Ken Griffey Jr., AKA “the Kid,” is one
of the all time greats. Arguably the sweetest swing this game has
ever seen, he made hitting the ball out of the stadium look effortless. But Griffey Jr. didn’t just hit, he was
a true 5 tool player. His speed was most apparent when in center
field, where he showcased incredible range in route to winning 10 gold gloves only 2
behind The Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays. Griffey Jr. was a titan of the Home Run Derby
festivities, winning a record 3 derby crowns, and did something that has never been done
before or since But more importantly, The Kid was an electrifying
player that rose to the top with his charisma and all time great talent. Thank you to everyone for the suggestions,
and make sure to leave a comment and maybe you’ll be featured on a future video. As always if you enjoy make sure to leave
a like and consider subscribing. Hit the bell to enable all notifications so
you don’t miss any future Cam 23 videos. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. was born on November
21st, 1969, in Donora, Pennsylvania to parents George Kenneth Sr. and Alberta, better known
as Birdie. Coincidentally, Griffey Jr. and Stan the Man
Musial share the same birthday and hometown. Griffey Jr. would be followed by a younger
brother and sister. Junior spent a lot of time in major league
clubhouses growing up, as Griffey Sr. was a baseball star himself. A career .296 hitter, 3 time All Star, and
2 time World Series winner. But the Griffey’s family priority was about
spending time together. As Junior recalls “My dad didn’t care
if we watched him play baseball. He cared about spending quality time with
us.” Senior also taught his son the importance
of prioritizing the team’s success over his own. “My dad would have bopped me on the head
when I was a kid if I came home bragging about what I did on the field. He only wanted to know what the team did.” From a young age, it was apparent that Junior
possessed immeasurable talent in baseball. While his father played for the Reds, he grew
up in Cincinnati, and attended Archbishop Moeller High School, the same high school
as his future Hall of Fame teammate, Barry Larkin. Junior chose not to play his first two years
of high school so he could spend Spring Trainings with his father. In his junior and senior years, he batted
.478 with 17 home runs. The major league scouts came out in droves,
there were more of them than fans at his games. The baseball prodigy was also an excellent
wide receiver on the football team. His athleticism translated to whatever activity
he participated in. He received many scholarship offers to play
college football for big name programs like Oklahoma and Michigan. It was all but certain that Griffey Jr. was
going to be taken near the top of the 1987 MLB draft. The Seattle Mariners made Junior the #1 overall
pick, signing him for $160,000. The spotlight that was constantly on Junior
stirred up some inner demons. At the time, his relationship with his father
was strained, because of his stubbornness and inability to confide in him. It proved to be too much too soon. The expectations of greatness, responsibility,
and career path created turmoil. He carried this burden alone because he didn’t
know where to turn. As a result, he attempted suicide at the age
of 17. Fortunately, he survived and came away from
this experience with a new understanding of who he wanted to be. From this point forward, he never kept anything
from his parents. They have had a very close relationship since. In the minor leagues, all it took was 129
games for him to prove he was big league ready. Junior’s final test, was Spring Training
in 1989. After tearing up the Cactus League, hitting
.359 with a 15 game hit streak along the way, he made his MLB debut on Opening Day in 1989. His first opponent was Dave Stewart, an eventual
All Star, 20 game winner, and runner up in Cy Young voting. In his first big league at bat, he was nervous,
but his natural abilities took over. He smoked a ball in the left center gap, and
pulled into second with a double. A week later, in his home debut at the Kingdome,
Junior hit his first major league home run into the left field seats. In the midst of campaigning for Rookie of
the Year honors, he suffered his first injury, a fracture in his right hand. He was on the shelf for nearly a month, and
by the time he returned, it was an uphill battle. He would place 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting,
behind Gregg Olson and Tom Gordon. It’s worth noting that during his rookie
season, he established his enduring friendship with teammate Jay Buhner. There’s a funny story involving these two
that I’ll share later. 1990 is the start of Griffey Jr.’s decade
long reign of superstardom. He transcended the game of baseball, cementing
himself as the current face of America’s pastime. Two of his finest defensive plays came in
1990. In the first, he robbed Jesse Barfield of
a home run at Yankee stadium. The second was an over the shoulder catch
with his back towards home plate that is astounding. You’d be hard pressed to find a player who
made all aspects of baseball look as easy as he did. After becoming the first father-son combo
to play in the major leagues during the same season, the ultimate storyline was when Griffey
Sr. joined the Mariners on August 29th, 1990. To distinguish between the two Griffeys, their
teammates started referring to Junior by his iconic nickname, The Kid. On August 31st, they became the first father
and son duo in MLB history to play in a game on the same team. Senior played left field, and Junior played
center. During this game, the two would hit back to
back singles in the bottom of the first. Junior would later say, “It just seemed
like a father-son game, like we were out playing catch in the backyard. But we were actually playing a real game.” Two weeks later, Senior and Junior had possibly
their most memorable moment, when Senior homered, and Junior followed suit, going back to back
with his old man. This was the first and only time a father
son duo hit back to back home runs in a Major League game.
