The Kid: The Awesome Career of Ken Griffey Jr.

Recently sports fans witnessed the end of an era when Ken Griffey Jr. announced his retirement from Major League Baseball at the age of 40. Recently his play has not been very good, but that is normal for older players that DON'T USE STEROIDS. Griffey may be the only "Steroid Era" slugger who has never been involved with a steroid scandal. Critics note his sweet swing, his slim frame (before he became old and chubby), and his natural decline with age as reasons why his name was never dragged through the dirt and questioned. Many young fans only know the mediocre Jr. but he was arguably the best player in baseball for a decade. Injuries tragically plagued this stars' career, but let's stick to the great parts of his career after the jump. 

Stats and Records

The Kid played in his first MLB game at age 18 in 1989 and quickly won the hearts of the Seattle Mariners faithful. His flashy and energetic play in the field made him an instant hit throughout the majors. Many baseball analysts cite Jr. as a player who changed the way the outfield was played. He is remembered in the field for his amazing ability to cover a large area and his fantastic home run robbing wall climbs. From 1990-1999 he won 10 Gold Glove Awards in a row in center field for the Mariners. 

Griffey Gon' Griff

During that same span Griffey was one of the best hitters in baseball year after year. He won the Silver Slugger Award for best batter at his position 7 times and AL MVP in 1997. Junior was selected to the All-Star team 13 times and holds the record for most home run derbies won with 3, two of them coming back to back in 1998 and 1999. He's fifth on the all time home run list with 630 but that does not tell the whole story. Many believe that if he didn't suffer from so many injuries from 2001 on he would easily be on top of that list today. 

Beyond the Stats

What makes Griffey so great is how he handled the game of baseball. He never has even been accused of using steroids and he still could be the greatest home run hitter in MLB history. Junior had one the the most smooth and pure swings the game of baseball has ever seen. He rarely crushed a baseball like some do, but as long as it goes over the wall is all that matters. His sweet swing allowed him to look effortless at the plate as he just seemed to flick the ball out of the park. It was a joy to watch him at bat because of this. 

When he wasn't at the plate he was always having fun. Since he entered the league at 18 he always seemed to have that infectious smile on his face and a joyful attitude. He just purely loved the game of baseball. His enthusiasm for the game really showed up in his fielding play. I always remembered Griffey playing extremely shallow for a center fielder. He did this because he had amazing anticipation and could get a great jump on the ball running backwards. It seemed like he would run the whole outfield in a flash and get to the wall just in time to make a leaping catch. 

Unfortunately I only was able to see him a few times live at the stadium when he was a member of the Reds. It was still a thrill to watch him swing and see him roam the outfield like he was king. For a good decade he was king.

Jr. and Sr.

Other Random Notes

• On August 31, 1990 Griffey Jr. and Sr. become the first, and to this day, only father/son tandem to play on the same team at the same time. Imagine what it must have felt like to be Jr. in the outfield next to his father, and imagine how proud Griffey Sr. must have been. 
• Griffey had the best SNES and N64 baseball video games without a DOUBT
• He is a great philanthropist (not full on rapist) who works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and even has his own charity, The Ken Griffey Jr. Family Foundation.
• He was the first player asked by Commisioner Selig to wear number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.
• He is tied for most consecutive games with a home run with 8 games in a row in 1993.
• He once lost a bet to manager Lou Pinella. He was supposed to buy Lou a nice steak dinner. Instead on April Fools Day he brought a large live cow into Lou's small office as his reward! Video here.