Fred McGriff Career Stats: Examining the 2023 Hall of Famer's stellar record through the years

Fred McGriff is the first player to be named as a 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. He ascended by virtue of the Contemporary Baseball Era Player ballot, coming in with more votes than legends like Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.

McGriff was first noticed by MLB scouts as a baseball player at Jefferson High School in Tampa, Florida, in late 1970s. In 1981, he was drafted in the MLB June Amateur Draft by the New York Yankees at the age of 17.

"Fred McGriff had a storied career. Now, the Crime Dog is off to the @baseballhall" - @ MLB

Fred McGriff did not make his MLB debut until five years later with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1986. By the late 1980s, he had emerged as one of the most powerful hitters in baseball.

In 1989, he hit a league-best 36 home runs for the Jays. He was also the player with the highest .OPS in baseball with a figure of .924.

The following season, Fred McGriff was traded from the Blue Jays to the San Diego Padres. Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar, two players who would help the Jays capture the 1992 and 1993 World Series, went the other way.

In San Diego, McGriff continued his savage hitting. He led the league in home runs again in 1992 with 35 bombs for the Padres.

McGriff played with a flurry of teams over his career. After the Padres, he moved on to the Atlanta Braves and helped the team capture the 1995 World Series. He eventually retired in 2004 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In December 2022, McGriff was nominated as a candidate on the Contemporary Baseball Era Player ballot. The ballot is for players who have been retired for more than 15 years and played mostly after 1980.

The voting committee was made up of Hall of Famers like Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas, as well as executives like Theo Epstein.

"Fred McGriff after making the Hall of Fame over Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens:" - @ FAX Sports: MLB

McGriff came first overall in voting and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in July 2023. Other players on the ballot included Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, who have been obstructed from Hall of Fame admittance due to past off-field scandals.

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Fred McGriff is an exemplary induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame

McGriff played out his career with skill, honor and respect for his fellow players. He is tied with Yankees legend Lou Gehrig with 493 career home runs, only seven dingers off of the 500 club.

He currently works as a baseball operations assistant in the Braves organization and will be 60 by the time he is inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.