1977 HEADLINE: Alan Trammell And Lou Whitaker Set To Debut For The Tigers

1977 HEADLINE: Alan Trammell And Lou Whitaker Set To Debut For The Tigers

On this day in 1977, both Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell made their debuts for the Detroit Tigers.

Nearing the end of the 1977 baseball season, and well out of contention for a playoff chance, the Tigers brought up these two rookies to see what they could do at the big league level.

And how did they fare??

Well, let’s just say that for the next 19 baseball seasons, the Detroit Tigers management and front office did not have to worry about their middle infield.  Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell transformed how double-play tandems were viewed due to their ability to play as a cohesive unit.

And the results of their work together?

Whitaker was the Rookie of the Year in 1978.  He also made the All-star team 5 times while winning 3 Gold Gloves.  Trammell was a 6-time All-star and earned 4 Gold Glove awards.  And most importantly, this duo helped lead the Tigers to the World Series championship in 1984.

Happy Anniversary to Mr. Whitaker & Mr. Trammell!!!

Happy Birthday Alan Trammell!!!

Happy Birthday Alan Trammell!!!

Alan Trammell turns 55 years old today.

A very accomplished and undervalued player during his career and afterwards, there is not much that Alan Trammell did not accomplish during his playing days as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

A solid defender, Trammell was part of one of the most successful and longest running double-play tandems with Lou Whitaker.  He won 4 Gold Glove awards due to his performance at shortstop.

And way before shortstop became an offensive player’s position, Trammell put up some nice numbers.  His career batting average of .285 is coupled with 2,365 hits, 1,231 runs scored, 185 homers, and 236 stolen bases.

Trammell is a 6-time All-star, 3-time Silver Slugger winner, and was the MVP of the 1984 World Series.

Happy Birthday Mr. Trammell!!!

1977 HEADLINE: Alan Trammell And Lou Whitaker Set To Debut For The Tigers

1977 HEADLINE: Alan Trammell And Lou Whitaker Set To Debut For The Tigers

On this day in 1977, both Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell made their debuts for the Detroit Tigers.

Nearing the end of the 1977 baseball season, and well out of contention for a playoff chance, the Tigers brought up these two rookies to see what they could do at the big league level.

And how did they fare??

Well, let’s just say that for the next 19 baseball seasons, the Detroit Tigers management and front office did not have to worry about their middle infield.  Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell transformed how double-play tandems were viewed due to their ability to play as a cohesive unit.

And the results of their work together?

Whitaker was the Rookie of the Year in 1978.  He also made the All-star team 5 times while winning 3 Gold Gloves.  Trammell was a 6-time All-star and earned 4 Gold Glove awards.  And most importantly, this duo helped lead the Tigers to the World Series championship in 1984.

Happy Anniversary to Mr. Whitaker & Mr. Trammell!!!

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1986 Fleer

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1986 Fleer

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #1 – 1986 Fleer

I don’t blame you if you stare at this one for a while.  This card is AWESOME!!

Everything that I love about baseball is captured in this card of Alan Trammell from the 1986 Fleer baseball card set.

And I can sum it all up in one word – HUSTLE!!!

Not blessed with blazing speed, Alan Trammell was a tireless worker.  And his efforts netted him a solid major league career that many say is Hall of Fame worthy (myself included).

The grit, the drive, the determination, and the sacrifice – all captured perfectly!

Thank you Fleer.  And Thank You, Mr.Trammell!!!

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #2 – 1980 Topps

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #2 – 1980 Topps

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #2 – 1980 Topps

You all know just how much I love baseball cards that show hitters perfecting their craft in the batting cage.

Well, there is a decent amount of cards of Alan Trammell in my recently completed set that show ‘Tram’ going to work in the cage; 4-5 cards to be a little more specific.

Of them, this one from the 1980 Topps set is by far my favorite.  I like that a player of his caliber knows that he still has to work on bunting – a mechanism designed to sacrifice oneself in favor of helping the team get into better scoring position.

Atta Boy Tram!!!

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #3 – 1989 Bowman

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #3 – 1989 Bowman

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #3 – 1989 Bowman

The 1989 Bowman baseball card set did not offer a lot of images like the one that you are seeing above.  As a matter of fact, I would guess that more than 80% of the cards issued in this set featured some kind of posed portrait-style image versus an action one.

So, while not considered rare due to the volume of cards printed when the set was released, I will say that a card from the 1989 Bowman set that featured an image like this is on the rare side.

Kind of like, Medium-Rare.

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #4 – 1985 Topps

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #4 – 1985 Topps

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #4 – 1985 Topps

Like card number five in my ‘Fab Five’, number four is also a great, popular card from the mid 1980’s – 1985 Topps!!

The ’85 design is a classic look, and it allows for a very large image to be used and featured as the highlight of the card.  This shot of Trammell is nice, and I have to say that the Tigers ‘Tiger Head’ logo helps take this card to another level.

Gotta love the ’85s!!!

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1983 Topps

Alan Trammell ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1983 Topps

Now that my Alan Trammell player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #5 – 1983 Topps

You can never go wrong when adding a 1983 Topps baseball card to your ‘Fab Five’. 

And I don’t think that I made a bad pick with this one.  The large action image is a great shot of Trammell as he prepares to haul ass from home plate towards first base.  By the looks of it, he has hit a chopper to in infield – hopefully he made it to first safely!

The card design from Topps is iconic amongst collectors.  The team-themed colors are great complements to the card’s overall look, and I always enjoy looking back at the uniforms my favorite players wore during their playing days.

I Have Completed My Alan Trammell Player Collection – YES!!!

I Have Completed My Alan Trammell Player Collection – YES!!!

Well friends, it took me some time, but I have finally pieced together my Alan Trammell collection. 

As a kid, I watched a lot of Tigers games and my attention was always drawn to Trammell.  His ability to hit and defend at high levels made him an outstanding player and All-Star.

My dad was also a Tigers fan so he often shared stories of other Tigers greats with me – and he, too, thought that Trammell was a superb talent.

As for the cards, there are some really poor one and some spectacular ones.

First, let me show the full collection to you:

And starting next Monday, and running through the week, I will unveil to you my ‘Fab Five’ cards from this recently completed collection.

See you on Monday (and hopefully before as well)!!

Alan Trammell 1978 Topps ROOKIE CARD!!!!

Alan Trammell 1978 Topps ROOKIE CARD!!!!

I have finally landed an Alan Trammell rookie card for my collection that pays homage to his fantastic career.

But, the journey was a rough one…

As you can see, Trammell’s rookie card is a 4-player card that was commonly found in late 1970’s sets issued by Topps.  This style allowed the company to showcase more rookies in each set.

Placed diagonally from Mr. Trammell is another familiar face – Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor.  Having Molitor on the same card only makes the card more collectible and wanted.  So, obtaining this one took a lot of patience as I did not want to overpay – especially since I have already bought one of these for my Molitor collection a few years ago.

But, like always, my patience has paid off and I was able to secure this rookie card, for the second time, at a price that worked for my budget.

The chase was fun – and the reward is great!!  Cross another one off the list…