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Ken Griffey Jr.

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Ken Griffey, Jr.
Cincinnati Reds – No. 3
Right fielder
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
debut
April 3, 1989, for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics
(through September 30, 2007)
Avg.290
HR593
RBI1,701
Slugging pct..553
Teams

George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. (born November 21 1969, in Donora, Pennsylvania) is a second generation Major League Baseball player that has performed on both the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds. His nicknames have been "The Natural", "The Kid", and "Junior". He is the son of former big league outfielder Ken Griffey, Sr.

Youth and early career

Ken Griffey Jr. shares not only the same birthday, but also the same birthplace, as Hall of Famer Stan Musial in the town of Donora, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father, Ken Griffey, Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds when Junior was five. He attended the Archbishop Moeller High School.

In 1987 Griffey was selected with the first overall pick of that year's amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners based on his tremendous potential. One scout said of Griffey, "If you thought Barry Bonds was interesting, wait until you see this kid." In January of 1988, Griffey attempted suicide by swallowing over two hundred aspirin. He ended up in the intensive care unit at Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio. Griffey was overwhelmed by racial slurs direced at him as well as a tenous relationship with his father. He rebounded the next year as a big leaguer, he was well on the way to the Rookie of the Year award but was thwarted when he slipped in the shower and broke a bone in his right hand in late July, 1989. While with the Mariners, Griffey established himself as baseball's premier player—during the 1990s, Griffey was considered one of the best players of all time. Before injuries cut into his production, he was a top run producer and the best center fielder in the big leagues. Griffey hit for a high average, batting over .300 for seven of the years of the '90s, and hit with power as well, slugging 422 home runs during the decade.

Additionally, his defense in center field was widely considered among the elites during the decade. Thanks to his impressive range, Griffey frequently made spectacular diving plays, and he often dazzled fans by making over-the-shoulder basket catches (a la Willie Mays' "the Catch" in the 1954 World Series) and by robbing opposing hitters of home runs at the wall — leaping up and pulling them back into the field of play. He was featured on the Wheaties cereal box and, because of his general likability and good reputation, was an effective pitchman. Griffey also had his own signature sneaker line from Nike, Inc.

One of Ken Griffey Jr. signature sneakers, the Nike Air Griffey Max.

Because of his all-around excellent play, he was a perennial participant in the All-Star Game, particularly during the 1990s although less so during the early '00s because of injuries. Junior has led his league multiple times in hitting categories and was awarded Gold Gloves for his defensive excellence from 1990 to 1999. Griffey also became one of a very small number to have played on the same team as his father, Ken Griffey, Sr. in 1990 and 1991. At the MLB Home Run Derby in 1993, which was held at Oriole Park in Baltimore, Griffey slugged a ball over the right field wall, hitting the warehouse. Griffey is the only player to ever hit a home run that has hit the warehouse, an impressive feat, considering the ballpark's 15-year history. In 1997, he won the American League Most Valuable Player award, hitting .304, with 56 home runs and 147 runs batted in.

Perhaps the single most memorable moment of Griffey's career with the Mariners came during the 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees. After losing the first two games, the Mariners and Griffey were on the verge of elimination, but came back to win the next two games, setting up a decisive fifth game. In the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 5, with Griffey on first base, teammate Edgar Martinez hit a double. Griffey raced around the bases, slid into home with the winning run, and popped up into the waiting arms of the entire team. Although the Mariners subsequently lost the ALCS to former Mariners manager Mike Hargrove's Indians, that moment remains one of the most memorable in Mariners history, capping a season that has been credited with "saving baseball in Seattle", as it occurred in the midst of speculation that the franchise would relocate to another city.

As the Mariners were playing to sell out crowds in the Kingdome, the voters of Washington state's King County narrowly defeated a ballot proposal to build a new baseball stadium. Following the success of the team that season and the narrowness of the vote, the then-governor of Washington, Mike Lowry, called a special session of the Washington State Legislature where a new stadium authority was created and a new tax on hotels and rental cars were added to support the baseball stadium. Today this facility is known as Safeco Field and is often referred to as 'the house that Griffey built' by the local sports cognoscenti.

This game five final play of the ALDS was the inspiration for the title of the video game, Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run for the Super Nintendo.

