McGriff, Frederick S.
Baseball
b. Oct. 31, 1963, Tampa, FL
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound McGriff joined the Toronto Blue Jays for three games in 1988 and became a part-time starter at first base the following season, when he hit 20 home runs in 107 games.
Since then, the left-handed McGriff has hit 30 or more home nine times and has also established himself as an outstanding defensive player and a team leader. Toronto traded him to the San Diego Padres in 1991 and San Diego sent him to the Atlanta Braves for three players during the 1993 season.
McGriff was a major factor in Atlanta's stretch drive to the Western Division championship. When he joined the team in July, the Braves were 10 games behind the San Francisco Giants and they ended up edging the Giants by 1 game. He batted .435 with 1 home run, 6 runs scored, and 4 RBI in the 1993 NL championship series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but the Braves lost in six games.
After four more seasons with Atlanta, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Late in the 2001 season, the Devil Rays traded McGriff to the Chicago Cubs, who wanted a left-handed power hitter for their stretch. McGriff at first turned down the trade, as he was allowed to do under his contract, but he eventually approved the deal. He was also with the Cubs through the 2002 season and then went to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent.
McGriff led the American League with 36 home runs in 1989 and the National League with 35 in 1992. He has hit home runs in 37 different ballparks and is one of only six players to have hit home runs off 300 different pitchers. (The others are Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire, and Eddie Murray.)