Fred McGriff – Ninth Year (21.7% in 2017)
A victim of bad timing, one has to wonder how much differently Fred McGriff would be regarded if he hit seven more homers.
McGriff was a solid power hitter, leading the league in home runs twice and hitting 30 or more homers ten times. However, he never reached the 40 home run mark, and his excellent power became overshadowed during the PED era. McGriff never had that late power surge that so many other sluggers did during that time frame, essentially making him an afterthought by the time he got on the ballot.
And yet, he had a solid career. McGriff was a five time All Star and a three time Silver Slugger, finishing in the top ten of the MVP vote six times. Overall, he produced a .284/.377/.509 batting line, hitting 493 homers and driving in 1550 runs. He was a solid run producer, and a key part of the Braves postseason run through the mid 1990s.
For as much as the BBWAA wants to talk about players doing things the “right way” and reaching their numbers without chemical enhancements, McGriff’s candidacy seems to prove otherwise. He has languished in the upper teens and low twenties in terms of a voting percentage in each of his eight years on the ballot. That does not appear to be changing any time soon.
Maybe if Fred McGriff hit seven more homers and reached the 500 home run plateau, his career would be viewed differently. For now, he will be on the outside looking in when it comes to the MLB Hall of Fame.