(via Baseball Hall Of Fame Communications) - Five-time All-Star and 1995 World Champion Fred McGriff earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee process, it was announced today on MLB Network.
McGriff was the only candidate elected from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Players Ballot, which was considered by a 16-member committee that held meetings today in San Diego. The eight-person ballot was comprised of candidates whose primary contribution to the game came from 1980 to the present.
McGriff was named on all 16 ballots as the only candidate to reach the 75-percent threshold necessary for election.
McGriff, 59, will be joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 by any electees who emerge from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting, which will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
McGriff played 19 seasons with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers from 1986-2004, earning five All-Star Game selections at first base. He reached the 30-homer mark in 10 seasons, becoming the first player in history to hit 30-or-more home runs with five different franchises. The 1994 All-Star Game MVP and one of the leaders of the 1995 Braves team that won the World Series, McGriff totaled 493 home runs and eight 100-RBI campaigns, finishing in the Top 10 of his league’s Most Valuable Player Award voting six times. McGriff led his league in homers twice while compiling a .377 career on-base percentage.
The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Ballot was comprised of Hall of Fame members Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammell; major league executives Paul Beeston, Theo Epstein, Derrick Hall, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Dave St. Peter and Ken Williams; and veteran media members/historians Steve Hirdt, LaVelle Neal and Susan Slusser. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark served as the non-voting chairman of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
Chipper Jones was originally scheduled to be a member of the Contemporary Baseball Committee but was replaced by Hall after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Ballot (12 votes needed for election): Fred McGriff (16 votes, 100.0%); Don Mattingly (8 votes, 50%); Curt Schilling (7 votes, 43.8%); Dale Murphy (6 votes, 37.5%); Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro each received less than four votes.
The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee will next consider player candidates in 2025 for the 2026 Induction year, as part of the three-year era committee cycle. The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Executives/Managers/Umpires Ballot will be considered in the winter of 2023 for the Class of 2024, and the Classic Era Committee will consider candidates whose primary contributions to the game came prior to 1980 in the winter of 2024 for the Class of 2025. Committees are annually scheduled to convene at the Winter Meetings.
The eight Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee finalists were selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America-appointed Historical Overview Committee from all eligible candidates whose most significant career impact was realized from 1980 to the present. Eligible candidates include players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who have been retired for at least 15 seasons and who are not on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list.
The Historical Overview Committee, which developed the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot, includes Bob Elliott (Canadian Baseball Network), Jim Henneman (formerly Baltimore Sun), Steve Hirdt (Stats Perform), Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), David O’Brien (The Athletic), Jack O’Connell (BBWAA), Jim Reeves (formerly Fort Worth Star Telegram), Tracy Ringolsby (InsidetheSeams.com); Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle), Susan Slusser (San Francisco Chronicle) and Mark Whicker (Los Angeles News Group).
Hall of Fame Weekend 2023 will be held July 21-24 in Cooperstown, N.Y., with the Induction Ceremony slated for Sunday, July 23, 2023. The BBWAA election results will be announced at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 24, on MLB Network.
Also this week, two Hall of Fame award winners will be announced, with the BBWAA selecting its annual Career Excellence Award winner on Tuesday, Dec. 6, for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, the Museum will announce the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award winner, given for excellence in baseball broadcasting.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES