Fred McGriff is a retired professional baseball player. He’s 59 years-old. He played Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. McGriff is a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and two-time home run leader. McGriff won the World Series in 1995. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fred McGriff was born on October 31, 1963 in Tampa, Florida. He attended Jefferson High School. He played on the high school baseball team. He originally missed the cut in his Sophomore year, but he made the team the following year. McGriff accepted a baseball scholarship from the University of Georgia, but did not play. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1981, but was traded to the Blue Jays the following year. McGriff made his major league debut 4 years after that.
Fred McGriff made his major league debut with the Blue Jays on May 17, 1986. He was the AL home run leader in 1989. He won his first Silver Slugger Award in 1989. McGriff stayed with the Blue Jays through 1990. He was traded to the Padres in the offseason.
Fred McGriff played his first season with the Padres in 1991. He made his first All-Star Game in 1992. McGriff led the NL in home runs in 1992 and won the 1992 Silver Slugger Award. It was the second time in McGriff’s career that he would be the home run leader, and it was also his second Silver Slugger Award. McGriff was traded to the Braves midway through the 1993 season. He won his third Silver Slugger Award that year.
Fred McGriff played his first full season with the Braves in 1994. He made it to the All-Star Game three years in a row from 1994-1996. He won the World Series with the Braves in 1995. He played his final season with the Braves in 1997. McGriff was left unprotected during the 1997 expansion draft that was held to introduce the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays into MLB as the two new expansion teams. Neither the Diamondbacks nor Devil Rays selected McGriff, so he stayed with the Braves. He was later traded to the Devil Rays for a player to be named later.
Fred McGriff played his first season with the Devil Rays in 1998. He made it to his fifth All-Star Game in 2000. He was traded to the Cubs midway through the 2001 season. The Cubs were hoping to remain competitive in 2001, but ultimately missed the playoffs.
After spending the second half of the 2001 season with the Cubs, Fred McGriff played a full season with the team in 2002. He hit 30 home runs during the 2002 season. McGriff became a free agent after the season.
Fred McGriff signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers in the 2002 offseason. He came into the 2003 season needing 22 home runs to reach 500 for his career. McGriff managed to hit 13. He became a free agent after the 2003 season.
Fred McGriff signed a one-year contract with the Devil Rays ahead of the 2004 season. It was McGriff’s last season of his career. He hit just 2 home runs that year and finished his career 7 shy of the 500 home run club.
Fred McGriff finished his career with a .284 lifetime batting average, 2,490 hits, 493 home runs, and 1,550 runs batted in. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class. He will be joined by Scott Rolen. Both players will be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year.
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