Jul. 23—”What is your dream? Since elementary school, mine had been to play in the major leagues,” Fred McGriff said in his speech at the 2023 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremony Sunday in Cooperstown.
“My goal was to make it into the big leagues and I exceeded every expectation I could ever imagine and then some,” he added.
Sunday’s ceremony was the final chapter in the long, determined career of McGriff.
Now, the man known as “Crime Dog”, a five-time All-Star, three-time silver slugger and 1995 World Series Champion, can officially add Hall of Famer to his resume.
McGriff always had a love for the game, but it didn’t always come easy.
“It’s been a long journey, a lot of hard work put in, thousands of hours trying to get better,” McGriff said. “Like I tell everyone, a computer can’t measure what’s in someone’s heart.”
He talked about growing up in Tampa, Florida, living less than a mile from the Cincinnati Reds complex and watching the Big Red Machine in their spring training games with some of his friends.
He also talked about all the time he spent at his nearby little league park.
“We just picked teams and played,” he said. “We all got along. It didn’t matter where you’re from; it was great. When the lights came on we knew it was time to go home.”
Years later, McGriff tried out for the Jefferson High School varsity team his sophomore year.
Once tryouts had concluded, he felt he did well but when he went to look for his name on the roster posted outside the locker room, it wasn’t there.
“I didn’t see my name on that list,” he said. “It was disappointing.”
McGriff knew this could’ve been a time to quit playing baseball but he didn’t.
“Instead it motivated me,” he said. “I started riding my bike about three miles each way to the gym. I got stronger and I continued to play ball. The next year I tried out again and I made the team.”
The rest is history.
McGriff went on to be drafted in the ninth round of the 1981 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. He struggled early in his career, hitting just .148 with no home runs in his first taste of pro ball.
“It was quite the learning experience,” McGriff said. “I realized you have to treat baseball like its a job, so I doubled my effort. I was on a mission to improve as a hitter. It was time to work.”
McGriff repeated rookie ball a year later and performed better before a trade to the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I was happy because usually if a team trades for you, you know you got a chance,” he said. “Four years later, after riding those buses through the Carolinas and smoky mountains and then playing up here in Syracuse, my AAA manager gave me the news. ‘You’re going to the big leagues.’
“I couldn’t believe it. I was about to reach my ultimate goal.”
McGriff was later traded to the San Diego Padres in 1991 and again to the Atlanta Braves in 1993 where he helped them win a World Series in 1995.
“We finally pulled it off and won the first championship for the city of Atlanta,” he said. “The proudest team moment of my career.”
Winning the World Series was one of the many achievements that helped make McGriff a fan favorite.
There were plenty of fans in attendance Sunday to celebrate his achievement of being a part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
“I was a McGriff fan back when he won the World Series,’ Michelle Rigney of Tampa, Florida said. “I am not a huge baseball fan but I was a Fred McGriff fan because of the way he played and you could always count on him. He is also such a nice person and a great guy. He caught my attention when I was a kid.
“I grew up watching the Braves and McGriff won the World Series with them so I love the guy,” Luis Rigney added. “He is my kind of guy. He never played in college, just drafted right out of high school. Mild-mannered and great guy.”
“I just like the way he carried himself and how he played the game,” Kenny Hilliard of Dallas, Texas said. “He was quiet, humble, never tried to show anyone up and was always a clutch performer. I’ve followed his career since his Toronto days since I was 17 years old so this day is long overdue. So happy for him and happy to be here today.”
After stints with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, McGriff retired in 2005 with 2,490 hits, 493 home runs and 1,550 RBI.
The career that began with being cut from a high school team will now forever be remembered as a Hall of Fame career.
“When your career is validated by former players and executes who saw you play, that’s as good as it gets,” McGriff said. “It is hard to put today’s induction into perspective. This is baseball’s biggest honor. This is like icing on the cake.”
McGriff concluded his speech by encouraging those watching to follow through on their dreams.
“I honestly would’ve been happy playing one day in the big leagues,” he said. “This means a lot to me so I encourage you, whatever your dream is, to never give up. Always remember to stay true to who you are.”