I know this is coming out of nowhere but let's take a second to bask in the greatness of Fred McGriff and why he should be a Hall Of Famer. He has 493 homeruns, 7 short of the end all, be all 500, but that shouldn't effect or affect (I refuse to learn the difference) his candidacy for being a HOF. McGriff's best years came before the long ball was a normal event, and when 35 home runs were the equivalent to 50. From 1988-92, McGriff had four seasons with an adjusted OPS-plus of 153 or better, more than anyone else in either league. Both of his two home run titles came in that span 89-92. He finished in the top four in his league in home runs, OPS and home run ratio in all five of those years. You know how many other players can say that? None. McGriff ripped off seven straight 30-homer seasons from 1988-94, that may not seem like much of a streak now a days, but considering there have been 11 streaks that long since then. At the time, the only players in history who had hit 30-plus at least seven years in a row were Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Eddie Mathews, Mike Schmidt, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron and Ralph Kiner and they are all in Cooperstown. So does all of this mean he's a lock into the Hall Of Fame, absolutely not. But give credit, where credit is due, because if Jim Rice is in, the Crime Dog should be in too.
Plus he has an awesome swing.
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