Fred McGriff elected to Hall of Fame

Longtime major league first baseman Fred McGriff has been elected to the MLB Hall of Fame, it was announced today. McGriff was included on all 16 ballots.

None of the other seven players considered by the Contemporary Era committee reached the 12 vote threshold necessary to elected. Don Mattingly came the closest, with 8 votes, while Curt Schilling received 7 votes and Dale Murphy 6 votes. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro and Albert Belle each received fewer than four votes.

McGriff spent 19 years in the majors with six different teams, finishing in the top ten in the MVP balloting in five straight seasons from 1989-93, and six seasons overall. McGriff had 493 career home runs and a .284/.377/.509 slash line, with a 52.6 career bWAR.

Originally drafted by the New York Yankees, McGriff was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays while in the lower minors and made his major league debut with Toronto before being moved, along with Tony Fernandez, to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal that sent Joe Carter and Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar to Toronto.

McGriff also played for the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers,.