Detroit Tigers: Pair of 1980s teammates enter MLB Hall of Fame
On Sunday, two former Detroit Tigers teammates from the 1980s will be inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame
The Detroit Tigers had a tremendous run of success in the 1980s, with two American League East titles and one World Series. Those teams are now receiving some recognition as two of the team’s star players are elected to the MLB Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Already, those top Tigers teams have seen manager Sparky Anderson make the MLB Hall of Fame. The Bridgewater, South Dakota native won 2,194 games between his work with the Big Red Machine of the 1970s and the Tigers of the 1980s.
Other members of those teams are short of MLB Hall of Fame credentials, but one has been passed over for much too long and really would have been deserving to go in with his teammates this season. First, a couple of guys who aren’t quite at that level, but are definitely elite players:
Lance Parrish, Catcher
Parrish had a tremendous career behind the plate, but his body, like many catchers, broke down as he hit his 30s, meaning he didn’t end up with the career numbers that would make him worthy of the Hall of Fame. Still, a career behind the plate with 324 home runs is nothing to sneeze at.
Chet Lemon, Center Fielder
Lemon was one of the best defenders in an era with incredible defenders, which meant he did not get the recognition for his glove that he really should have. He hit a production wall as he hit his mid-30s and was out of the league quickly, but he finished with a .273/.355/.442 career line, peppering the gaps for 396 doubles, 61 triples, and powering out 215 home runs over his career.
Kirk Gibson, Left Fielder
More well-known for his postseason heroics in game one of the 1988 World Series, Gibson was the ALCS MVP for the Tigers in 1984, and his power/speed combination was a big part of the Tigers attack. He played at full-tilt, which often led to injuries, and that lessened the impact he was able to have in his career, with 255 home runs and 284 stolen bases over his career with a 123 career OPS+.
Darrell Evans, Right Fielder
Defensively flexible, Evans had a long career playing primarily the infield corners as a slugger for the Braves, Giants, and Tigers. Evans finished his 21-year career with 414 home runs, a guy who drew a ton of walks and hit for power way before on-base percentage was a valued statistic.
So, those are the guys who are understandably just short of the MLB Hall of Fame. Who is the one guy that deserves to be in?
Lou Whitaker, Second Base
The Detroit Tigers originally drafted Lou Whitaker in the 5th round out of high school in Virginia in 1975. He rocketed through the Tigers system, making his MLB debut in 1977 with an 11-game audition.
“Sweet Lou” immediately made an impact, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1978, hitting .285/.361/.357 and playing tremendous second base defense. However, one thing that would become a consistent theme and eventually an issue in his Hall of Fame candidacy is a lack of “fantasy” stats. In that rookie year, he’d hit 12 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs, and 7 stolen bases.
Whitaker made his first All-Star game in 1983 in the midst of his best offensive season, when he hit .320/.380/.457 on the season with 40 doubles, 6 triples, 12 home runs, and 17 stolen bases. He would make 5 straight All-Star games, and 1983 would be the first of his 3 straight Gold Gloves and the first of his 4 Silver Slugger Awards.
With excellent glove men also playing in the league at the time around Whitaker, his tremendous defense wasn’t appreciated in Gold Glove Awards. He also didn’t put up big offensive numbers, but even then, he hit .276/.363/.426 over his career with 244 home runs and 143 stolen bases over 19 seasons.
In spite of that, Whitaker only made one Hall of Fame ballot, in 2001, when he garnered 2.9% of the vote. Hopefully, in the future, he will receive better consideration from future Veterans Committee votes.
Now for the two that will be honored today!
Alan Trammell, Shortstop
Whitaker’s double-play partner in Detroit was originally drafted by the Tigers in 1976 in the second round and made his debut in 1977. He also had his first full season in 1978. Trammell got his league-wide recognition early on, receiving an All-Star nod in 1980, the first of 8 that he would receive in his career.
Trammell was the catalyst for the Detroit Tigers, having his best offensive seasons in coordination with the Tigers making playoff runs. In 1984, he hit .314 with 14 home runs and 19 stolen bases. In 1987, as the Tigers fell short of the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS, Trammell had his finest season, hitting .343/.402/.551, far outplaying Toronto’s George Bell, but finishing 2nd to him in the MVP voting.
Over a 20-year career, Trammell hit .285/.352/.415 with 2,365 hits, 185 home runs, and 236 stolen bases. He was tremendous in the postseason, hitting .333/.404/.588 over 13 career postseason games with 3 home runs, winning the World Series MVP in 1984 as he led the Tigers to the championship.
Trammell’s glovework was nothing to sneeze at, either. He was 6′ tall with long arms and legs, a different build than the typical short, speedy shortstops of his era, but he showed the ability of a player with those longer limbs to cover ground quickly and gracefully, winning 4 Gold Gloves. He was selected to 6 All-Star games and won 3 Silver Sluggers.
In spite of his career resume, Trammell went through 15 MLB Hall of Fame ballots, peaking with 40.9% of the ballot in 2016.
Jack Morris, Starting Pitcher
The St. Paul, Minnesota native was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 1976 draft out of Brigham Young University. He was quickly in the major leagues, tossing 45 2/3 innings in 1977. After a year as a swingman in 1978, Morris took over a spot in the rotation in 1979, and he didn’t give it up for the next 15 years.
Morris made an impact right away, winning 17 games in 1979 and making the All-Star game in 1981, when he led the major leagues with 14 wins. However, it was coming out of the 1981 season that he’d move into the role that would define his career.
His 3.05 ERA in the strike-shortened 1981 season ended up the best single-year ERA of his career. He would frequently post complete game numbers and innings numbers that challenged for league leadership, but his production in those innings was more solid than elite.
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It was the playoffs when that elite pitching came out. Morris would win 3 World Series over his career, including the 1991 World Series MVP award. However, his rough production in 1992 with the Blue Jays skewed what were incredible numbers by Morris prior to that point, though he finished his career with 13 postseason starts, tossing 92 1/3 innings, with a 3.80 ERA. He would post a 2.96 ERA in 51 2/3 World Series innings, even with 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings in the 1992 series.
Morris’ inning-eater modality would become a point of contention in MLB Hall of Fame voting over his career, as he appeared on 15 ballots, peaking in 2013 with 67.7%, still nearly 10% shy of the 75% needed. He finished his career with 254 wins and 5 All-Star selections, but also with a career 3.90 ERA and a sub-2 K/BB ratio.
His big moments earned him his spot, though, and he’s been a tremendous advocate for the game since his retirement, making his one speech to note during the MLB Hall of Fame inductions on Sunday.
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So, one tremendous team that only won one World Series but had plenty of success over a decade gets two more of its members recognized in the MLB Hall of Fame on Sunday. Congrats to Detroit Tigers Jack Morris and Alan Trammell!