In 1999, he ranked 93rd on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. This list was compiled during the 1998 season, counting only statistics through 1997. It was argued by some that, had the voting been done two or three years later, he would have been ranked several places higher: at age 29 (going on 30), he was easily the youngest player on the list. That same year, Griffey was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. However, when TSN updated their list for a new book in 2005, despite having surpassed 400 and 500 home runs, Griffey remained at Number 93.

While playing with Seattle, Griffey was a 9-time American League Golden Glove winner, the 1992 All-Star Game MVP, 1997 AL MVP, 1998 ESPY co-winner for Male Athlete of the Year, and was named to the All-Century team in 1999.

File:Griffey artwork.jpg
Ken Griffey Jr. painted on a wall in downtown Seattle, 1994. The tick marks indicate how many home runs he had hit up to that point.

Departure from Seattle

Griffey used to live in the same neighborhood in Orlando as golfer Payne Stewart. After the tragic death of Payne Stewart (flying accident) on October 25, 1999, Griffey starting expressing a desire to live with his father in his hometown of Cincinnati. The primary reason for wanting out of Seattle was his desire to play closer to his home in Orlando where his family resided. Moving to Cincinnati allowed him to be only a short flight from his family.

After the 1999 season, Griffey's request was granted and he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko, Antonio Pérez, and Jake Meyer. Initially, the future looked extremely bright for him in Cincinnati, where the Reds had just come within one game of a playoff berth. It was the city in which he had grown up, and Griffey was reportedly very pleased to be playing on his father's former team — on the open market, Griffey could have made several million dollars more than the contract offered by the small-market Reds. However, his contract apparently includes backloaded payments which will be paid until 2024[1].

For obvious reasons, Ken Griffey Jr. is loved by the city of Seattle and its fanbase. He was the featured star of the M's throughout his tenure. In June 2007, the near-capacity crowd welcomed him back in a Reds' uniform for a three-game series in Seattle. Griffey hit two home runs in the last game of the series. In a TV interview broadcast on the local FSN affiliate following the series finale, Griffey emotionally expressed an interest in returning to the Seattle ballclub in the future should circumstances warrant it.

[2]

Tenure in Cincinnati

2000-2004

The 2000 season began what has generally been seen by the media as a decline in Griffey's superstar status. Although his statistics during this season were respectable, they were far below his previous level of play: in 145 games, Griffey hit .271 with 40 home runs, but his .942 on-base plus slugging was his lowest mark in five years. Griffey's request for his old jersey number also served as a distraction. [citation needed] Griffey wore his father's #30, not #24 like he did on Seattle. #24 was already retired in honor of Tony Perez and it was not brought out of retirement for Griffey. Additionally, from 2001 through 2004, Griffey was plagued by a string of injuries, including season-ending injuries in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Worse yet for Griffey, the cumulative effects of the injuries lowered his bat speed, resulting in less power and fewer home runs (he slugged only .426 before succumbing to injury in 2002, his lowest output in seven years). Some speculate that Griffey's myriad injuries are a result of a decade of playing on the Kingdome's artificial turf (Griffey missed nearly all of the 1995 regular season due to a hand injury) , which players claim is essentially like playing the game on asphalt. Others suggest that Griffey's lack of commitment to physical fitness while he was in his twenties opened him up to injury problems as he got older. Whatever the causes, injuries forced Griffey to miss 260 out of 486 games from 2002 through 2004, diminishing both his skills and his star reputation. Consequently, he is not nearly the ubiquitous presence he once was on cereal boxes, television commercials, and the All-Star Game.

In 2004, Griffey avoided major injury during the first half of the season, and on June 20 became the 20th player to hit 500 career home runs. His 500th home run came on Father's Day in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, with his father Ken Sr. in the stands; the homer also tied Ken Jr. with his father for career hits with 2,143. However, the injury bug bit again just before the All-Star break, when Griffey, Jr. suffered a partial hamstring tear, knocking him out of the All-Star Game and putting him on the disabled list yet again. He did get his 500th home run ball from a fan who was also there for Father's Day with his dad. The fan received many rewards from Griffey.

Griffey finished the 2004 season on the disabled list after suffering a complete rupture of his right hamstring in San Francisco on August 4. The play in question occurred at now AT&T Park in a game against the San Francisco Giants. Griffey was starting in right field for the first time in his 16-year Major League career when he raced toward the gap to try to cut off a ball before it got to the wall. He slid as he got to the ball, but in the process hyperextended his right leg, tearing the hamstring completely off the bone. He later came out of the game, complaining of "tightness" in the hamstring exacerbated by chilly conditions in San Francisco. But there was far more to it than anyone realized at the time.

