such as 2500 hits could have helped his cause these past 7-8 years of voting. It is frustrating as a Tigers fan, especially when the new mlb network ranked the top 9 shortstops and Tramm was not on the list, but barry larkin checked in at 8th. Coincidence he is one of the sports announcers on the program.
I just reread your Tram vs. the best from Jan. 08. He is in the mix and should have higher vote totals.