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Ken Griffey Jr., one of the most dynamic players in MLB history, was elected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, receiving 99 percent of the votes.
Griffey Jr. finished his career with outstanding numbers, including 630 home runs; 1,836 runs batted in; 2,781 hits and 13 All-Star selections.
The outfielder played for three different teams over 22 seasons between 1989-2010, but his greatest seasons were with the Seattle Mariners in the mid- to late ’90s. From 1993-1999, he had six seasons with at least 40 home runs, which included two seasons of 56 home runs and 140-plus RBIs.
Griffey Jr. was a remarkable talent who, when healthy, could do it all while making the game look effortless — including having one of the most beautiful swings in the game.
Along with what he did at the plate, Griffey Jr. was also known for his phenomenal outfield play. From 1990-1999, he was as close as one could come to a guaranteed lock for the Gold Glove, winning the award for 10 straight years.
Despite all of his accomplishments and undeniable talent, Griffey Jr. was overshadowed in the latter part of the ’90s by the likes of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. While Junior was having those 40 and 50-plus home run seasons, Sosa and McGwire had multiple 60-home run seasons.
As the steroid scandal of those years grew, and people started linking Sosa and McGwire and juicing, Griffey’s numbers stand out even more.
Even though he ended up with fantastic career numbers, they could have been even better. Griffey would have gotten close to, or possibly surpassed, Hank Aaron’s then home run record of 755 if he didn’t suffer a number of season-ending injuries in the early 2000s. In each of the 2002, 2003 and 2004 seasons, Griffey played fewer than 85 games.
After 2004, Griffey was only able to reach 30 home runs two more times.
Regardless of how hypothetically great Griffey could have been, he will be known for being “The Kid,” the guy who was not afraid to be himself and wear his cap backwards during batting practice and home run derbies.
Doug Pensinger via Getty Images
He made baseball cooler and had a swagger that was and still is unmatched.
Cheers to one of most talented and coolest players in baseball’s history — Cooperstown is waiting for you.
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