This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
DETROIT -- The pop of baseballs hitting gloves echoed around Wayne State University’s Duchene Athletic Facility, an indoor complex next door to Ernie Harwell Field. The calendar said early December, but the atmosphere among the kids had an air of Spring Training to it.
It helps when a Hall of Famer is leading the work.
Alan Trammell hasn’t played a Major League game in nearly 30 years. He hasn’t had an on-field coaching or managerial assignment in a decade. But as he demonstrates the best way to feed a ball to a second baseman on a double play, it’s not hard to get flashbacks to Trammell’s days as a Gold Glove shortstop.
“I try to touch on how things were a little different back in the day,” Trammell said, “but you still have to touch the bag. You still have to teach the technique, and that hasn’t changed.”
Trammell doesn’t just teach, he shows. That applies whether he’s working with camp kids not yet in high school or Tigers prospects at West Michigan, Erie or Toledo.
Trammell will turn 67 next February as Spring Training begins in Lakeland, Fla. He’s a Hall of Famer who could be doing anything he wants at this point. This is what he wants to do.
Trammell and his longtime teammate and friend Lance Parrish held their 14th annual camp earlier this month on Wayne State’s midtown Detroit campus. Trammell has been a special assistant with the Tigers for a decade, serving under three different front offices, and has become a trusted presence for president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
“We enjoy it, really,” Trammell said after his camp session with infielders. “This is No. 14, and I wish we would’ve been doing [the camp] well before. Just glad to be a part, proud to be a part.”
While Trammell worked with infielders, Parrish was next door on the gym floor at Matthaei Recreation Center working with catchers ranging from Little Leaguers to advanced high schoolers. The 68-year-old commanded the room, not just for his still-athletic frame but for his career feats.
“Our only objective here is to get everybody on the right path,” he said. “If they’re going to work on things, you want them to work on the right things. You want them to have the right mindset. You want them to be excited about doing it. It’s fun to work on things when you know you’re doing them the right way and they can lead to bigger and better things.
“It’s fun to be a part of the development phase of their careers. And for me, it all boils down to wanting to give back.”
Both have had a hand in the Tigers roster that ended a decade-long playoff drought. Colt Keith, Spencer Torkelson and Jace Jung all learned from Trammell on their way up the organizational ladder. He means enough to so many players that the Tigers included him in their celebration after beating the Astros in the AL Wild Card Series in October, barely six months after Tigers prospects celebrated a Spring Breakout victory with him as their manager.
“It puts a smile on your face,” Trammell said. “There’s something to be proud of. There really is.”
Parrish, now a Tigers legend ambassador after stints managing at West Michigan and Erie, has become a fan of watching Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler work behind the plate.
“I think Jake has come a long way,” Parrish said. “I didn’t know him early on, but I admire the fact that he has turned his game completely around and become a great team player and a great team leader, a great communicator. I take my hat off to Jake Rogers; he’s the real deal.”
Both Trammell and Parrish have seen the game evolve since their playing days, not just the way it is played but how it is taught. And they’ve evolved along the way while still stressing timeless fundamentals.
For Trammell, being involved with the Tigers at the player development level is a chance to learn new facets and strategies, from infield positioning to technique. He has worked with Tigers instructors gathering new ideas for next year.
“I think an open mind is the best way,” he said. “Obviously we were brought up [being taught the game a certain way] and it worked, and we believed in it. But things have changed, and I’m trying to be open-minded, and I think I’ve changed in some regards.
“It’s still a great game, bottom line. I still love the game. I still enjoy being a part of that and trying to learn a little bit even though I’m older.”