McGriff Recognized in Cooperstown for Hall of Fame Career

After playing in his final MLB game as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004, Fred McGriff’s wait is over to be a Hall of Famer.

Last December, McGriff was a unanimous selection by the Contemporary Baseball Players Era Committee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. His name appeared on all 16 ballots cast.

After retiring from baseball with Tampa at the conclusion of the 2004 season, McGriff went through the five-year waiting period before being eligible for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) ballot. During his 10-year stay on the ballot, McGriff’s name dropped off due to not receiving at least 75% of the vote each year.

So, this leads me to ponder what did McGriff’s contemporaries know that the writers who covered his career didn’t appreciate? After all, McGriff’s statistics haven’t changed since his last at-bat on July 15, 2004.

Remember, a player’s career should be judged on the numbers they produce. At last Sunday’s induction ceremonies in Upstate New York, McGriff’s numbers were reviewed once again for all to soak up.

19 MLB seasons. Five times an all-star. Three times a Silver Slugger Award winner. A World Series championship in 1995 with the Atlanta Braves. 493 home runs. He belted 30 or more homers 10 times. Plus, McGriff, a Tampa native, finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times.

So, again, why the wait? What a panel of McGriff’s peers gave a thumbs up to when voting last December, these were the exact same numbers writers had access to for a decade.

By all accounts from his being in Cooperstown last weekend, McGriff was happy to be taking in being a Hall of Famer. There was a reported one-hour lunch the graduate of Tampa’s Thomas Jefferson High School (also the same school fellow Hall of Famer Tony La Russa attended) had with Dave Winfield on Saturday. Winfield (Hall of Fame Class of 2001) shepherded McGriff around The Otesaga Resort on Lake Street, making sure his newest teammate was comfortable in his new surroundings.

Being front and center for the Hall’s 74th induction ceremonies on the grounds of The Clark Sports Center, located one-half mile south of the village on Susquehanna Avenue, McGriff delivered his acceptance speech in front of a crowd estimated to be 10,000.

Many fans of the former first baseman, who played for six different clubs after being a 9th-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in 1981, are happy that McGriff can now be recognized, officially, with the game’s highest honor.

McGriff, along with other MLB alums Luis Gonzales, Gary Sheffield, Dwight Gooden, Tino Martinez, and Al Lopez, is included in the make up an impressive roster of Tampa-area ballplayers that would go on to enjoy special careers.