ATLANTA — At long last, Fred McGriff received the call of a lifetime on Sunday night when the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee voted the former Braves' star into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
McGriff, famously nicknamed "Crime Dog," was a 5-time All-Star and 3-time Silver Slugger winner who won the 1995 World Series with the Atlanta Braves.
Playing with the Braves from 1993 to 1997, McGriff hit a home run in his first game as a Brave, a sign of things to come while in Atlanta. McGriff compiled 493 home runs in his career while batting .284 with 1,550 RBI. He also racked up 2,490 hits across his time with seven different teams during his 19-year career. McGriff won All-Star Game MVP as a member of the Braves in 1994.
McGriff was an integral part of the Braves World Series winning team in 1995, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 93 RBI while hitting .280. He was an All-Star in three of his five seasons in Atlanta, from 1993-1995.
At 59-years-old, McGriff received unanimous support from the 16 members of the modern era committee, made up of a combination of players already in the Hall, executives, and baseball writers. One member Braves fans will know well is current Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux, who played with McGriff on the 1995 championship team.
Braves and MLB Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones was expected to be a part of the committee as well, but got sick and had to bow out.
Crime Dog's final year on the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) ballot resulted in him finishing with 169 votes, or just 39.8%. Players must receive at least 75% of the vote.
McGriff was hired by the Braves in 2015 as a special assistant coach, but is no longer on staff.
Eight players were on the special ballot at Baseball's Winter Meetings after they superseded their time on the traditional MLB Hall of Fame ballot.
Former Braves legend Dale Murphy was also on the exclusive ballot, but the two-time MVP was once again not selected for the Hall.
McGriff will be inducted into Cooperstown as a part of the 2023 class on July 23, joining anyone selected on the BBWAA ballot which will be revealed on Jan. 24.
