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Blue Jays have plenty of ties to the Hall of Fame ballot

By Chris Henderson

COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 24: Roberto Alomar gives his speech at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 24, 2011 in Cooperstown, New York. In 17 major league seasons, Alomar tallied 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, 1,134 RBI, a .984 fielding percentage and a .300 batting average. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 24: Roberto Alomar gives his speech at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 24, 2011 in Cooperstown, New York. In 17 major league seasons, Alomar tallied 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, 1,134 RBI, a .984 fielding percentage and a .300 batting average. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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LUIS POLONIA OF THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS AVOIDS THE TAG OF TORONTO BLUE JAYS FIRST BASEMAN FRED MCGRIFF AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT
LUIS POLONIA OF THE CALIFORNIA ANGELS AVOIDS THE TAG OF TORONTO BLUE JAYS FIRST BASEMAN FRED MCGRIFF AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT /

The Crime Dog was criminally underrated

Fred McGriff

The “Crime Dog” will appear on the ballot for the 9th time, and he’s had a difficult time gaining momentum with Hall of Fame voters. He earned just 21.7% of the vote last year, and is often overshadowed in an era of sluggers, especially others who played first base, as he did.

Still, McGriff was a force throughout his big league career, and it got started with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He debuted in 1986, getting just three at bats, before becoming a starter the following year. He played in 107 games and slugged 20 home runs as a rookie, showing the Jays early on that he was going to bring some thunder from the corner of the infield.

He was good enough to receive MVP votes in his next three seasons with the Blue Jays, even winning a Silver Slugger award in 1989 when he hit 36 home runs and drove in 92 RBI. He was part of a young and talented Blue Jays’ team, before suddenly he was off to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster before the 1991 season. The Padres sent Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays in exchange for McGriff and Tony Fernandez, in a deal that worked out well for the Jays even if they did send some significant talent back.

All told, McGriff would slash .284/.377/.509 over his 19 seasons, blasting 493 home runs (just shy of the magical 500 mark), and driving 1550 runs for the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs, and Dodgers. Those are rock solid numbers, but it appears they’ll be just short of getting him into the Hall, unless something changes in the next two years.

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