Shortly after this injury, the Reds' team physician, Timothy Kremchek, devised an experimental surgery dubbed "The Junior Operation" that would use three titanium screws to reattach Griffey's hamstring. For several weeks, Griffey's right leg was in a sling that kept the leg at a 90-degree angle, and he was not able to move the leg until late October. After an intense rehabilitation period, he returned for the 2005 season. In April, he hit only .244 with only one homer (on April 30) and nine RBI's.[3]

2005-2006 Seasons

Starting May 1, the 2005 season saw the resurgence of a healthy Griffey. The fluid swing, which depends heavily on excellent lower body strength, returned to its original form, now that Griffey's hamstring and calf problems appear behind him. Junior's 35 home runs were his highest since his first year with the Reds as Griffey slowly moved up the career home run list. He ended the season tied with Mickey Mantle, after having passed Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, and Eddie Murray.

Early in September, he strained a tendon in his left foot (an injury unrelated to his past hamstring and calf problems), and was listed as day-to-day for several weeks. On September 22, with the Reds out of playoff contention, the team decided to bench him for the rest of the season so he could immediately have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and a separate operation to repair scars from his 2004 hamstring operation. Still, his 128 games in 2005 were the most he has played since 2000. Griffey's resurgence was recognized when he was named National League Comeback Player of the Year. He played in the World Baseball Classic for the American team that offseason.

Griffey and his wife Melissa have 3 children: George Kenneth III ("Trey"), daughter Taryn Kennedy, and adopted son Tevin Kendall. When Trey was born, then-Mariners' G.M. Woody Woodward sent him a player's contract dated 2012. Griffey switched his uniform number in 2006, from 30 to 3, to honor his three kids.

During the second game of the 2006 regular season, Griffey hit home run #537 which overtook Mickey Mantle's 12th all-time position on the home run list. He returned on May 11 from an injury he suffered to his knee on April 12 to hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Washington Nationals. On Mother's Day, May 14 2006, Griffey was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. On June 5, Jr. tied Fred McGriff's record by hitting a home run in his 43rd different ballpark, at the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium. On June 19, Griffey hit career home run 548, tying him with Mike Schmidt, and then six days later passed Schmidt with 549. On June 27, he hit his 550th career home run against the Kansas City Royals.

On September 25, 2006 Griffey hit his 27th home run of the season off of Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Scott Eyre to tie Reggie Jackson for tenth spot on the all time home run list. Both Griffey Jr. and Jackson had hit 563 career swats.

Griffey's injuries continued in the 2006 off season. While on holiday in the Bahamas with his family he broke his wrist. He said he was wrestling with his daughter and two younger sons when the oldest jumped in and knocked him off balance, he landed awkwardly on his left hand. Griffey said his hand felt fine and he expected to be ready to go for 2007 spring training.[4]

2007 Season

Since the beginning of the 2007 Major League Baseball Season, Ryan Freel has taken over center field for the Reds, and Griffey Jr. has been moved to right field. Narron said that "I’ve got to do everything I can do to put our best club out there. My feeling is that with Ryan Freel out there, it gives us strong defense up the middle."[5]

In April, 2007, Griffey was diagnosed with pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the cavity surrounding the lungs which can cause painful respiration and other symptoms.

On May 10, 2007 Griffey hit his sixth home run of the season and the 569th of his career, tying Rafael Palmeiro for ninth place on the career home runs list. He passed Palmeiro on May 13. Griffey tied Harmon Killebrew for eighth on the all-time list hitting his 573rd career home run on May 22. He then surpassed him on May 25.

