Thomas Bubba Trammell (born November 6, 1971) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and the New York Yankees. During his seven Major League seasons, he batted .261 and hit 82 home runs. Trammell appeared in the 2000 World Series as a member of the Mets.
Early years
Trammell was born on November 6, 1971, in Knoxville, Tennessee. During his two years at U.T. (1993–1994), he had a .368 batting average, and hit 22 home runs and 105 RBIs. He would later be named to the school's "All-Century Team."
At the age of 21, Trammell was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, but he did not sign. He was drafted again two years later for the Detroit Tigers in the 11th round of the 1994 MLB amateur draft, but this time, he did sign a contract. He played on Detroit's Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, for three years. By this time, he was 6’2”, weighed 220 pounds, hit right, and batted right. Over the next two and a half years with the Devil Rays, Trammell had limited play; he played in 59 games in 1998, 82 games in 1999, and 66 games in 2000. Notably, there was a group of fans who sat in section 142 of the Devil Ray's stadium— Tropicana Field— and called themselves the “142 Crew.” They were led by fan Ted Fleming, who would go on to work for The Examiner and host his own sports radio show. The “142 Crew” became known for their "Bubba" signs and enthusiastic cheering, which included a “Bu-bba!” chant. This section was so loud that the Devil Rays sometimes timed their stadium music around its chanting. He hit a home run in his first game on July 30, becoming the seventh player to hit a home run in his first Mets at-bat. He continued to play as a left fielder and right fielder for 36 games. He batted .232. Trammell finally became a regular, playing in 142 games and hitting .261 in 2001, and 133 games and hitting .243 in 2002.
In the years following his departure from the Yankees, Trammell struggled with personal problems and sustained a meniscus injury. He played in the minor leagues hoping to make a comeback, but he never made it back into the major leagues. He officially retired on July 2, 2007, while on a rehab assignment with the Aberdeen IronBirds, where he was batting .143 after nine games.
Overall, Trammell played 584 games in his seven-year MLB career. He was at bat 1,798 times, batted .261, made 469 hits, 96 doubles, 7 triples, 82 home runs, 285 runs batted in, and had a .339 on-base percentage. He played 297 games in right field and 194 games in left field, and had a fielding percentage of .986. have three children: Madison Rebecca (born in 1995), Brandon Allen (born in 1998), and Bryson (born in 2002). His great-grandfather and his great-uncle had been hospitalized, and he had marital problems. One notable incident occurred on September 6, 2003. According to an incident report, Melissa was living with a platonic friend named Steven Hume. Trammell allegedly confronted them after a baseball game and threatened to kill Hume. Trammell and his wife divorced in 2004. Melissa was given custody of their children and remarried. In addition, Trammell's mother and sister were diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Teammates described Trammell as soft-spoken and friendly.