Ken Griffey Jr
Ken Griffey Jr., born George Kenneth Griffey Jr. on November 21, 1969, is a former professional baseball player renowned for his exceptional skills and contributions to Major League Baseball (MLB). The son of MLB player Ken Griffey Sr., Griffey grew up immersed in the sport and quickly demonstrated his talent, being drafted as the first overall pick in the 1987 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut at just 19 years old, showcasing a combination of power and agility that earned him ten consecutive All-Star selections and multiple Gold Glove Awards.
Throughout his career, Griffey amassed impressive statistics, including 630 home runs and a .284 batting average, establishing himself as one of the premier players of the 1990s and early 2000s. Notably, he made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play together in the majors and was revered for his sportsmanship and integrity, remaining free of performance-enhancing drug allegations. After retiring in 2010, he continued to contribute to the sport as a special consultant for the Mariners, who later honored him by retiring his number and inducting him into their Hall of Fame. In 2016, Griffey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Ken Griffey Jr.
- Born: November 21, 1969
- Birthplace: Donora, Pennsylvania
Baseball player
One of the best all-around players in baseball history, Ken Griffey Jr. also was one of the most popular and well liked. He inspired teammates by performing superbly at bat and in the field. His enthusiasm gained legions of fans and helped solidify the major-league franchise in Seattle, where he began and ended his professional career.
Area of achievement: Sports: baseball
Early Life
George Kenneth Griffey Jr. was born on November 21, 1969, to professional baseball player Ken Griffey Sr. and Alberta “Birdie” Griffey. He grew up with younger brother Craig in Donora, Pennsylvania. When Ken Sr. became a regular with the Cincinnati Reds during the 1974 season, the Griffey family moved to Ohio. As a child, Griffey often attended his father’s games and mingled in the home team dugout with members of the “Big Red Machine” that dominated the National League in the 1970s, including Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and Johnny Bench. 
“Junior,” as he was nicknamed, excelled in sports at Moeller High School. A running back in football, he earned college scholarship offers, but his first love was baseball, in which he was twice his high school’s player of the year. Upon graduation in 1987, Griffey was the top pick in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft and entered the minor-league farm system of the Seattle Mariners. Showing big-league promise, he batted .320 with 14 home runs at Bellingham, Washington, in his first professional season. In 1988—when he suffered the first of many injuries—he was named the top prospect in the California League. By 1989, nineteen-year-old Griffey was in the major leagues.
Life’s Work
Griffey had a solid rookie season, batting .264, stealing 16 bases, slugging 16 home runs, and driving in 61 runs while playing brilliant defense in the outfield. He finished third in rookie of the year balloting in the American League (AL). In 1990, Seattle signed his father, and the Griffeys made major-league history by becoming the first father and son to play together on the same team. They also were the first father and son to hit consecutive home runs in a game. Griffey Jr. began a ten-year run of All-Star appearances and Golden Glove awards. Between 1990 and 1994, he hit .300 or better (with a high of .327 in 1991) and smacked at least 22 home runs each year, reaching 45 in 1993 and 40 in strike-shortened 1994. He also drove in at least 100 runs three straight seasons (1991–93). In the early 1990s he married wife Melissa; they had three children: Ken III (called Trey), Taryn, and Tevin.
Griffey’s batting average slumped to .258 in 1995. That season, he broke his wrist making an outstanding catch against the center field wall. After undergoing surgery and missing ten weeks of play, he returned to lead his team to the AL playoffs. He bounced back in 1996, batting .303 with 49 home runs and 140 runs batted in. The following year, he was the league’s most valuable player (MVP), setting career highs and leading the league in home runs (56) and runs batted in (147) while batting .304. He led the AL in home runs again in 1998 (56) and 1999 (48). Griffey’s exploits greatly quieted talk of moving the team and spurred the building of a new stadium, Safeco Field, afterward called “The House That Griffey Built.”
Hoping to play for a pennant winner, Griffey lobbied for a trade, preferably to hometown Cincinnati. Seattle obliged, and Griffey signed a nine-year contract for a relatively modest yearly salary of about $13 million. In his first season with the Reds, he hit a respectable .271 with 40 home runs and 118 runs batted in. From 2001 on, he was plagued by a succession of injuries that severely limited his playing time; during his tenure with the Reds, he missed the equivalent of three full seasons. He hit over .300 only once—in 2005, when he was National League comeback player of the year—and never again exceeded 40 home runs or 100 runs batted in in a season.
In 2008, the Reds traded Griffey to the Chicago White Sox. The next year, he returned to the Seattle Mariners and played sparingly, often as a designated hitter, until retiring early in the 2010 season. For his career, Griffey collected 630 home runs, 2,781 hits, and 1,836 runs batted in while compiling a .284 batting average.
In February 2011, it was announced that Griffey would be rejoining the Mariners, this time in the office capacity of a special consultant. This role requires him to work with the team in developing players during both spring training and the regular season, as well as other duties. Two years later, the Mariners inducted him into their Hall of Fame, and in 2014, the Reds celebrated his induction into their Hall of Fame as well. As expected, he experienced the ultimate recognition of his career when he traveled to Cooperstown, New York, to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and receive his plaque in July 2016. By August, the Mariners held a ceremony to retire his team number, twenty-four; his was the first in the Mariners organization to be retired.
Significance
Blessed with excellent foot speed, a strong left throwing arm, and a swing regarded as one of baseball’s best, Griffey was a premier offensive and defensive baseball player during the 1990s and early 2000s. The sixth player to accumulate six hundred career home runs, he was named to the MLB All-Twentieth-Century Team. Respected by teammates, opponents, and fans alike for his skills, good-natured demeanor, and clean-living reputation, Griffey—unlike other top sluggers of the era—was never tainted by rumors of performance-enhancing substances.
Bibliography
Griffey, Ken, et al. Junior: Griffey on Griffey. HarperCollins, 1997.
"Ken Griffey Jr." National Baseball Hall of Fame, baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/griffey-jr-ken. Accessed 20 July 2021.
Magee, David, and Philip Shirley. Sweet Spot: 125 Years of Baseball and the Louisville Slugger. Triumph Books, 2009.
Miller, Frederic P., et al., editors. Ken Griffey, Jr. Alphascript, 2009.
Mills, J. Elizabeth. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.: Baseball Heroes. Rosen Central, 2010.
Reiter, Ben. "Ken Griffey Jr. Prepares for His Proper Baseball Sendoff as the Hall Awaits." Sports Illustrated, 29 June 2016, www.si.com/mlb/2016/06/29/ken-griffey-jr-hall-of-fame-where-are-they-now. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.