Former Cub Fred McGriff is finally elected into Baseball Hall of Fame
SAN DIEGO — Fred McGriff is finally in the Hall of Fame.
The longtime first baseman was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday night by the 16-person contemporary era committee. He was the only player of the 8 nominees that was elected.
McGriff hit 493 home runs in his 19-year career, slashing .284/.377/.509 with 1550 RBI and a 52.6 WAR, per Baseball-Reference. He played two seasons with the Cubs near the end of his career posting an .879 OPS in 195 games with 42 home runs and 144 RBI.
Congratulations to former Cub Fred McGriff on being elected to the @baseballhall! https://t.co/OXMdd5VmEq pic.twitter.com/th6pFoZDtS
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) December 5, 2022
The Cubs acquired him at the 2001 trade deadline, as he waived his no-trade clause with Tampa Bay to land in Chicago. He played two more seasons after that with the Dodgers and Devil Rays before retiring.
The “Crime Dog” fell off the Baseball Writers Association of America’s ballot after 2019, when he had 39.8% of the vote. A player needs 75% of the vote to be elected. Sunday night, McGriff finally hit the elusive 75% mark via the committee — he racked up a vote from all 16 members.
The 16-person committee included former Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, former Cubs greats Ryne Sandberg, Greg Maddux and Lee Smith and former Cubs bench coach Alan Trammell, among others.
McGriff was a 5-time All-Star, a 3-time Silver Slugger recipient, he was the 1994 All-Star Game MVP and won the World Series with the Braves in 1995. He led the AL in home runs in 1989, clubbing 36 for the Blue Jays and led the NL in 1992 when he hit 35 for the Padres.