On June 22, 2007 Griffey made his first return to Seattle after his trade to the Reds. Before the game, the Mariners honored him with a 15-minute presentation which included a highlight reel of his playing career with the Mariners, a presentation of a "The House that Griffey Built" memorial by Mariners hall-of-famers Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez, a 4 minute standing ovation from the sold out crowd, and a speech by Griffey. Many of the fans in attendance made signs professing gratitude and adoration toward Griffey with quotes such as: "The House that Griffey Built", "Seattle [hearts] Junior", and "Griffey we miss you." This was a more welcoming return for Griffey in Seattle compared to former Mariner Alex Rodriguez where fans threw out money back in 2001. In a reversal of common baseball etiquette, during Griffey's at bat in the first inning, with Brandon Phillips on first base, the Mariners pitcher Ryan Feierabend was booed by the home crowd for attempting to pick off Phillips twice before pitching to Griffey (something normally endured by away-team pitchers). Another oddity was when he walked to the plate for his first at bat. While usually the visiting team's names get read monotonously by the P.A. Announcer, Griffey's was said with the same enthusiasm that a home player's would, and introduction music was played, which was the same music that was played when Griffey played in Seattle (Naughty by Nature HIP HOP HOORAY). However, every at bat after he was given the same visiting treatment. Griffey went 1-5 in the game. On June 24, during the third game of the series, Griffey hit his 583rd and 584th career home runs, tying and passing Mark McGwire for 7th place on the all-time career home run list.

On June 24, 2007 in an interview on FSN Northwest with Angie Mentink, Griffey stated that he would like to end his career as a Seattle Mariner and that he feels that he owes it to the fans of Seattle.

Would I do it? Yeah. I think for the simple reason that this is the place where I grew up and I owe it to the people of Seattle and to myself to retire as a Mariner.

Following the recent Cincinnati Reds vs Seattle Mariners series, a fan movement has emerged petitioning Mariners' management to bring Griffey back to the Seattle Mariners. Over 1,900 signatures have been collected on a fan vid-blog/petition.[6]

Griffey received the most votes of any player in the National League for the 2007 All-Star balloting and on the July 10 game, he went on to drive in two runs for the National League.

On July 16, 2007, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 587th home run to pass Frank Robinson and be alone in 6th place on the all-time home run list. He is now on his way to tying Sammy Sosa for 5th place on the list, for which he needs 604 home runs. On July 18, 2007, Griffey hit his 2,500th hit, a first inning single off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher John Smoltz.

On September 19, 2007 in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Griffey fielded a Derrek Lee single in right field, then suddenly went down in pain. He lay on the field for several minutes, but eventually walked off under his own power. The injury, first thought as a lower abdominal strain, was later revealed as a season-ending groin strain. This marks one of many seasons in Cincinnati which Griffey has had to end the year on the disabled list.

On August 22, 2007, Griffey was selected as an all-time Gold Glove winner, on a list of nine players are considered the greatest defensive players in the last fifty years.[1]

Career stats

Yr   Ag Tm  Lg   G   AB    R    H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  SB  CS   BB    K  AVG  OBP  SLG   TB  SH  SF IBB HBP GIDP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989 19 SEA AL 127  455   61  120  23   0  16   61  16   7   44   83 .264 .329 .420  191   1   4   8   2    4
1990 20 SEA AL 155  597   91  179  28   7  22   80  16  11   63   81 .300 .366 .481  287   0   4  12   2   12
1991 21 SEA AL 154  548   76  179  42   1  22  100  18   6   71   82 .327 .399 .527  289   4   9  21   1   10
1992 22 SEA AL 142  565   83  174  39   4  27  103  10   5   44   67 .308 .361 .535  302   0   3  15   5   15
1993 23 SEA AL 156  582  113  180  38   3  45  109  17   9   96   91 .309 .408 .617  359   0   7  25   6   14
1994 24 SEA AL 111  433   94  140  24   4  40   90  11   3   56   73 .323 .402 .674  292   0   2  19   2    9
1995 25 SEA AL  72  260   52   67   7   0  17   42   4   2   52   53 .258 .379 .481  125   0   2   6   0    4
1996 26 SEA AL 140  545  125  165  26   2  49  140  16   1   78  104 .303 .392 .628  342   1   7  13   7    7
1997 27 SEA AL 157  608  125  185  34   3  56  147  15   4   76  121 .304 .382 .646  393   0  12  23   8   12
1998 28 SEA AL 161  633  120  180  33   3  56  146  20   5   76  121 .284 .365 .611  387   0   4  11   7   14
1999 29 SEA AL 160  606  123  173  26   3  48  134  24   7   91  108 .285 .384 .576  349   0   2  17   7    8
2000 30 CIN NL 145  520  100  141  22   3  40  118   6   4   94  117 .271 .387 .556  289   0   8  17   9    7
2001 31 CIN NL 111  364   57  104  20   2  22   65   2   0   44   72 .286 .365 .533  194   1   4   6   4    8
2002 32 CIN NL  70  197   17   52   8   0   8   23   1   2   28   39 .264 .358 .426   84   0   4   6   3    6
2003 33 CIN NL  53  166   34   41  12   1  13   26   1   0   27   44 .247 .370 .566   94   1   1   5   6    3
2004 34 CIN NL  83  300   49   76  18   0  20   60   1   0   44   67 .253 .351 .513  154   0   2   3   2    8
2005 35 CIN NL 128  491   85  148  30   0  35   92   0   1   54   93 .301 .369 .576  283   0   7   3   3    9
2006 36 CIN NL 109  428   62  108  19   0  27   72   0   0   39   78 .252 .316 .486  208   0   3   6   2   13
2007 37 CIN NL 144  528   78  146  24   1  30   93   6   1   85   88 .277 .372 .496  262   0   9  14   1   10 AS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS         2378 8826 1545 2558 473 37  593 1701 184 68 1162 1582 .290 .374 .553 4875   7  94 230  77  173
19 Seasons

