Greg Vaughn has been announced as another new legend to join MLB The Show 23. Previously announced newcomers include Ian Kensler and Mike Lowell.
Vaughn was a left fielder who spent 15 years in the majors. Among his most unique qualities was his ability to remain consistent across so many seasons with multiple teams. Vaughn was named an All-Star for the first time in 1993, then again in ‘96, ‘98, and 2001. In other words, his peak performance years lasted nearly a decade.
Vaughn was a pure power hitter, with a grand total of 355 home runs and 1,072 RBI. His career slash line is .242/.337/.470 with a 30.9 WAR. In addition to four All-Star appearances, he also won the Silver Slugger Award in ‘98 and finished fourth in MVP voting in both ‘98 and ‘99. In the infamous home run record chase of ‘98, he finished fourth with 50 dingers, behind only Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr.
In 1999, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Like the New York Yankees, the Reds had a longstanding policy of not allowing facial hair on the field. Vaughn refused to shave, thus sparking a controversy of sorts. Ultimately, the Reds front office gave in and allowed Vaughn to keep his goatee. One might say it was a hairy situation.
Baseball runs in Vaughn’s family. His cousins Mo Vaughn and Jerry Royster were both major leaguers, and his son Cory Vaughn played professional baseball from 2010 to 2019, hitting his peak with the New York Mets’ AAA team in 2015.
Vaughn is now the third new MLB legend announced for MLB The Show 23. 14 new legends were added to MLB The Show 22 so expect more to be announced for ‘ ahead of the game’s release on March 28.
