Detroit Tigers legend Alan Trammell used his speech on Sunday to lobby for his double play partner, Lou Whitaker, to join him in Cooperstown.
The 1984 Detroit Tigers team was a juggernaut. They dominated from the start of the season, winning 35 of their first 40 games before coasting to the AL East title, then lost just one game en route to bringing home the Tigers most recent World Series title. Although the Tigers never reached those heights again the in the 1980s, they were an excellent team, typically playing well throughout the rest of the decade.
Understandably, there were a few accolades for the players on that squad. Closer Willie Hernandez won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards. Their manager, Sparky Anderson, was enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, the Tigers ace pitcher, Jack Morris, and their star shortstop, Alan Trammell, joined him.
And yet, there is still one deserving player on the outside looking in. As Trammell pointed out during his speech on Sunday when his number 3 was retired by Detroit, Lou Whitaker deserves the same love. It is time for not only Whitaker’s number to be painted on the outfield wall, but for him to join his double play partner in Cooperstown.
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Whitaker certainly has the resume for induction. He produced a solid .276/.363/.426 batting line, hitting 244 homers and 420 doubles. Whitaker was the 1978 AL Rookie of the Year, a five time All Star, a four time Silver Slugger, and won three Gold Gloves. He was just as proficient with the glove as he was with the bat, as his 77 runs saved ranks seventh all time in MLB history at second base.
It is not just the traditional statistics that make Whitaker’s case. He ranks seventh all time in WAR amongst second basemen, the highest total of anyone who is not in the Hall. He ranks ahead of players like Frankie Frisch, Roberto Alomar, and Ryne Sandberg, who were unquestionable Hall of Famers when they retired.
Nonetheless, Whitaker received just 2.9% of the vote in his only year on the ballot in 2001, an embarrassingly low total for a player of his caliber. There is a chance that this will be corrected, just as the Veteran’s Committee made the correct decision in letting Trammell into the Hall of Fame. Now, they just need to put his double play partner in beside him.
Lou Whitaker was a great player for the Detroit Tigers. Another all time great Tiger, Alan Trammell, feels that it is time that Whitaker gets his due. He is certainly right in that regard.