10 moments that defined Fred McGriff

Fred McGriff did it all over a 19-year MLB career. Whether it was in Toronto, San Diego, his World Series run in Atlanta or the latter years of his career, McGriff produced as consistently as any hitter in his era.

Finishing with 2,490 career hits and 493 home runs, McGriff earned the call in December 2022, receiving unanimous support from the Today's Game Era Committee and appearing on all 16 ballots cast. "The Crime Dog" will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside third baseman Scott Rolen, on Sunday.

Looking back on a great career, these are 10 of the moments that stand out.

McGriff the World Series champion (Oct. 28, 1995)

Atlanta acquired McGriff to be part of a World Series run, and that finally paid off in ’95. McGriff was a major part of the club’s success, too, putting up massive numbers in the NLDS and NLCS to reach the big stage against Cleveland. In Atlanta’s 4-2 World Series win, McGriff went 6-for-23 (.261) with a pair of home runs and a .955 OPS.

“When you pull it off and finally achieve it, it’s a beautiful thing,” McGriff said on MLB Network. “The individual goals are great, but when you win that World Series it’s special. They can’t take that away from you.”

The Big Trade (Dec. 5, 1990)

On Dec. 5, 1990, the Blue Jays traded McGriff along with Tony Fernandez to the Padres for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. It was the definition of a blockbuster with two stars on each side of the deal and is credited with helping to push the Blue Jays over the top for the World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.

McGriff wasn’t a part of those runs, unfortunately, but he kept rolling with the Padres, where he hit .281 with a .906 OPS over parts of three seasons. McGriff also picked up his first All-Star nod with San Diego in ’92, but another major move was coming for the star first baseman in ’93.

McGriff sparks Atlanta (July 18, 1993)

The Braves made a major move in ’93 to land McGriff, who immediately ignited the club. In 68 games down the stretch that season, he hit .310 with a 1.004 OPS. On July 20, the day McGriff was scheduled to arrive at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, a fire broke out in the press box and nearby suites, making for quite the introduction.

Atlanta surged to a 104-58 finish, clinching the NL West division crown by one game over the Giants. Without McGriff, that doesn’t happen.

Finding McGriff’s peak? Good luck

McGriff’s consistency was remarkable over his 19-year career, with a 16-year stretch from ’87 to ’02 during which he was perennially one of the best hitters in baseball.

There was the six-year stretch from ’88 to ’93 when McGriff topped 30 home runs each season, ending with three consecutive 100-RBI campaigns. That ’88 season marks his highest WAR (FanGraphs) at 6.6, but there’s an argument to be made that the strike-shortened ’94 season was his best. With 4.8 WAR over 113 games, McGriff had already hit 34 homers with a .318 average and 1.012 OPS before losing the final seven weeks of the season. That surely would have resulted in his first 40-homer season and No. 500.

Traded to Toronto (Dec. 9, 1982)

For a player involved in as many significant trades as McGriff, it’s fitting that his MLB career started with one. McGriff was drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round of the 1981 Draft, and in 1982 was dealt to the Blue Jays as part of a package for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray.

McGriff still had plenty of development ahead of him at the time, though. By ’84, McGriff reached Triple-A Syracuse, and finally earned his MLB debut during a strong ’86 season.

Crime Dog’s debut (May 17, 1986)

McGriff’s debut wasn’t the same grand arrival you see from top prospects today. In May of ’86, the Blue Jays needed McGriff only briefly and the 22-year-old got into just three games.

In his debut, McGriff entered as a defensive replacement for Willie Upshaw at first base in the eighth inning, but never took an at-bat. He got the start at DH the next day, though, and singled off Cleveland’s Don Schulze in his first trip to the plate, later scoring on a Damaso Garcia single.

First career home run (April 17, 1987)

No. 1 of 493 came at old Exhibition Stadium in Toronto against the Red Sox. Starting at DH with Upshaw at first that day, McGriff launched a three-run home run to left field off Bob Stanley. He didn’t homer again for nearly a month, with his next one coming on May 13, but McGriff still hit 20 that season over 107 games with an .881 OPS, proving at just 23 years old that he was an MLB-ready power bat.

SkyDome's first homer (June 5, 1989)

SkyDome, now Rogers Centre, has been a launching pad for years, but it all started back in ’89 with the first game played at the new stadium in downtown Toronto. In the bottom of the second with George Bell on base following a walk, McGriff launched the first home run in SkyDome history to center.

No. 400 (June 2, 2000)

If McGriff slugged seven more home runs in his career to give him 500, his Hall of Fame candidacy surely would have been a different conversation. Nevertheless, his 493 ties him with Lou Gehrig for 29th in MLB history, and No. 400 was one of the biggest milestones along the way. Then with the Rays in 2000, McGriff launched No. 400 to straightaway center field at Shea Stadium, showing his classic follow-through.

Those famous baseball fundamentals commercials

If you watched TV in the ’90s, especially sports television, you saw countless reruns of a commercial starring Fred McGriff. These Tom Emanski’s Baseball World Defensive Drills featured McGriff’s endorsement over shots of youth baseball players going through drills before a 1-800 number flashed across the screen to order. There have been plenty of baseball instructional videos featuring pros, especially through the ’80s and ’90s, but McGriff’s is burned into the memory of many baseball fans and was a gateway for plenty of young players.