McGriff joins Triple-A Durham, will be called up to majors May 19, 2004 SportsLine.com wire reports
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Fred McGriff may yet get his chance to reach 500 home runs.
The 40-year-old slugger has decided to join Triple-A Durham, and the sagging Tampa Bay Devil Rays expect to promote him to the majors by the end of May.
"I think three left-handed hitters in the lineup hitting .200 or below prompts us to make this move," Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar said Wednesday. "Fred McGriff gives us an experienced bat in the line up. We're looking for offense."
McGriff is nine home runs short of 500.
The Devil Rays were a major league worst 10-27 entering Wednesday night's game against Boston. They were hitting an AL-low .239, and their DHs were batting .157.
"Fred's had a wonderful career. Hopefully we'll be in a position to give him an opportunity to hit his nine home runs and he in turn can help us win some baseball games," manager Lou Piniella said.
Last season, the first in which he spent time on the disabled list, McGriff hit a career-low .249 with 13 homers and 40 RBI in 86 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Devil Rays signed McGriff to a minor league contract for spring training, giving him a chance to show he was healthy. After finding no takers, the Tampa native stayed home to get in shape.
The first baseman/DH will play in Durham's game Thursday night.
"We expect by the end of the month for him to be ready to be called up and will be called up to the major leagues provided he's healthy at that time," LaMar said.
"He's been working out everyday," he said. "Staying in shape is not a problem for Fred McGriff. Getting in baseball shape is what he needs to do in the next couple weeks. That's what he'll do in Durham."
McGriff was traded from Atlanta to the Devil Rays before the club's inaugural season in 1998. He played 3½ seasons for Tampa Bay before reluctantly accepting a trade to the Chicago Cubs in July 2001.
A .285 hitter over 18 seasons with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers, McGriff has 1,543 career RBI.
AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
I hope he gets his 500....does anyone think getting 500 gets him in the hall?
kcbelieves wrote: I hope he gets his 500....does anyone think getting 500 gets him in the hall?
nope. because he endorsed the "baseball video that gives results" and because he wears his cap funny... also, he hasn't really won anything in his career, has he?
Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll drown because you forgot to teach him to swim.
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England's Worcester Canoe Club set the world record for paddling a hand-propelled bathtub. The 25 man team covered a distance of 55 miles, 425 yards in 24 hours on September 28 and 29, 1979.
umm...1993 HR king if that counts...granted it was with 35...but then that was a lot. He also won some division titles w/ the braves...but those aren't personal
Oh yeah...and best of all...
He won a fire.
The night he first came to atlanta as a brave in june of 1993, the press box in Atlanta Fulton-County stadium caught fire. That's gotta be worth something.
Seeing as the Braves have won 12 division titles in a row, does that mean that soon they are going to have to start making columns as well???
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by Arrowhead Nation » Wed May 19, 2004 8:45 pm 
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