Greg Vaughn

Career

Vaughn played collegiate summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 1984 and 1985, leading the team to league titles both years and earning league MVP honors in 1985. He was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2009. Selected by the Brewers in the fourth round (75th pick) of the 1984 amateur draft, Vaughn was a slugger whose batting average often fell below .250 but who compensated with excellent power. He recorded three seasons with at least 100 runs batted in and four with 30 or more home runs, including 1998 when he hit 50 homers, finishing fourth in the major leagues behind Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire.

In 1999, the Padres traded him to the Cincinnati Reds, making Vaughn the first player in major league history to be traded after a 50-homer season. His arrival in Cincinnati sparked controversy when he refused to shave his goatee to comply with the Reds' policy of no facial hair; fans urged owner Marge Schott to lift the policy, which she did. That season Vaughn hit 45 homers, becoming the second player in major league history to hit 40 or more homers in consecutive seasons with two different teams, one year after Andrés Galarraga.

Earning back-to-back fourth-place finishes in NL MVP voting, 1998–99 marked his career peak. He became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 but received no votes and dropped off the ballot.