A week after this historical occurrence,
we were blessed with this hilarious highlight. Junior stole a catch from his dad! That’s one way to get grounded as an adult! Many firsts came for The Kid during the ’90
season, making the All Star team and winning the Gold Glove as a center fielder. He finished in the top 20 in MVP voting, and
hit over .300 for the first time of his career. In 1991, Griffey Jr. continued to impress
on defense, channeling his inner Spiderman to make this ridiculous catch! This year would be Junior’s last playing
with his father, as Griffey Sr. called it a career following the ’91 season. The phenom stepped up his game in ’91, and
reached the 100 RBI threshold for the first time of his career. His .327 average was a career high, and he
added a new piece of hardware to his trophy shelf, winning his first silver slugger to
pair up with a second consecutive gold glove award. In MVP voting, he finished 9th. In 1992, I’m going to skip to Junior’s
All Star Game performance, because it showcases his excellence against the game’s best. First at bat of the day, a single against
Tom Glavine. Second time up, a home run off Greg Maddux. And in his final at bat, facing Bob Tewksbury,
ripped a double to cap a perfect 3 for 3 game. He finished a triple short of the cycle, and
won the All Star game MVP. At season’s end, The Kid was a 3 time gold
glover and 3 time All Star before his 23rd birthday. In the offseason, Griffey Jr. married his
girlfriend of three years, Melissa, and the two are still married today. *TRANSITION* Junior elevated his game to the next level
in 1993. In back to back years, Griffey Jr. was the
talk of the town during the All Star break. The festivities were held at Camden Yards,
home of the Baltimore Orioles. During the Home Run Derby, he hit a ball 465
feet off the warehouse, becoming the first player to do so. No player has hit the warehouse in a game
since then. A week later, The Kid had a chance to make
history. On July 28th, Junior hit a MOONSHOT, and tied
the MLB record by hitting a home run in 8 consecutive games. I cite the WAR stat often because it measures
a player’s value in all facets of the game relative to other players at the same position. Griffey Jr. led the American League in offensive
WAR and overall WAR among position players. His on base plus slugging percentage topped
a 1.000 (thousand) for the first time in his big league career, and he batted .300 for
the fourth consecutive season. 45 homers, 109 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, a league
leading 359 total bases, and an on base percentage north of .400 is mind boggling. His 171 OPS+ tells us that he was 71% better
than the league average hitter in 1993. The Kid was 1 homer shy of Juan Gonzalez and
Barry Bonds for the Major League lead. He won his 4th straight gold glove and earned
his 2nd silver slugger of his career. In January of 1994, Griffey Jr. became a father
for the first time when his son Trey was born. His daughter Taryn followed a year later,
and they adopted their youngest son Tevin in 2002. *TRANSITION* The strike shortened 1994 season left the
baseball world with many what ifs, including Tony Gwynn’s chase for a .400 average and
the pursuit of Roger Maris’ single season home run record, 4 years before the McGwire
and Sosa saga. Griffey Jr. tied Babe Ruth’s record for
the most home runs before July 1st, with 30. The Kid won his first Home Run Derby title
in ’94, and later reached the 40 homer mark in style, with a grand slam! The two ballplayers atop the home run leaderboard
prior to the strike were Matt Williams of the Giants and Griffey Jr. Williams had the MLB lead with 43, and was
on track to tie Maris’ record of 61 home runs. Griffey Jr. was on pace for 56 homers and
126 RBIs. In ’94, Junior set a career high for OPS,
and matched his 171 OPS+ from 1993. In MVP voting, he finished behind The Big
Hurt who was in the middle of an offensive explosion in ’94, taking home the award
for the second year in a row. But getting back to Junior, ’94 was his
5th consecutive season to win the gold glove and he was awarded his 3rd silver slugger. While the season ended prematurely, fans could
still watch Junior, although this time it was in acting roles for the movie Little Big
League and the incredibly popular TV Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In addition, video games started to feature
Junior. Super Nintendo was the first, releasing Ken
Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball in 1994. The Mariners entered the league as an expansion
team in 1977, and after 21 years, they still hadn’t made the postseason. They were poised to change that in 1995. Unfortunately, Junior and the Mariners had
a tough break. Ken Griffey Jr. tracked down a fly ball and
made a sensational catch, but shattered his wrist in the process. He missed the next 73 games after doctors
