Blue Jays great Fred McGriff named to Baseball Hall of Fame
It’s time for a little celebration, Toronto Blue Jays fans: Fred McGriff is a Hall of Famer.
At Sunday’s MLB Winter meetings, it was announced that the former MLB star first baseman was officially named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of a vote by the 16-person Contemporary Era committee.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan was among the first to report the news.
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
McGriff had a .278 batting average with 540 hits, 125 homers, 305 RBIs, and 348 runs scored in 578 games for the Blue Jays in his career, playing five seasons from 1986 to 1990.
McGriff had a heck of a career in Toronto, but was also known for being the distinction of being traded — along with Tony Fernandez — to the San Diego Padres in exchange for future two-time World Series winners in Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.
In total, McGriff played 19 seasons for six MLB teams, where he had a .284 batting average, 2,490 hits, 493 home runs, 1,550 RBIs and 1,349 runs scored before retiring in 2004. He made five All-Star Games, won three Silver Slugger awards, as well as the 1995 World Series while playing for Atlanta.
McGriff joins Roy Halladay, Jack Morris, Frank Thomas, Bobby Cox, Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, and Phil Niekro as former Blue Jays players and staff members to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Passan added that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and new Blue Jays coach Don Mattingly were not voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era committee.
McGriff will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 23, 2023.
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