DETROIT – Alan Trammell will wind up on the outside looking in at the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
At 2 p.m., the Hall of Fame will announce the results of the annual Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame election.
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The election will be revealed on MLB Network.
By far, it's the best HOF in sports because it's so hard to gain entry. That's a good thing.
This time around, however, it could be the biggest class in years with so many worthy candidates, including Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz. All three are on the ballot for the first time.
And there's Craig Biggio, who missed election last year by just two votes. He should be able to get in on his second try.
But Tram won't be getting in -- again. It's his 13th year on the ballot.
Most Tigers fans can't understand. And sadly, they think if you don't vote for him that you have something personal against the former Tigers' shortstop.
It has nothing to do with that. Tram didn't get my vote for one reason: the fact remains that his stats just aren't up to par. Despite a 20-year career, all in Detroit, Trammell never led the league in a single major statistical category. He never won an MVP.
And let's face it: Tram spent most of his career as the third-best shortstop in the AL. Cal Ripken and Robin Yount were clearly ahead of him.
Last year, Tram got just 20.8 percent of the vote. In 2013, he got 191 votes, 33.6 percent. It was down 3.2% from 2012 when he received 211 votes. Tram is losing support.
Another problem is most look at some of the other shortstops in the Hall -- especially Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto -- and can't believe Tram doesn't rank with them.
The problem is those two shortstops were voted in by the Veteran's Committee -- made up of former players, managers and broadcasters -- and not the writers. That's part of the confusion.
Then comes the Ozzie Smith comparison. Most think Smith, the St. Louis Cardinals great, got in for his famous flip. How silly.
Smith was the best defensive shortstop of his era, winning 13 consecutive Gold Gloves. He was also a 15-time All-Star.
Trammell won the Gold Glove four times and went to the All-Star Game six times.
Time is running out for Tram. As long as he receives at least 5% of the voting from the writers in each election, he'll remain eligible on the main ballot through 2016.
My way of voting is simple: If there's a debate, based on your numbers, about you being in the Hall of Fame, you AREN'T a Hall of Famer.
Go ahead. Debate me on Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ted Williams or even Tom Seaver.
And the Steroid Era can't be ignored or treated as if it didn't happen.
If we're going to count the World Series won and stats and acknowledge the managers of that era that managed teams with suspected PED players than we have to honor the players themselves.
Here's my ballot for the Class of 2015.
I voted for 10 players below. My ballot is broken up into three categories. Shoo-ins, Tainted Shoo-ins and Long shots.
Shoo-ins
- Randy Johnson - He has that magic number - 300 wins, 303 to be exact. The lefty is the all-time strikeout leader per nine innings at 10.6. Plus, Johnson won five Cy Young awards.
- Pedro Martinez - He won three Cy Young awards. Martinez was dominant from 1997-2003, going 118-36 with a stingy 2.20 ERA.
- John Smoltz - He was both a dominant starter and closer. He won 213 games and saved 154 in his career. He also won a Cy Young.
- Craig Biggio - He has 3,060 hits. It's not easy feat. No one just keeps you around long enough to get there. You have to be productive for a long time. Another magic number for me is 3,000 hits. You get my vote.
Tainted Shoo-ins
- Barry Bonds - All-time HR leader.
- Mark McGwire - Has magic number, a whopping 583 HRs.
- Sammy Sosa - Again, a magic number like 609 homers should get you in.
- Roger Clemens - His career record of 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA speaks for itself.
- Gary Sheffield - He has a magic number - 509 homers and walked more times than he struck out in his 22-year career. Sheff's stats match other HOFers, including Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson and Ken Griffey Jr. Sheffield was linked to PEDs.
Long shot
- Lee Smith - Was all-time save leader when he retired. Another example of disrespect for closers. He will get my vote until he falls off the ballot.