Alan Trammell

The greatest shortstop in Detroit Tigers team history, Alan Trammell was drafted 26th overall in the 1976 June Amateur Draft out of San Diego’s Kearny High School, a second-round selection. Nicknamed “Tram,” he debuted in Detroit on September 9, 1977, the same day as second baseman Lou Whitaker, the first of an American League record 1,918 games played together as teammates.

His first of six All-Star nods came in 1980 when he was just 22 years old, a season in which he led the Tigers with 107 runs scored. Four years later, it was the Season of the Tiger, with Detroit winning its first nine games, racing out to a 35-5 record, and finishing with a five-game championship triumph over the San Diego Padres. Trammell was named Most Valuable Player of the 1984 World Series, batting .450 (9-for-20) with two home runs and six runs batted in.

His best regular season performance came in 1987, batting .343 with 34 doubles, 28 homers, and 105 RBIs to help the Tigers fend off the Blue Jays and make the American League Championship Series. For his efforts, he finished second in the MVP balloting.

Trammell played in 2,293 total games for the Tigers from 1977-1996, collecting 2,365 hits, and was voted a four-time Gold Glove award-winner and a three-time Silver Slugger.

After his playing career concluded, Trammell worked as an assistant to Detroit general manager Randy Smith in 1998 and 1999, joined the Tigers coaching staff for the 2000 season, and served as Detroit Tigers manager from 2002-2004.