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Trammell, Alan, 1958-

Biographical/Historical Info
Trammell, Alan, 1958-

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 2018

Primary team: Detroit Tigers

Primary position: Shortstop

For 20 seasons, Alan Trammell was the face of the Detroit Tigers.

And during those 20 years, Trammell’s all-around excellence led the Tigers to victories while putting him on the path to Cooperstown.

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.

In 1980, Trammell earned his first All-Star selection, batted .300 for the first time and won his first of four Gold Glove Awards. 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.

In 1984, Trammell battled shoulder tendinitis to finish fifth in the AL batting race (.314) and eighth in on-base percentage (.382). The Tigers went 104-58 to win the AL pennant and the World Series. Going 9-for-20 with two homers and six RBI, Trammell was named World Series MVP.

Tigers manager Sparky Anderson asked Trammell to move from the two hole to cleanup in 1987, and Trammell responded with his best season. 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).

Trammell finished second in MVP voting that year to Toronto’s George Bell. 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.

Trammell retired following the 1996 season with six All-Star Game selections, three Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Glove Awards. 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. Three times he finished in the Top 10 in AL MVP voting.

In 1978, the Trammell was paired with second baseman Lou Whitaker. 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.

Trammell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018.

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Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker Autographed ball
Object number: B-1995-0201
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company
1995 September 13
Alan Trammell bobblehead
Object number: B-2018-0030-095
Pro Specialities Group, Inc.
2007 August 23
Alan Trammell Hall of Fame Induction plaque
Object number: B-2018-0130
Matthews International Corporation
2018
Alan Trammell Jumping photograph, 1983
Object number: BL-1983-02903-001
Reyes, Steve
1983
Alan Trammell photograph, between 1977 and 1996
Object number: BL-1999-02026-002
Trammell, Alan, 1958-
between 1977 and 1996
Alan Trammell shirt
Object number: B-1987-0396
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
1983
Alan Trammell World Series bat
Object number: B-1984-0453
Worth, Inc.
1984 October 13
Hall of Fame Classic game lineup card, 2022 May 28
Object number: HF-2022-0013-01
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
2022 May 28