So, who doesn’t want to watch backyard impressions of Miguel Cabrera, Brett Myers, Julio Lugo, Wil Cordero, Chuck Knoblauch, Jose Canseco, Elijah Dukes, Kirby Puckett, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, and Babe Ruth? Wouldn’t we all rather see grown men hitting batting stance guy instead of hitting a woman?
As a kid, I really loved Freddy McGriff. I always wanted to go see the Padres play when they came to Cincinnati the once or twice a year. For the 1992 and 1993seasons I would devote myself to being a full-fledged Padres fan. Although McGriff played Robin to Tony Gwynn’s Batman; the Padres had a hell of a lineup that also consisted of a dynamic 24 year old Gary Sheffield who would contend for the triple crown for a while.
Other then those three, the Padres of that era were an abhorrent bunch. They had Andy Benes and Alan Ashby but lacked anyone else noteworthy. They were cheap. They slashed payroll. Thus ended my fandom.
One guy I remember was Oscar Azocar. When he came up to the plate, as a 12 year old jackass I laughed uncontrollably because I thought I had read his name was ‘Oscar Oscar’. Joke was on me.
But Freddy McGriff was a feared power hitter. As a kid you love that. I group him in with guys like Darryl Strawberry and Barry Larkin as first favorite players who shepherded me through my youth. He just looked cool in the batters box. I can still see his stance in my head. He also moved like a statue on the base paths. If first base wasn’t an option he would have not had a position to hide in (although he was a decent defensive first basemen)
As Ken Rosenthal points out; McGriff deserves more consideration for the mighty Hall of Fame then many would give him at first glance.
I know, I know; McGriff doesn’t strike you immediately as a Hall of Famer. But a comparison of his offensive statistics to those of Eddie Murray by the Rays’ public-relations department is rather telling.
McGriff had a higher OBP than Murray, .377 to .359, and a higher SLG, .509 to .476. Take it a step further, and he also had a higher OPS- plus, 134 to 129, according to baseball-reference.com.
Murray was a switch-hitter who won three straight Gold Gloves at first base in his late 20s; McGriff was a left-handed hitter and less-than-stellar defender. But McGriff’s offensive numbers, while compiled in a more hitter-friendly era, are too compelling to ignore. From 1988 to 2002, he averaged 31 homers and 97 RBIs.
If McGriff had hit seven more home runs to reach 500, would we even be having this discussion? His run of dominance lasted 15 seasons. His BA/ OBP/SLG line in 50 postseason games was .303/.385/.532.
I think the way the guy carried himself was Hall of Fame. I have to think he was clean, so there is debate whether or not his 493 lifetime big league bombs are Hall of Fame. I think that they are. McGriff was a quiet star. Not a superstar, but a star. And don’t forget that big time mustachio he had.
So let’s hope he gets some fair consideration for the Hall of Fame and maybe we’ll see a speech similar by the Crime Dog.
