Toronto Blue Jays: All-Time Leaders in Home Runs

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ANAHEIM, CA 1990: Outfielder Luis Polonia (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

1986-1990. 1B. FredMcGriff. 39. Pick Analysis. 125 home runs. 11. player

The fact that Fred McGriff is heading into his ninth year on the ballot and he hasn’t received more than a quarter of Hall of Fame votes is sad. While McGriff may not be a bonified Hall of Famer, he certainly deserves the nod and should be far closer to the 75% mark.

McGriff had a very short tenure with the Blue Jays, yet his stats rank up with the best. The ten batters ahead of him have all had 3700 or more plate appearances, but McGriff had just 2322 plate appearances.

McGriff had four full seasons with the Blue Jays to start his career, setting the table for a great career. McGriff slugged 20, 34, 36 and 35 home runs in his four years with Toronto. Despite this, McGriff did not garner a single All-Star appearance, only winning a Silver Slugger award in 1989.

The – hopefully – Hall of Famer ranks fairly well on the Blue Jays in limited time:

13th – WAR – 19.7

11th – Intentional Walks – 31

Second – OPS (>2000 PA) – .919

McGriff would go on to hit 493 home runs, drive in 1550 RBIs and hit .284 in his 19-year career. However, due to today’s reliance on sabermetrics to determine Hall of Fame players, we may never see McGriff enshrined in Cooperstown.

Most memorable home run: First ever home run hit by any player in the SkyDome on June 5, 1989.

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