Fred McGriff Wins Cooperstown Election In Unanimous Verdict

For Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, statistics alone were not enough to get them to Cooperstown.

Fred McGriff was the only player was elected when the Contemporary Baseball Era committee met at the San Diego Winter Meetings. He received the maximum 16 votes from the committee, winning a rare unanimous vote when only 75 per cent (12 votes) was required.

McGriff, a first baseman who matched Lou Gehrig with 493 home runs, was a five-time All-Star who played for six different teams, winning a World Series ring with the Atlanta Braves and an All-Star Game MVP award.

Signed by the New York Yankees, he also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers. A 6’3″ left-handed hitter who led both leagues in home runs, McGriff topped a ballot that included seven other stars of the ‘80s: Bonds, Clemens, Curt Schilling, Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy.

Bonds and Clemens, suspected but never suspended for involvement in performance-enhancing substances, brought imposing resumes to the table. The former was voted National League Most Valuable Player seven times, while the latter won seven Cy Young Awards. No one else has come close to matching those achievements.

Palmeiro had 3,000 hits and 500 home runs but angrily denied steroids usage in a finger-waving tirade at a Congressional committee.

Schilling, a big-game pitcher for three different teams, probably cost himself election to Cooperstown by posting inflammatory political comments on social media – and then telling voting writers not to vote for him.

Both Belle and Mattingly had relatively short playing careers but the former had a bombastic tenure marked by numerous temperamental outbursts. Mattingly, on the other hand, was the quiet captain of the Yankees, winning nine Gold Gloves and an MVP award, before becoming a big-league manager for a dozen seasons.

Murphy was also known for his quiet demeanor but mean stick. He hit 398 home runs, had a 30/30 season, and won five Gold Gloves and two home run crowns for the Atlanta Braves before finishing his 18-year career in Philadelphia and Colorado.

The seven candidates who missed election could get another chance in three years, when the Contemporary Baseball Era committee votes again. But there’s no guarantee their names will appear on its next ballot. The voting panel will also be reconstituted.

Bonds, Clemens, and Schilling were eligible for this year’s vote after using up the maximum 10-year stay on the writers’ ballot without winning the required three-quarters of the vote.

The Baseball Writers Association of America [BBWAA] is currently considering candidates for the Class of 2023, with their vote to be revealed late next month. With no newcomer expected to be a strong candidate, holdover Scott Rolen could have the best chance at election after posting the best percentage last year.

Anyone chosen by the writers will join McGriff on the podium in Cooperstown when the Class of 2023 is inducted next July 23.