The sight of Alan Trammell taking double-play throws at second base in Detroit brings back memories from 30 to 35 years ago. But it wasn’t highlights from yesteryear at Tiger Stadium; it was early infield work on Tuesday afternoon at Comerica Park. And Willi Castro, not Lou Whitaker, was making the tosses from the other side of the infield.
It was one of the many moments that show Trammell is a Hall of Famer who could be doing pretty much anything right now, but this is what he loves.
It was neither a special assignment nor a rarity for Trammell. With the Minor League season underway, this is usually the time of year that Trammell makes a tour of the Tigers' farm system, working with young infielders in his role as a special assistant with the organization. That tour always includes a stop in Detroit. High-A West Michigan, which is at home this week, is about a two-hour drive away.
As long as Trammell loves to do it, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch -- who played for him in 2003 when Trammell managed the club -- loves having him around.
“He’s welcome anytime,” Hinch said. “He went through our testing to make sure everything’s safe and he can come inside. We’ve had some roundtables. He sat in my office for a while talking baseball. He’s an icon in our organization, always welcome.”
Few have the passion and enthusiasm for teaching the game like Trammell, whether he’s doing so with Major Leaguers, promising prospects, lesser-known Minor Leaguers or little kids at the camp he and ex-teammate Lance Parrish put on at Wayne State University in Detroit every December. And while the 63-year-old Trammell could talk about the game, he still loves to get on the field and demonstrate it.
“The players obviously respect him and love that he’s around,” Hinch said, “but I don’t know that they know how unique it is to have someone of his magnitude be willing to go to extended [Spring Training] and see the young kids, and then all the way up to the big leagues, put on a uniform and get out in the middle infield and talk baseball. We’re very blessed to have him.”
The Tigers entered Wednesday ranked 23rd out of 30 Major League teams with minus-6 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast. Castro registered at minus-2 at shortstop before moving to second base, where he’s at minus-1. Niko Goodrum gave Detroit an immediate boost when he took over at short, but his recent struggles -- including six errors so far in May -- have dropped his Outs Above Average at shortstop from plus-1 to minus-1. Detroit has also struggled to convert double plays.
“We have to keep working,” Hinch said last week. “There are plays for us to take, and we’re developing at this level and trying to pick up the pace and execute and take the outs when they’re given to us.
“I mean, there are plays that are routine that you should make, there are plays that are a little above average that you should make, and then there’s the group of infielders that can make plays and turn a double play that nobody expected. We’re just trying to make sure that we convert the ones that we’re supposed to convert right now. We haven’t been good at it, but it’s going to take good old-fashioned work to get it done and make it more routine.”
One visit from Trammell can’t get all that done, but he's doing his part to make it possible.