Alan Trammell says he’s fine with not making Hall of Fame

Former Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell has one year remaining on the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Hall of Fame ballot and he seems resigned to his fate as a non-Hall of Famer.

Trammell received 25.1 percent of the vote in this year’s election, up from the 20.8 percent he received in 2014, but significantly down from his high-water mark with the BBWAA electorate -- the 36.8 percent he received in 2012. Trammell played 20 years with the Detroit Tigers, 15 of those as the team’s regular shortstop, 

“I know I could play,” Trammell told the Detroit News. “I also know what I accomplished in my career. I’m comfortable with all of that. If I come up short in the voting, as I’ve been doing, that’s something out of my control. It’s not going to change me.”

Trammell was the MVP of the 1984 World Series win for Detroit and finished second in the MVP voting in 1987 behind George Bell of the Toronto Blue Jays, despite having the second-best WAR in the American League at 8.2, far ahead of Bell’s 5.0. That season, Trammell hit .343/.402/.551 with 28 homers and 105 RBI as the Tigers ran down the Blue Jays in the final week of the season to win the American League East crown.

Barry Larkin, the former Cincinnati Reds shortstop elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012, has fewer hits and RBI than Trammell, and finished with a slightly lower WAR (70.4 from Trammell and 70.2 for Larkin).

For his career, Trammell hit .285/.352/.415 with 2,365 hits, 185 homers and 1,003 RBI and was part of the longest-running double-play combo in MLB history, playing with Lou Whitaker for 19 seasons.

Trammell is returning to Detroit this season as a special assistant to general manager Dave Dombrowski after spending the last four seasons as a coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also managed the Tigers from 2003-05.