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Fred McGriff belongs in the Hall of the Very Good, not the Hall of Fame. Perusing my Baseball Encyclopedia, I see that the Crime Dog led the league in homers twice, in 1989 (with 36) and 1992 (35). In my mind, a Hall of Famer is someone who leads the league in a major offensive category several times. Two just isn't enough. Proponents of McGriff will point to his remarkable consistency. During his prime, he had seven straight years of more than 30 homers, an impressive feat indeed, but not enough for Cooperstown. McGriff is the kind of player who is often inducted by the Veterans Committee, and that may be his fate in 2015 or 2020.

Of course, McGriff's Hall campaign will suffer because of the time he played in. The 80's and 90's are now known as the Steroid Era. I personally doubt that Fred McGriff used steroids, but he could have. He certainly played against players who did. Some of those players will get into the Hall. Certainly anyone who played in that time is at least a little suspect. Whether Hall of Fame voters care, or the public cares, is another debate.

Hall of Famers should be fairly obvious. When watching a high-school or college sport, it's pretty easy to pick out the most talented player. At the highest level (NBA, NFL, MLB), the differences are smaller, but still there. Albert Pujols? Hall of Fame. Mariano Rivera? Hall of Fame. Tom Brady? Peyton Manning? Kobe Bryant? Hall of Fame. If you have to build a case for someone to be in the Hall of Fame, they most likely don't belong there.

Learn more about this author, Don Richards.
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