Fred McGriff was chosen as the newest member of the Baseball of Fame on Sunday, despite the fact that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling all passed over.
The contemporary baseball era committee considered a ballot of eight candidates whose contributions to the game took place after 1980. 75% of the vote is needed to be elected.
McGriff played for six different clubs for 19 years. The five-time All-Star clubbed 493 homers and collected 2,493 hits while finishing in the top 10 of the voting for the Most Valuable Player six times.
McGriff hit at least 30 homers in a season for five different teams. He was a part of the 1995 Braves team that won the World Series.
McGriff did not get over the hump in 10 appearances on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, but he did get over the hump in his final year of eligibility.
McGriff's consistent excellence and track record of no performance-enhancer-related scandals made him a favorite of Hall of Fame pundits. McGriff will be giving the biggest speech of his life on July 23 at the Hall of Fame.
| Player | Votes (Pct) |
|---|---|
| Fred McGriff | 16 votes, (100%) |
| Don Mattingly | 8 votes, (50%) |
| Curt Schilling | 7 votes (43.8%) |
| Dale Murphy | 6 votes (37.5%) |
| Albert Belle | Less than 4 votes |
| Barry Bonds | Less than 4 votes |
| Roger Clemens | Less than 4 votes |
| Rafael Palmeiro | Less than 4 votes |
| -- Baseball Hall of Fame |
While McGriff was celebrating the long-awaited honor, much of the chatter in the lead-up to Sunday's announcement centered around all-time greats on the ballot who have been associated with various scandals.
It was the first time that Bonds, Clemens and Schilling had faced a Hall committee since they failed to make the BBWAA's final cut. Support for Schilling dropped after he made comments about Muslims and other people that were offensive. Bonds received 260 of the 409 votes on the BBWAA ballot, which was 66 percent of the total.
The contemporary era panel was made up of Hall of Fame members Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas, Alan Trammell and major league executives. Jane Forbs-Clark was not a voting member of the committee.
Chipper Jones was supposed to take part in the deliberations but had to bow out due to illness. He was replaced on the panel by Hall.
The eight-man ballot was rounded out by Don Mattingly. Mattingly had eight votes of 12 needed to be elected. The two men had seven and six, respectively. None of the others had more than three.
There is a chance that Contemporary Era players could be included in the 2026 ceremony.
The AP contributed.
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