Fred McGriff, one of the Braves’ most popular past players, has joined the ranks of Baseball’s most elite.
He’s been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
McGriff, known as “The Crime Dog” after the crime-fighting cartoon character McGruff the Crime Dog, officially received the honor on Sunday at Cooperstown, NY, the home of the Hall of Fame. He was honored alongside fellow inductee, Scott Rolen, of the St. Louis Cardinals.
McGriff was humbled and honored to receive the induction, which took multiple votes since his first year of eligibility in 2010 before he was awarded the honor after the final vote in 2019.
“It is hard to put today’s induction into perspective. This is baseball’s biggest honor,” McGriff told the audience. “This is like icing on the cake. You see my goal was simply to make it to the big leagues. And I exceeded every expectation I could ever imagine and then some.”
While the induction paid homage to McGriff’s larger baseball career, Braves fans will remember his time in Atlanta, when he helped the team ascend to multiple division championships in the 90s after he arrived in Atlanta in 1993. He scored 90 RBIs for five consecutive years after his arrival, and his efforts helped the Braves win the 1995 World Series.
In addition to the Braves, which he played from 1993-1997, McGriff also played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1986-1990), San Diego Padres (1990-1993), Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays (1998-2001, 2004), Chicago Cubs (2001-2002), and the LA Dodgers (2003).
In his career, he scored 2,490 hits, batted 493 home runs, and scored 1,550 runs. His MLB batting average is .284.
McGriff’s speech had recollections of the events and accomplishments during his career. He recalled and showed appreciation to a few of his fellow players, trainers, and coaches who helped him during his career. He also thanked his deceased parents, family members, and team staffers he worked with during his career.
“You are all part of this recognition,” he said “You helped me live out my dream. Thank you so much.”
He concluded his speech with a positive message to the audience, which seemed to recall the day he arived in Atlanta, and the stadium accidently caught fire just before his first game there.
“I encourage you, whatever your dream is, never give up,” he said. “Stay true to who you are. There will be fires along the way. Those fires can ignite the spark of the next season of your life.”