Stats are as of September 30, 2007.

Griffey in popular culture

Griffey has starred in four Nintendo videogames: 1994's Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball and 1996's Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as the Nintendo 64 games Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1998, and Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest in 1999. He has also appeared on the Game Boy in 1997 (a portable version of his 1994 game, with authentic rosters as they were on Opening Day 1997) and 1999's Slugfest, a portable version of the Nintendo 64 game.

In 1996, Nike promoted a "Ken Griffey Jr. for President" ad campaign, releasing "Griffey in '96" buttons and a TV commercial featuring Penny Hardaway. Of course, Griffey could not take office as he was only 27 at the time; the Constitution requires President to be at least 35. Thus the first election cycle which would be Constitutionally permissible would be the 2008 election.

Griffey also had a memorable guest turn on The Simpsons, in episode 52, during the third season, "Homer at the Bat", along with fellow stars José Canseco, Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry, Don Mattingly, Roger Clemens, Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, and Mike Scioscia. In the episode, Griffey overdoses on a nerve tonic prescribed to him by Mr Burns, causing him to suffer from gigantism.

Griffey also has had a candy bar name after him called the Ken Griffey Jr. Bar. Unfortunately, he is allergic to chocolate so their manufacture soon ceased.

Griffey was mentioned in an episode of "Scrubs". A paramedic, played by Molly Shannon, said she bought her son Griffey's card, and he carried it with him wherever he went.

Griffey also had an appearance in "Love Hurts", an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, in which he insults Will Smith at a local carnival. In 1994, he was featured in the major motion picture Little Big League, directed by Andrew Scheinman. In the 2001 baseball movie, Summer Catch, Griffey makes a brief cameo appearance at the very end of the movie, showcasing him hitting a home run at the now defunct Cinergy Field/Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

Griffey has appeared in some games in the Backyard Baseball series.

Griffey is a paintball fan and can often be found playing with his wife and children at paintball facilities around Orlando, Florida, his off-season home. At the 2007 PSP World Cup, Planet Eclipse presented Griffey with his own "Private Label" 2008 Ego paintball marker. [7][8][9]

Griffey was the first player to ask Bud Selig to wear the number 42 in celebration of Jackie Robinson Day. After its approval from the league commissioner, Selig encouraged players across the league to do the same in a temporary suspension of the number being retired to honor the great Jackie Robinson on Jackie Robinson day celebrated throughout the major league.

Griffey's 1989 Upper Deck Rookie card, numbered 1, was selected as the first ever* printed MLB baseball card for an official set by Upper Deck.

  • Promotional cards of Wally Joyner and DeWayne Buice were printed by the company, prior to the release of the official set. The Buice promo card is also numbered 1 on the reverse, but the hologram is rectangular, rather than the diamond shape.

Ken Griffey Jr's 1989 Upper Deck rookie card was mentioned on the Sci-fi television show Eureka in the episode titled Games people play as Sheriff Jack Carters prized baseball card from his former baseball card collection. The sheriff's ex-wife disposed of the collection.

See also

External links

  1. ^ http://www.rawlingsgoldglove.com/News/Releases/Aug-22-2007.aspx
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