It’s 7-below zero outside of my office window, and all I can think about is baseball. With less than 100 sunsets until opening day, the spring training anticipation has begun to build. Inevitably, my thoughts are drawn to seasons past. And with that comes the next installment of Bullets and Ballots, my take on the 2010 Hall of Fame Class.

This time we’ll deal with two stars who spent much of their career in smaller markets. Will their numbers be good enough for the Hall? Read on…

Andre Dawson, OF
“The Hawk” made a name for himself with a combination of outstanding defense and clutch performance. In 1987, Dawson had one of the best seasons of any center fielder in the history of the game. His 49 home runs led the league, as did his 137 RBI and 353 total bases. At year’s end, “The Hawk” had three new pieces of hardware for his nest – Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and MVP trophies to go along with an All-Star selection. All told, Dawson made 8 appearances in the Mid-Summer Classic. The one-time Rookie of the Year for Montreal finished his career with a .279 batting average, 438 home runs and 2,774 hits.

Bullet: 8 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, 1,500+ RBI
I’m an avowed Cubs hater, and Dawson spent a large chunk of his career in Chicago. But you can’t deny greatness, and “The Hawk” looks as though he’ll make it in this year. Here’s to you, Andre. There’s no way around it – he’s one of the best to ever roam center field.

Alan Trammell, SS/OF
An entire generation of Tigers fans were raised to know Alan Trammell. His 20-year stint in Detroit was highlighted by three playoff appearances and six All-Star selections. Spending most of his time as a shortstop, the California native batted .285 over his career, belting 2,365 hits and 185 home runs. Certainly respectable numbers for a middle infielder.

Bullet: 1,003 RBI
Barely eclipsing the millennium mark, Trammell’s RBI total will keep him out of the Hall. He may have helped define an entire era of Detroit baseball. But he’s just not Cooperstown material.

That’s all for this time. Now whatever will I do to pass the hours until Opening Day? I suppose I could start by thawing out my baseball glove – it’s been stuck in my car trunk for months!

- Taylor Maxwell

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Tags | Alan Trammell, Andrew Dawson, Baseball, Chicago Cubs