Ken Griffey Jr. retiring

norm

After 22 seasons, 630 home runs and a highlight reel of catches, Seattle sports icon Ken Griffey Jr. has announced his retirement from professional baseball in a statement today.

He made his Major League debut with the Mariners as a 19-year-old teenager in 1989, and ends his career as one of the most decorated power hitters in baseball history.

Griffey ranks among baseball's all-time leaders in home runs (5th/630), multi-homer games (T7th/55), extra base hits (T6th/1,192), total bases (12th/5,271), runs scored (31st/1,662), doubles (36th/524), intentional walks (4th/246) and hits (46th/2,781). On the all-time home run list, he trails only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (660), and ranks 3rd among left-handed hitters.

Griffey, 40, spent the first 11 years of his Major League career (1989-1999) in Seattle, after being the first overall pick in the June 1987 Draft. He played the next eight and half seasons with the Cincinnati Reds before spending the second half of the 2008 season with the Chicago White Sox. He returned to the Mariners in 2009, contributing to baseball's most-improved team.

He ranks near the top of every offensive category in the Mariners record book, including home runs (1st/417), slugging percentage (2nd/.553), RBI (2nd/1,216), hits (3rd/1,843), doubles (2nd/341), total bases (2nd/3,495), runs (2nd/1,113), games (2nd/1,685) and at-bats (2nd/6,317).

Griffey has been a 10-time American League All-Star (1990-99), winning the All-Star Game MVP in 1992 and three Home Run Derby's (1994, 1998, 1999). He was voted the American League Most Valuable Player in 1997 and selected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. He was also a three-time National League All-Star (2000, 2004, 2007).

Ken also won 10 Gold Glove Awards (1990-99) and seven Silver Slugger Awards (1991, 1993-94, 1996-99).

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/ ... p&c_id=sea

Mcam55

my all time favorite baseball player, kinda depressing to never see him play again. Even though he has been declining rapidly over the past few years ive always enjoyed watching him play. I still proudly display my Jr. bobble head.

mookeywrench

I need to figure out how to retire by the time i'm 40

Gary Carter

Sad day

Growing up he was my fave player. I had his nike shoes, jersey and his player tshirt. I saw him play once at the old yankee stadium I think in 95 or 96. He hit 3 home runs in the game I saw him. I wanted to see him at the new yankee stadium.

One of the all time greats. He did it clean and with class.

aNiMaL

A sad day for Mariners fans. A sad day for baseball fans.

Junior played the game the right way. There possibly is no finer human being that has played MLB ball for as long he did.

Ken Griffey, Jr., you are a class act and will always be a Seattle Mariner! You will always be "The Kid" to us.

Thank you for the many yeas in Seattle. Than you for everything you have done for the game, and for our city. :(

Vart

This makes me feel old. He's played for 22 seasons and I remember him as a rookie and when he and his father played on the same team.

81

i hear the M's are going to give him a nice big lazy boy recliner to watch ball games in.

rival.

sad day indeed. even though he was a yankee killer, he never should have gone to the NL.

Nothingman54

Will that effect the value of his rookie cards?

smarchee

Nothingman54 wrote:

Will that effect the value of his rookie cards?

lol, an instant 1.35 % bump

LikeAnOcean

Nothingman54 wrote:

Will that effect the value of his rookie cards?

I don't know, but I remember as kids my buddy had like 30 of his rookie cards. He kept telling me how this guy was going to be awesome.. god, I feel old now. lol.

adam42381

He was the last remaining star player from my childhood. Thanks for the memories, Junior. If only he hadn't gotten injured...

DewieCox

metsfan wrote:

One of the all time greats. He did it clean and with class.

We sure about that? I give him the benefit of the doubt, but the way his body broke down was pretty consistent with a juicer's.

He deserves a spot in the HoF for his swing. That's f'n sugar

milarso

Sorry, I just dozed off there for a minute.
What happened?

orig_long red

He shoulda done steroids.

eeriepadave

One of the sweetest swings in the game. I don't think I ever saw him play live though. Great player, see ya in Coop, Junior.

patrickredeyes

eeriepadave wrote:

One of the sweetest swings in the game. I don't think I ever saw him play live though. Great player, see ya in Coop, Junior.

Indeed one of the best swings in baseball.

musicismylife78

So whats the consensus on how he ranks among the greats? I would wager he may be the best ever. The 630 homers, i dont have the all time HR list handy but if you exclude mcgwire, sosa, bonds and the others who doped, isnt Griffey jr sitting very near the very top of the list? Certainly the 630 is the top for his generation right?

He seems like the kind of guy I wish all sports players were. He was never about the records. Never about being mr big stuff even when he was the talk of the town. I am sure he is quite humbled by the 630 and his place on the list, a humbleness that eludes mcgwire, and bonds especially. Griffey seems like the guy who isnt flashy. isnt a marquee name. he quietly does his job and does it better than anyone. He isnt looking to fill trophy rooms and isnt looking to boost his ego. he loves the game of baseball. We all would be better served to have athletes who took the griffey route to life and to sport.

