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Appreciating the Crime Dog

By Gary Armida

A direct result of the Steroids era is that certain players who are generally acknowledged as clean players are often overlooked. This is because the supernatural numbers would cast a huge shadow over the numbers of mere mortals. To illustrate this point, take a look at Hall of Famer, Willie McCovey’s average numbers of .270 BA, 33 HR and 97 RBI. In today’s game, a player with those numbers would be regarded as average. One could argue that it is a sign of players evolving or most would say it is a sign of our Mitchell Report age. Because of the latter reason, one could often forget a player like Fred McGriff who played for 19 seasons and posted strong numbers. Unfortunately, McGriff played in the steroid era when players like Rafael Palmiero, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa stole headlines. This has led to a perception that Fred McGriff is not a worthy Hall of Fame candidate.

Before We Get to the Stats

Before we delve into the numbers, let’s look at McGriff’s career. The one thing that could be said about the lefty is that he was dependable. Starting at age 24 (his first full season) in 1988 until age 38, McGriff played in at least 144 games (except in the strike shortened 1994 season). He did not suffer one injury that kept him out of the lineup for an extended period of time. McGriff is a World Series winner, having been the first baseman for the 1995 champion Atlanta Braves. McGriff is someone who never was involved in any sort of trouble off the field or in the clubhouse. Because he was a quiet personality, The Crime Dog was never seen in commercials aside from the Tom Emansky baseball training videos. He didn’t get to do the Pepsi ads that Sammy Sosa did or get the public adoration that Mark McGwire received. What he did accomplish was finishing in the top ten in the MVP voting for six seasons and being an All-Star for five seasons. In other words, McGriff has the complete resume. He played for a long period of time, had tremendous seasons, and was a major component to a World Series winner. He did everything right except play in the correct era. If McGriff played in the early 1980’s, he would be considered with the likes of Billy Williams, Willie McCovey, and Eddie Mathews.

The Numbers

McGriff hit over thirty homeruns in 10 out of his 19 seasons, including eight consecutive seasons, from 1988-1994. To further illustrate his consistency at the plate, McGriff failed to hit 20 homeruns only once when he played a full season (his last two seasons he only played in 86 and 27 games respectively. The Crime Dog drove in more than 100 runs in eight seasons, drove in more than 90 in 4 more seasons, and more than 80 runs in three more seasons. He also hit above .270 in 13 of his 19 seasons. Now let’s take a look at his career numbers compared to some current members of the Hall.

The Career Statistics compared to Hall of Famers:

Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks

The numbers do not lie. McGriff, in comparison to current Hall of Famers, is worthy of the same honor. Although he played in the DH era, he was only utilized in that slot 175 times (90 times during his rookie season). He compiled those numbers playing the field, and as stated earlier, playing in almost every game during the season. However, much like his playing career, McGriff doesn’t stand out against these four, not leading in any of the categories above. But, much like his playing career, he is close to the top of each category. It is that consistency which makes him worthy of the spot, but also which makes him an afterthought for that same spot.

What this all means

It is a sad commentary on baseball that men like Fred McGriff will have a difficult time getting elected to the Hall of Fame. Most voters will point to the fact that he never hit more than 37 homeruns in a single season and only led the league in that category two times. His consistent excellence is overlooked during an era where homeruns were hit at a historical pace (McGwire-70, Sosa-66). The Steroids era, besides impacting the confidence of the fans, has impacted the way certain players are looked at. Fred McGriff will never be celebrated as a player who put up excellent statistics, won a championship, and never had an incident. It may be a different landscape when McGriff is eligible for election in 2009. Hopefully by then, voters will be able to distinguish between inflated numbers and the numbers of seemingly clean players.