Fred McGriff has just become the first member of the Class of 2023 for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. McGriff received all 16 votes by members of the Contemporary Era Committee.
The committee included former teammate Greg Maddux and former Toronto Blue Jays President Paul Beeston who had a long standing association with McGriff. Other members of the committee include Hall of Famers Lee Smith and Alan Trammell as well as Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng and former Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs executive Theo Epstein.
Twelve votes were required for induction. The closest anyone came to that figure was Don Mattingly who had 8 followed by Curt Schilling and Dale Murphy who had 7 and 6, respectively. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro and Albert Belle received fewer than four votes.
As to the man of the hour, Fred McGriff his induction has been long overdue. A ninth round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1981, the Tampa native would be traded to the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 1983 season along with Dave Collins and Mike Morgan for Dale Murray. Although McGriff did not make his big league debut until 1986, it was his inclusion that gave this trade to the Jays. McGriff quickly became one of the most feared hitters in the AL. In 1989, McGriff led the AL in HRs with 36.
Prior to the 1991 season, the Blue Jays shocked the world when they traded McGriff and Tony Fernandez to the San Diego Padres for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. While Carter and Alomar would win back to back World Series for the Jays in 1992 and 1993, McGriff continued his hitting dominance leading the NL in HRs in '92 with 35.
In the middle of the 1993 season, the Padres parted ways with McGriff sending him to the Atlanta Braves. His presence in the lineup helped the Braves overcome an 8 game deficit in the NL West and win the division on the last day of the season denying the 103-win San Francisco Giants a post-season berth. McGriff would earn his lone World Series with the Braves in 1995.
Prior to the 1998 season, McGriff would return to his hometown to join the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays where he would spend three and a half seasons before being traded to the Chicago Cubs where he would spend 1.5 seasons. After one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, McGriff would return to the Devil Rays to finish his playing career in 2004. In 19 seasons, McGriff collected 2,490 for a lifetime batting average of .284 with 493 HR and 1550 RBIs with five All-Star Game selections and three Silver Slugger Awards.
Yet in his 10 years of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot from 2010 to 2019 never received more than 40% of the vote. Had McGriff over 500 HRs he would have been already inducted. The reason he fell short of that total was due to the 1994 strike. It is sad to think that 7 HR was all that was standing between him and a plaque at Cooperstown. Whatever number of HRs McGriff hit he hit them with authority. They didn't call him the "Crime Dog" for nothing. Considering that McGriff played at the height of MLB's steroid era his name never ever came up.
In view of this I'm glad the Contemporary Era Committee has rectified this matter. McGriff will formally be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 24, 2023. I leave you with some video as to how McGriff earned his plaque.
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