The greatest player of his generation? One of the greatest ball players ever? The top home run hitter behind Hank and Babe?

My feeling about the steroids issue is that if he was a user he would have long been exposed as one. No one has ever accused him of being a user. Everyone that has been accused of using, so far has been outed as being just that, a cheater. We know who cheated. Griffey wasnt one of them.

musicismylife78

DewieCox wrote:

metsfan wrote:

One of the all time greats. He did it clean and with class.

We sure about that? I give him the benefit of the doubt, but the way his body broke down was pretty consistent with a juicer's.

He deserves a spot in the HoF for his swing. That's f'n sugar

i disagree. he never used. either that or he is one of the smartest people on the face of the earth and got steroids to work in a way that limited his strength and prowess. We all know the Bonds and Mcgwire tales, they were hitting homers at ridiculous rates,mcgwire hit 70 and then like 2 years later Bonds hits 73, I mean, it was so absurd. They were putting up monster numbers. HUGE numbers.

Griffey, had that 56 and 55 homer back to back season, i think, but never again hit huge numbers. His putput has always been pretty consistent, slow and steady. That isnt consistent with a user. A user wants results NOW, not over 22 years. Bonds didnt take steroids so as to hit 35 homers for 15 years, he took them to hit 70 plus in one season or two seasons or three. There is a difference.

You dont take steroids to have a long lasting and slow and steady career. you take them to blow every record out of the water and to put up huge numbers year after year.

The problem with the assumption that he used, is a problem that results from the widespread casual use of steroids by this generation of players. My uncle is a life long baseball fan, but he sees no problem with the fact that people used, in that everyone used, and that doesnt taint baseball or anything. I disagree. I am not the baseball fan he is, but I have to say, if people like griffey jr are being questioned by others for being a user, then it has ruined the game.

Bonds, and Mcgwire were fair game because its obvious they used. even before mcgwire admitted it. There is a ton of evidence that suggests both used and used regularly. with griffey, not one teammate has said, he used, no one has said a word. Its fine to try and convict people like Bonds and Mcgwire, Bonds especially who I think is the epitome of evil, but to drag Junior down to their level I think is beyond disgusting.

deadmosquito

milarso wrote:

Sorry, I just dozed off there for a minute.
What happened?

musicismylife78

long red wrote:

He shoulda done steroids.

why? Bonds, Mcgwire, Sosa, Palmiero, and the like are all disgraced. They will forever have an asterisk.

Griffey hit 630 without steroids. unbelieveable stuff as I said. 3rd or 4th all time, the most homers of his generation.

mca47

First ballot HOF'er.


You could tell that he wasn't "in the game" the last 2-3 years. That's ok though, still one of the best all-around players ever (prior to his injuries).

mfc2006

classy guy.
classic swing.

81

mca47 wrote:

First ballot HOF'er.


You could tell that he wasn't "in the game" the last 2-3 years. That's ok though, still one of the best all-around players ever (prior to his injuries).

no way, he's at best a 2nd ballot

81

milarso wrote:

Sorry, I just dozed off there for a minute.
What happened?

milarso with the double up the middle

mca47

81 wrote:

mca47 wrote:

First ballot HOF'er.


You could tell that he wasn't "in the game" the last 2-3 years. That's ok though, still one of the best all-around players ever (prior to his injuries).

no way, he's at best a 2nd ballot

For the offensive numbers he put up, plus all the gold gloves?
I think he deserves it.

And besides, by the time he's eligible who else is going to be competing against him?

keeponrockin

DewieCox wrote:

He deserves a spot in the HoF for his swing. That's f'n sugar

Beautiful.

81

mca47 wrote:

81 wrote:

mca47 wrote:

First ballot HOF'er.


You could tell that he wasn't "in the game" the last 2-3 years. That's ok though, still one of the best all-around players ever (prior to his injuries).

no way, he's at best a 2nd ballot

For the offensive numbers he put up, plus all the gold gloves?
I think he deserves it.

And besides, by the time he's eligible who else is going to be competing against him?

it's the whole 1st ballot bs. you are either a hofer or not. he would get my vote if i had a vote

mca47

81 wrote:

it's the whole 1st ballot bs. you are either a hofer or not. he would get my vote if i had a vote

I completely agree.

I'm pretty sure it's the HOF committee who tried to make the HOF even more prestigious if you make it "first ballot".

Either way, he's a lock.

SomethingCreative

81 wrote:

mca47 wrote:

First ballot HOF'er.


You could tell that he wasn't "in the game" the last 2-3 years. That's ok though, still one of the best all-around players ever (prior to his injuries).

no way, he's at best a 2nd ballot

you are FUCKING crazy.

aNiMaL

81 wrote:

milarso wrote:

Sorry, I just dozed off there for a minute.
What happened?

milarso with the double up the middle

That's some funny shit!