Ranking the Chicago Cubs Top-10 nicknames of all-time

6. Fred “The Crime Dog” McGriff: 2001 – 2002.

Fred McGriff only played for one and a partial season for the Cubs at the back end of his career, but I don’t care. If nobody called McGriff “The Crime Dog” it would be one of the biggest misses in baseball history.

By the time he came to the Chicago Cubs, McGriff had already tallied up a good portion of his borderline Hall of Fame career, tallying five All-Star game appearances, an All-Star game MVP, two Silver Sluggers, and several votes for MVP. Even as a Cub, he still put up an impressive slash line, hitting a total of 49 home runs while with the organization.

McGriff ended his career only seven home runs shy of 500, which would have put him among only 27 other hitters in baseball history. He finished with an impressive slash line of .284/.377/.509, also leaving him just shy of the magical .300/.400/.500 mark.

Now, it can be debated whether or not McGriff belongs in Cooperstown, but the greatness of his nickname can not be argued. Referencing the fictional dog McGruff, who educated kids on how to stay safe and handle any criminal situations, the nickname practically presented itself on a silver platter for the slugger.

For the time McGriff played, this was a very apt nickname that also had a bit of an intimidating edge to it. If I were pitching against McGriff, I’d be afraid he’d take a bite out of my fastball and send it over the fence.