@300--good poionts, and I shouldn't have implied the wrtiers notice OPS+. A casual fan (i.e. professional sportswriter) taking a 30 second look at McGriff's triple crown stats isn't going to notice much of the drop-off over the second half of his career. When you don't adjust for declining offense around the league his decline seems very modest, and isn't likely to be the reason he's not getting many votes.

If there is ever a time you go to a locker room hanger-on and ask for a syringe full of magic beans it's gotta be when you're stalled in the 490's.

A casual fan (i.e. professional sportswriter) taking a 30 second look at McGriff's triple crown stats isn't going to notice much of the drop-off over the second half of his career. When you don't adjust for declining offense around the league his decline seems very modest

Yeah, it's kinda a double edged sword that could go either way with regards to McGriff's worthiness. The change in the overall league offensive levels did help mask his decline a bit and make it look less severe than it really was, but it also overshadowed his peak so people didn't notice how great it really was either. It's an interesting conundrum, actually.

Still, I think without the strike, McGriff's support with the writers would have been at least double what it is now. Not only does he top 500 homers, but now he's also got a signature season with something like 48 homers and 130 rbi's, a far cry above his actual career highs of 37 and 107.