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McGriff chasing the Hall?

A big man with a low profile, Rays slugger Fred McGriff is compiling impressive numbers.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 30, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- The notion of a Devil Ray in the Hall of Fame is not entirely foreign. It was broached several years ago because Wade Boggs was closing in on 3,000 hits and that milestone always has produced an automatic invite to Cooperstown. The topic came up again when Jose Canseco signed in Tampa Bay because, well, Canseco liked to talk about the Hall of Fame.

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] Fred McGriff says he is proudest of the consistency of his career.

Boggs is retired now, Canseco might as well be, but the Rays still will put a player with Hall of Fame-caliber credentials on the field for opening day.

Fred McGriff has neither campaigned for, nor even acknowledged, the possibility of a Hall of Fame plaque.

So let us do it for him.

As he enters his 15th full season in the majors, McGriff has 417 home runs and 2,103 hits. For starters, every eligible player with at least 400 home runs and 2,200 hits has been inducted in the Hall.

"I don't think you get to the Hall of Fame without consistency being one of your traits. And in a day where society wants quick fixes and what-can-you-do-for-me-now, well, Fred has been doing it for 14 years and we expect it for his 15th year," Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said.

"Whether you think of him as a Hall of Famer or not, and whether he remains in Tampa Bay or does it somewhere else, if Fred McGriff stays healthy and has three years of productivity, he's going to be on the verge."

McGriff, 37, has flown far below the normal radar of Hall of Fame activity. Maybe it is because he has a low-key personality. Maybe it is the lack of that single, monster season that makes a career memorable.

Whatever the reasons, McGriff never has been perceived as a sure-fire candidate for the Hall. Or even a strong candidate.

Yet the evidence suggests otherwise. He has six seasons of 100 or more RBI. So does another first baseman named Mark McGwire. He has 13 seasons with 20 or more home runs. The same number as Barry Bonds.

Some might argue that McGriff never has been a dominant or feared slugger like, say, Willie Stargell was for the Pirates in the 1970s. Stargell, who was a first ballot pick for the Hall of Fame, won two home run titles. McGriff also has won two.

For all of his accomplishments, McGriff has remained remarkably even-keeled. Sometimes frustratingly so. What was perceived as indifference during his career-worst season in 1998 looks consistent in retrospect.

"Every player in this clubhouse can hit, every ballplayer I've ever played with can hit and pitch. But it's the guys who are consistent that are great players," McGriff said. "Anybody can have one or two good years or a few good weeks. But it's the guys who do it every day, year after year after year, those are the guys that I respect.

"Every time you think you've got it made, this game will slap you in the face. The guys who have a level head are the ones having the most success over the long haul. The guys throwing temper tantrums? They usually don't last too long. You look at a (Greg) Maddux or a (Tom) Glavine and you wouldn't know they've won as many Cy Youngs as they have because they are humble. It's because they play the game like professionals."

As reluctant as McGriff is to talk about personal goals or successes, he will admit that 500 home runs is an enticement. Only 16 players have reached that plateau.

McGriff has averaged 26 home runs during the past three years. Let's say, due to age, those numbers dip to 20 a season. McGriff would be at 497 home runs by the time he turned 40.

"I don't know if Fred will ever admit it because he is pretty humble, but he is getting close to looking at the kind of numbers that would put him in the Hall of Fame," manager Larry Rothschild said. "That becomes a huge incentive, and it should be."

Along the way, McGriff has played on five division winners, two pennant winners and one World Series winner. He also has appeared in five All-Star Games. The idea that the Hall of Fame might one day follow his career is a little too overwhelming to consider right now.

"When I think about my career, I laugh. I tell myself, "I tricked them again today,' " McGriff said. "Growing up in Tampa, I wasn't the best ballplayer, but I worked hard to still be playing at this age. Who would have thought, growing up off of Dale Mabry and going to see the Reds play in spring training, that I'd still be surviving in ballparks.

"You dream all your life about playing in the big leagues and one day I'm going to wake up and this dream will all be over. And I'll say thank you to everybody because I know I've been blessed."

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