Consistent excellence makes McGriff worthy of HOF
Former Major League first baseman Fred McGriff is hoping that Cooperstown justice is served Sunday night time. Affectionately referred to as the “Crime Dog” — a nickname given to him by ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman due to the similarity to McGruff, the unique crime canine — McGriff hopes to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee.
The committee who determines McGriff’s destiny contains seven Hall of Famers (Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammell), six Major League executives (Paul Beeston, Theo Epstein, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Dave St. Peter and Ken Williams) and three media members (Steve Hirdt, LaVelle Neal and Susan Slusser).
A five-time All-Star, McGriff was a big-time run producer who received three Silver Slugger awards and had 10 seasons of 30 or extra house runs. He is certainly one of 4 Major Leaguers (together with Mark McGwire, Sam Crawford and Buck Freeman) to win the house run title in each leagues. He additionally completed within the prime 5 in OPS for his league in seven consecutive seasons, from 1988-94.
McGriff performed 19 years within the massive leagues for six groups — the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Rays, Cubs and Dodgers– from 1986-2004, hitting .284 with 493 house runs and 1,550 RBIs. His profession 52.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference, rank greater than Hall of Famers akin to Ted Simmons (50.3), Orlando Cepeda (50.1) and Jim Rice (47.7).
“If you put McGriff’s numbers beside some of the other guys that are in the Hall of Fame, he comes out way ahead,” stated former Astros scout Hank Allen.
McGriff additionally flourished within the postseason, principally with the Braves. In 50 video games, McGriff hit .303 with 10 house runs, 37 RBIs and a .917 OPS. Who can neglect the 436-foot bomb he hit in Game 1 of the 1995 World Series towards Cleveland right-hander Orel Hershiser?
“Look at this guy’s ability to be on the field. He was never on the disabled list until late in his career,” stated former Major Leaguer Harold Reynolds, who’s now an analyst for the MLB Network. “I imply, come on. That is outdoors of the ability, clutch hitting and all that.
“I’ll tell you one story: In 1993, I’m with the Orioles and Fred ends up going to the Braves [during the middle of the season]. Everybody knew at the Trade Deadline, if [we] get Fred McGriff, [we] have a chance to go to the World Series. That’s how prominent he was. We’re on a plane about two weeks before the Trade Deadline and I’m sitting next to Frank Robinson [then an assistant general manager] and I say, ‘Frank, what are our chances to get Fred McGriff?’ Frank replied: ‘What’s a power hitter, Harold?’ I said, ‘I don’t know — a guy that hits home runs.’ Frank said, ‘No. When there is a runner on first base, he is in scoring position, not second — first. Fred McGriff drives guys in from first base.”
Former Braves teammate and FOX analyst John Smoltz doesn’t get why McGriff isn’t already a Hall of Famer. McGriff had an opportunity to be voted in throughout his years of eligibility, however by no means obtained the 75 p.c wanted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The writers had possibilities to vote him in from 2010-19 and but he obtained not more than 39.8 p.c, which got here throughout his closing yr of eligibility.
“I have never understood why his numbers — which [have] never been in question — have not gotten a boost,” Smoltz stated by way of textual content message to MLB.com. “He has been the identical hitter on each workforce he performed with and in the identical batting order primarily on each workforce.
“He was basically a prolific hitter, RBI guy and great teammate that played the game right and showed up every day to play. As a pitcher, you feared this guy in the lineup.”
It appears exhausting to consider that McGriff was chosen by the Yankees within the ninth spherical of the 1981 MLB Draft. It was throughout the educational league season that very same yr that then-Braves coach Cito Gaston first laid eyes on the left-handed-hitting slugger, who left fairly an impression by hitting rockets over the fence.
“I’ve known Freddy since he was 19 years old,” Gaston stated. “I saw him hit balls 500 feet and I gave Hank [Aaron, then the Braves’ scouting director] a call and told him, ‘If you have a chance to get him, get him.’ [Aaron] said, ‘OK.’”
A bit of over a yr later, the Bronx Bombers gave McGriff away to the Blue Jays for infielder Tom Dodd and reliever Dale Murray. Dodd by no means performed a Major League recreation for New York, whereas Murray was unproductive out of the bullpen in additional than a yr within the Bronx.
But Gaston would see McGriff once more in 1986 when each had been with the Major League membership in Toronto. Gaston was the workforce’s hitting coach, whereas McGriff began displaying the identical energy Gaston noticed in Bradenton, Fla.
McGriff emerged as one of many recreation’s prime younger hitters on a number of the nice Blue Jays golf equipment of the late Nineteen Eighties, topping 30 house runs and a .900 OPS in every of his closing three seasons with Toronto.
“He was one of the big guys that had good eyes,” Gaston recalled. “He didn’t swing at too many bad pitches. He was pretty amazing. He had a great arm at first base — great first baseman. I don’t understand why it’s taking him so long to get him into the Hall of Fame. … There are a lot of guys with less credentials than he has. Hopefully, he will go in this week.”
McGriff left Toronto after the 1990 season as a part of a serious commerce that despatched him to the Padres for outfielder Joe Carter and second baseman Roberto Alomar.
The commerce propelled the Blue Jays to win two consecutive World Series titles. But McGriff carried on to grow to be a Hall of Fame-quality participant. He would ultimately get his World Series ring with the Braves in 1995.
“The guy answered the bell. You look at his career and you see how many 100-RBI seasons that he had,” stated Nationals broadcaster Charlie Slowes, who coated McGriff when each had been with the Rays within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. “Maybe he didn’t have a ton of 40-home run seasons, however he had a whole lot of 30-home run seasons. He was very constant.”