inserted a metal plate and seven screws in his wrist. While he played just 72 games in ’95, he
had one of his finest defensive seasons, and would go on to make the all star team and
win his 6th gold glove. The Mariners narrowly edged out the California
Angels to claim the West Division for the first time in franchise history. Ken Griffey Jr. and the Mariners matched up
with the New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. Junior recalled a sour memory that took place
many years earlier. Back when Griffey Sr. was playing for the
Yankees from 1982 to 1986, there was a day that Junior went to Yankee Stadium before
the game to visit his dad. A security guard informed him that Yankees
owner George Steinbrenner didn’t want anyone in the dugout. Even after Griffey Sr. questioned it, the
security guard held firm. As Junior left, his dad told him to look at
third base, where he saw Graig (Greg) Nettles’ son taking ground balls at third base. Nettles, a white third baseman, was able to
have his son on the field, but Junior had to leave. His distaste for the Yankees organization
carried into his big league career. Fast forwarding to the ’95 division series,
Griffey Jr. famously replied to a fan telling him to come play for the Yankees:
“No… if the Yankees were the only team that gave me a contract, I’d retire.” Junior would go on to have one of the greatest
division series performances this game has ever seen. In Game 1, he went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs,
in Game 2, 2 for 6 with another home run, this time in the 12th inning to put Seattle
ahead. Despite his efforts, the Mariners dropped
the first two against the Yankees in the Bronx. Down in the series 0 and 2, with the Yankees
needing just 1 win to eliminate Seattle. But Griffey Jr. and the Mariners kicked it
into overdrive and made an incredibly improbable comeback. Junior hit two clutch home runs over the next
3 games, one of which broke the tie in Game 4, and the other an 8th inning shot in the
deciding Game 5. Edgar Martinez stepped up to the plate in
front of the Seattle faithful with a chance to walk it off, and that’s exactly what
he did. Who else but Griffey would score the game
winning run to walk off the series! When he slid into home, what followed can
only be described as pandemonium. In the division series, Griffey Jr. was ELECTRIC. The numbers are astonishing. In the 5 game series, he batted .391, and
hit 5 homers, a division series record! He also set the record for most runs scored
and total bases in a single division series. The Mariners advanced to play the Cleveland
Indians, and lost a tough series 4 games to 2. But Junior was great, batting .333 and finished
the postseason with an OPS well north of 1.000 (a thousand). *TRANSITION* On January 31st, 1996, Griffey Jr. became
baseball’s highest paid player after he signed a 4 year, $34 million deal. And The Kid was everywhere you looked! A Nike campaign promoted Junior to be president! On April 12th, 1996, Junior hit one of the
most prodigious blasts this game has ever seen. This tape measure shot went into the upper
deck in Toronto’s SkyDome, which has since been renamed Rogers Centre. May 24th, 1996: A year after torturing the
New York Yankees, Griffey was at it again in the regular season, mashing 3 home runs
in a single game against them! Funny story: In September of 1996, Mariners
manager Lou Piniella, in a game against the Orioles, demanded for the umpire to check
Bobby Bonilla’s bat after he singled in the fourth inning. Nothing unusual was found and Piniella claimed
that he wasn’t playing mind games with Bonilla, but manager Davey Johnson reciprocated by
asking the umpires to take a look at Alex Rodriguez’ bat, and they confiscated it! Ken Griffey Jr. said “hey, use mine,”
and A-Rod proceeded to hit a 3 run blast! Junior turned in an otherworldly year, this
time smashing 49 dingers and driving in 140 runs! He stole 16 bags, batted over .300, and posted
a 1.000 OPS for the third time of his career. On defense, he was at his best, leading the
Majors with a 3.4 defensive WAR! His 9.7 total WAR was tied with Barry Bonds
for the MLB lead! Inevitably, The Kid won the gold glove and
silver slugger. In MVP voting, he finished 4th. It’s a shame because Junior and his teammate
A-Rod were both more deserving of the MVP award than Juan Gonzalez, who ended up winning
it. *TRANSITION* Griffey Jr. led the Mariners to their second
A.L. West Division crown in 1997. Along the way, he had the finest season of
his big league career. He broke his own record for most home runs
hit by the end of May, with 23 and joined the 50 home run club for the first time of
his big league career! At season’s end, he led the league in overall
WAR, runs, homers, RBIs, slugging, total bases, and intentional walks. Unfortunately, he couldn’t carry over his
