Former Dodger Elected to Hall of Fame
On the first night of the 2022 Winter Meetings located in San Diego, California, the Hall of Famers were named. Out of the eight nominated, Fred McGriff was the only one to receive the 12 votes needed by the Contemporary Era committee.
Fred McGriff has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era committee. Among those who did not receive the necessary 12 votes from the 16-person committee: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Don Mattingly.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2022
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) December 5, 2022
McGriff’s time as a major league baseball player was affected by both the steroid era and the 1994 player’s strike. Had that not happened he would have most definitely broken into the 500-home run club before he retired in 2004, 7 home runs short.
Across his 19 seasons spent in the major leagues, he played for the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs, and for Dodgers. Although he only spent the 2003 season in Los Angeles, you know what they say…once a Dodger, always a Dodger.
Playing professional baseball for nearly two decades is impressive in itself, but during that time, he accomplished quite a lot: Three-time Silver Slugger, the MVP of the 1994 All-Star Game, and was a part of the 1995 World Series winning Braves team in which he slammed two homers during the annual Fall Classic.
He also appeared in 10 postseason series in five seasons, slashing a combined .303/.385/.532 with 10 homers.
Overall, the five-time All-Star homered 493 times, collected 2,493 hits, and 1,550 RBIs. He was a .284 hitter for his career, he hit 30 or more homers 10 times, and he received MVP votes eight times including every season from 1989 to 1993.
McGriff, who is now 59, came up empty in 10 attempts on the BBWAA ballot, maxing out at 39.8% support in his final year in 2019. This was his first appearance on a small-committee ballot.
It also helped that this specific committee included one of McGriff’s former teammates, Greg Maddux, and his former Blue Jays boss, Paul Beeston, who were particularly helpful in recognizing and appreciating his impact and importance during the late 1980s through 1990s.
So congratulations, Crime Dog. You can finally call yourself a Hall of Famer nearly two decades after you played your last game as a major leaguer.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
Interesting that 3 of the big names on the steroid list didn’t get in. Also, IIRC, especially Bonds, but weren’t the other 2 less than friendly with the press? That alone could make a difference if it’s close, don’t pi** off someone you want to vote for you later. Doesn’t break my heart that they didn’t make it either.