MWL1 Lansing Lugnuts

Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame Unveils Inaugural Class

Published on June 18, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release


LANSING, Mich. - In a press conference Thursday morning, the Lansing Lugnuts announced that Jim Abbott, Bill Freehan, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Harwell, Al Kaline, Hal Newhouser, Pat O'Keefe, John Smoltz, Alan Trammell and Larry Tuttle will be inducted into the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame on August 6th at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The ten-member class was selected following a process begun in late January. Baseball fans from throughout the state submitted nominations of candidates from the Little League through the Major League level, compiling a ballot of 75 deserving players, coaches, contributors and teams.

This ballot was delivered to a panel of nine distinguished Michigan Baseball Experts, comprising sports anchors Fred Heumann and Tim Staudt, Major League broadcasters Mario Impemba and Joe Block, coaches Jake Boss Sr. and Rich Maloney, scout Clyde Weir, MHSAA Assistant Director Mark Uyl and longtime Tigers radio voice Paul Carey, with three rounds of voting determining the Hall of Fame's inaugural class.

The Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame plaques will be located along the new outfield concourse at Cooley Law School Stadium, presented through the Lugnuts' 20/20 Partnership with Dan Henry Distributing, Pepsi, Dean Trailways, LAFCU, Auto-Owners Insurance, Fifth Third Bank, Granger, Delta Dental and Lansing BWL, working together to build Lansing for the next twenty years.

The inaugural class of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame:

- Jim Abbott - A standout pitcher at Flint Central High School and one of the great baseball players in the University of Michigan's history, Abbott won both the Sullivan Award (given to the nation's top amateur athlete) and the Golden Spikes Award (honoring the nation's top amateur baseball player) in 1987. He pitched a complete game to clinch the gold medal for Team USA at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, proceeding onward to a ten-year Major League career.

- Bill Freehan - Born in Detroit and raised in Royal Oak, Freehan led the Michigan Wolverines to the 1961 Big Ten Champions, setting a Big Ten record with a .585 batting average in conference play. He signed with the Tigers at age 19, becoming an 11-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner. When he retired, Freehan owned the Major League records for catchers in fielding percentage, total chances and putouts. From 1990-1995, he served as head baseball coach for the University of Michigan.

- Charlie Gehringer - Raised on a farm just outside Fowlerville, Gehringer attended Michigan for only one year before an impressive performance at a tryout brought him a contract with the Tigers. He played the entirety of a 19-season career for Detroit, collecting 2,839 hits and batting .320. Nicknamed "The Mechanical Man," he was voted an American League All-Star each season from 1933-1938 and was voted the 1937 AL MVP after leading the league with a .371 average. In 1949, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

- Ernie Harwell - The voice of baseball for generations of Detroit Tigers fans, Harwell signed to broadcast for the Tigers during the 1959 World Series and delivered the call of the national pastime from 1960-1991 and 1993-2002. His trademark sayings were beloved - from opening the season's first broadcast with "The Voice of the Turtle," a reading from Song of Solomon, to saying a batter striking out looking "stood there like the house by the side of the road." He was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year 17 times and received the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award in 1981.

- Al Kaline - Born in Baltimore, Kaline signed with the Tigers the day after he graduated from high school. He went on to play 22 seasons in Detroit, lasting from 1953-1974, earning the nickname "Mr. Tiger." In his final season, he became the twelfth player in Major League history to reach 3,000 hits. He finished with 399 home runs, 18 All-Star Game invitations and 10 Gold Gloves. In 1980, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Following his playing career, he served as the Tigers' television color commentator, a position he held for 25 years through the end of the 2002 season.

- Hal Newhouser - Born and raised in Detroit, "Prince Hal" signed with the Tigers at age 17. Kept out of military service by a heart murmur, the fiery left-hander was one of the dominant pitchers of his era. He was a six-time All-Star and won back-to-back Most Valuable Player Awards in 1944 and 1945, remaining the only pitcher to win consecutive MVP awards. After concluding his 207-victory, 17-season career, Newhouser worked as a scout for the next four decades, combing Michigan for young talent. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, the first Detroit-born Tiger enshrined.

- Pat O'Keefe - Named All-State in football and basketball at Standish-Sterling, O'Keefe starred at third base for Central Michigan University, helping the Chippewas win the IIAC Championship. He began coaching baseball at Grand Ledge in 1968, resuming in 1970, and has not left the bench since. With O'Keefe at the helm, the Comets won Class A state titles in 1977 and 1995. He was enshrined in the Central Michigan University Hall of Fame in 2009. On April 15, 2010, during a sweep of Owosso, O'Keefe became the second coach in Michigan high school history to reach 1,000 victories.

- John Smoltz - Born in Detroit, Smoltz attended Lansing Catholic Central as a freshman before transferring to Waverly. In his most memorable prep moment, he won the 1985 Diamond Classic with a walk-off home run against Lansing Sexton. Smoltz was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 22nd round in 1985. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on August 12, 1987, and proceeded to record 213 victories and 154 saves in 21 seasons, earning eight All-Star nods, one Silver Slugger and the 1996 N.L. Cy Young Award. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

- Alan Trammell - The greatest shortstop in Tigers history, Trammell was drafted 26th overall in 1976 from San Diego's Kearny High School. He debuted with second baseman Lou Whitaker on September 9, 1977, the first of an American League record 1,918 games played together as teammates. Trammell collected 2,365 hits during a 20-season career in Detroit and was named a six-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glove award-winner, a three-time Silver Slugger and the MVP of the 1984 World Series.

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