thrilling regular season into the postseason, as he went just 2 for 15 as the Orioles won
3 games to 1. It would be 11 years before Griffey Jr. would
play in another postseason game. The voters unanimously agreed that Ken Griffey
Jr. was the Most Valuable Player in 1997. The All-Star-Gold Glove-Silver Slugger trifecta
was the cherry on top. On April 18th, 1998, Griffey hit his 300th
career home run. Only Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx had reached
the milestone at a younger age. On July 18th, 1998, the Mariners faced the
Royals on Turn Ahead the Clock Night wearing these INSANELY cool jerseys. This picture of Griffey with the short sleeves
and backwards hat made me a huge fan of this jersey. Griffey Jr. picked up 3 hits in this game! Let me know in the comments if you think the
Mariners should bring this uniform back! After nearly not participating in the Home
Run Derby, Griffey Jr. put on a show and won his second title in Colorado! 1998 would be unofficially known as the Summer
that Saved Baseball. Following the 1994 players strike, the fans
needed to be won over, and three players duked it out for not only the home run crown, but
a chance to break history: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr. The most home runs in a single season prior
to 1998 was Roger Maris’ 61 in 1961. By the end of June, McGwire had 37, Sosa 33,
and Griffey Jr. 33. Even after July, Griffey Jr. was still in
the race for history, as McGwire had 45, Sosa 42, and Griffey Jr. at 41. August is when Griffey fell off the pace. After 4 consecutive months with 8 or more
home runs and an OPS north of 1.000 (a thousand), Griffey hit just 6 homers and posted a sub
.800 OPS. His consolation prize was leading the American
League in home runs for the second consecutive season, with a cool 56 on the year! Griffey had a near carbon copy to his MVP
season’s power numbers. Home runs were identical, and his 146 RBIs
came up 1 short of his ’97 total. His offensive and defensive abilities reigned
supreme, with Griffey Jr. winning the gold glove and silver slugger together for the
6th time of his career. *TRANSITION* In 1999, the Mariners changed ballparks after
the All Star break, going from the Kingdome to Safeco Field. Junior participated in the home run derby,
and won his third and final crown, an MLB record. Late in the ’99 season, Griffey Jr. orchestrated
one of the funniest pranks during his buddy Jay Buhner’s at bat. Buhner is a big country guy, he loves the
music, cowboy boots, the whole 9 yards. Griffey Jr. got all the guys in the dugout
to wear big foam cowboy hats as Buhner started to get ready for his at bat. Jay couldn’t help but laugh. 1999 was Junior’s third consecutive season
to lead the league in home runs, for the 4th and final time of his career. Before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series, he
became the youngest player named to MLB’s All Century team. In November, the Mariners offered Griffey
an 8 year deal reportedly worth $140 million. He turned it down, and requested a trade to
a team closer to his hometown of Orlando, Florida. Junior had a full no trade clause, and narrowed
his short list to one team: the Cincinnati Reds, the same team where his father made
3 all star teams and won 2 World Series. *TRANSITION* On February 10th, 2000, Griffey Jr. was traded
to the Reds, where he would sign a 9 year, $112.5 million contract. He left money on the table for what he felt
was the right decision. “This is my hometown. I grew up here. It doesn’t matter how much money you make;
it’s where you feel happy. Cincinnati is the place where I thought I
would be happy.” Griffey Jr. made history in his first season
with the Reds, becoming the youngest player to 400 career home runs. He made the All Star team for the 11th consecutive
season, and reached the 40 homer mark for the 7th and final time of his big league career. 2001 would begin a series of injuries over
the next 3 seasons in which he played only 234 games. *TRANSITION* On Father’s Day, June 20th, 2004, Ken Griffey
Jr. joined the exclusive 500 home run club with his dad in the stands. It was a heartwarming moment that they were
able to share together. In ’04 he made the All Star team for the
second time as a Red, but tore his hamstring in August, cutting his season short again. He had failed to reach 100 games played in
for the third consecutive season. 2005 was a bounce back year for Junior. While he was sidelined by an ankle injury
in September, it was promising to see him on the field for 128 games. He batted .300 for the first time since 1997,
and reached the 30 homer mark for the first time since the year 2000. His 144 OPS+ was more characteristic of prime
Junior. He received MVP votes for the first time as
a Red, and won the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. In 2006, Ken Griffey Jr. participated in the
