MLB Veterans Committee Inducts Fred McGriff into Hall of Fame
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Barely 10% of Fred McGriff's career was spent with the Chicago Cubs, but he may have been instrumental in molding them into a championship contender in 2003.
Now the 19-year MLB veteran is finally getting his due. He was officially announced as an inductee into the MLB Hall of Fame on Sunday live on MLB Network.
McGriff spent parts of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
His tenure with the Cubs came at the tail end of his career in 2001-02, but he certainly made the most of his time there. In 796 plate appearances as a 37 and 38-year-old, he slashed .276/.353/.505 with 42 home runs.
He provided a veteran presence in a young clubhouse hungry for success.
The year after he departed, the Cubs made their deepest playoff run since 1945.
Though McGriff only has 493 home runs on his record, he also had 10 long balls in the postseason, bringing his MLB career total up to 503.
Prior to Sunday, he was the only steroid-free non-Hall of Famer with 500 or more home runs eligible for induction. Now the time has come, and McGriff is getting all that he has earned.
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