Lou Whitaker

Lou Whitaker throws to first after taking a feed from Alan Trammell during spring training in 1980.

(AP file photo)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Alan Trammell has little expectation of election into baseball’s Hall of Fame given his fading votes in recent years.

“My spiel is I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but to the voters, obviously, they feel I’m a little short of that (election) and I’m OK with that,” said the veteran of 19 seasons with the Detroit Tigers.

But he has different view of his chances when it comes to his infield partner Lou Whitaker. Trammell would like nothing more than to have the two go into the Hall together.

“I would like to think the Veteran’s Committee could look at us together,” he said last week while at the West Michigan Whitecaps’ Winter Banquet. “If you look at what we accomplished, obviously, it (induction together), would be great and I hope they’ll look at that.”

Trammell, who in November was named special assistant to general manager Dave Dombrowski, has one year of eligibility left for Hall consideration, and it’s not promising. In January, the six-time American League All-Star collected just 25 percent of the votes (13th) in his 14th year on the ballot. He topped out at 36.8 percent in 2012.

Trammell and Whitaker walk together after a celebration of the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers in June, 2014.

He has Dombrowski’s vote.

“I will go down (saying) this the rest of my career, Alan Trammell belongs in the Hall of Fame,” he told fans at the Whitecaps’ banquet.

Unless something dramatic happens in the next vote, Trammell’s only path to the Hall of Fame will be through the Expansion Era Veterans Committee. They could opt to vote in a double-play combination.

Trammell and Whitaker came up together in late 1977 and anchored the middle of the diamond for the next 18 years.

They hold the AL record for number of games played together (1,918), and they held the major league record for double plays by shortstop-second baseman combination.

From 1977 to 1995, they combined for 11 All-Star berths, seven Gold Gloves, seven Silver Slugger awards, 4,734 hits, and 429 home runs.

Whitaker lasted just one year on the ballot, garnering 2.9 percent in 2001.

The Expansion Era Veterans Committee (1973-present) meets every three years, with its next vote coming in 2016, or one year after Trammell’s final year of standard eligibility.

The Trammell-Whitaker cause could get some help, too - the 16-member committee includes eight Hall of Fame members, notably shortstop Ozzie Smith and second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

Pete Wallner covers sports for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at pwallner@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.