World Baseball Classic, an international baseball tournament that features the best teams based
on world rankings. Playing for Team USA, Junior was at the top
of nearly every offensive category. In 6 games, he batted an absurd .524, hitting
3 home runs and driving in 10 runs. *TRANSITION* In 2007, Ken Griffey Jr. would start the tradition
of honoring Jackie Robinson by wearing the Number 42, 60 years to the day after Robinson
broke the color barrier in baseball. He was granted permission from Robinson’s
widow, Rachel, and commissioner Bud Selig. Once word got out, other players followed
suit, and 2 years later, the practice became tradition. Every April 15th, players, coaches, and umpires
around the league wear the Number 42 to honor Jackie Robinson. During this same season, he returned to Safeco
Field for the first time since being traded to the Reds. He received a standing ovation, and proceeded
to hit 2 home runs in the final game of the series. On June 9th, 2008, The Kid reached the 600
home run milestone. His time with the Reds came to an end at trade
deadline, where he was sent to the Chicago White Sox. Following the trade, he made a spectacular
defensive play during a tie breaking Game 163 against the Twins. His outfield assist cut down Michael Cuddyer
at the plate, and the Sox would go on to win 1 to nothing. In 2008, at long last, Ken Griffey Jr. returned
to October baseball. Sadly, it was a disappointing series, as the
White Sox fell to the Rays in 4 games. *TRANSITION* After his age 38 season in 2008, it became
evident that Junior’s days in the big leagues were numbered, and was now a free agent for
the first time in his career. Just like Griffey Sr., Junior spent the last
two years of his career with the Seattle Mariners. On April 15th, 2009, he homered for the 400th
time as a Mariner, extending his already franchise leading total. Junior made a strong impact on the Mariners’
clubhouse, and his pranks on teammates during road trips kept everyone on their toes. The Mariners cited this as a primary reason
for bringing him back in 2010 for the final season of his career. *TRANSITION* The final year of Griffey Jr.’s career had
a storybook ending. His final hit would be a walk off single! Junior started and ended his career with Seattle. There were lots of injuries and missed time
in between, but he was able to put the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career. At the time of his retirement, Junior was
5th on the all time home run list, 30 behind 4th place Willie Mays. For his career, Ken Griffey Jr. posted an
83.8 WAR, batted .284, belted 630 home runs, drove in 1,836 runs, tallied 2,781 hits, and
stole 184 bases. The all time leader in Home Run Derby titles,
a 13 time All Star, 10 Gold Gloves, 7 Silver Sluggers, and the 1997 MVP. Without injuries, he could have easily surpassed
3,000 hits and very well could be sitting atop the all time home run leaderboard. It was all but certain that he would be a
Hall of Famer once eligible. Ken Griffey Jr. never got lost in his success
throughout his amazing career, his number 1 goal was always to be a great dad. From his early years with the Mariners, Ken
Griffey Jr.’s charity of choice was the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and his contributions
weren’t just limited to donations. He was Uncle Griffey to the children there,
and made a significant impact on many of their lives. The Boys and Girls Clubs in cooperation with
Major League Baseball released a commercial featuring several ballplayers, including Griffey
Jr., John Smoltz, Alex Fernandez, and John Olerud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mxseyvA3gk *TRANSITION* In 2016, Ken Griffey Jr. became the first
#1 overall draft pick elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He received 99.3% of the vote, at the time
the highest in Hall of Fame history. That same year, the Seattle Mariners retired
Junior’s Number 24, the first ever by the franchise. In 2023, the All Star Game festivities were
held in Seattle. Four Mariners were honored pre game, including
Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, and Dan Wilson. Griffey Jr. threw out the first pitch to his
best friend Jay Buhner alongide Edgar Martinez and Dan Wilson. Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the all time greats. He made playing baseball look easy. Injuries may have stolen away some counting
stats, but through his infectious smile and legendary talent, many ballplayers have strived
to follow in the footsteps of this all time great. He hit moonshots, was a defensive wizard,
and overcame some rough teenage years to have a Hall of Fame career. The story of Ken Griffey Jr. is incredibly
inspiring. Let me know in the comments down below your
thoughts on the video. If you enjoyed make sure to leave a like and
consider subscribing. Thank you all for watching, and I’ll see
you guys in the next video. Later.
