If I were to sell you a young major league first baseman just starting out and tell you that this young man was going to hit over 30 home runs for seven straight years, and follow those up with years of 27 and 28. He would follow those up with three more non-consecutive years of at least 30 home runs.
In a nineteen year career he would have eight years with over 100 rbi’s and four more years with over 90. He would play over 140 games a year for fourteen out of fifteen years. His batting average for his career would be .284. And I would guarantee you that this player would be free of suspicion of steroids.
In fifty post season games he would hit 10 home runs, have 37 rbi’s and bat .303. If you translated that over a 150 game season he would have 30 home runs and 111 rbis, all higher than his season averages. Would you take him? Sound like a hall of fame career?
Who am I talking about? Fred McGriff. No, he never won an MVP. He only played in 5 all star games. However, all he did was be consistent.
Well, you might say, he doesn’t compare well to other hall of famers. Compare him to Reggie Jackson (yes, he belongs in the hall as well). McGriff hit over 30 home runs more often, had over 100 rbi’s more often, had a higher batting average and never fought with his manager on national TV.
In the post season, if you take Mr. October’s stats and translate them (most easily for me, because he played 77 games) to a 154 game season, he would bat .278, have 36 home runs and have 96 rbi’s. Only in homers does he beat McGriff. And Jax is Mr. October!
I’m not knocking Reggie. He clearly belongs in the hall. But so does McGriff.
Look, if these wise writers are going to keep players out of the hall because of steroid inflated numbers, shouldn’t they vote those in who have never ever been accused of using, those without a whiff of suspicion? Take a look at a picture from McGriff’s rookie year and one from when he retired. His body looks virtually the same. Compare Bonds pictures from his rookie and final years
People like McGriff, Griffey and others who have never been accused of using steroids need to be examined more closely to see how truly great they were in comparison to all-time stars, not just those with whom they played. We’ll see if he makes it to the hall next year when he is first eligible. There is something to be said for consistency, both Fred’s and, hopefully, the writers’.
Tags: Barry, baseball, Bonds, Fame, Fred, Griffey, Hall, Jackson, Junior, Ken, McGriff, Of, Reggie, steroids
