George Kenneth “Ken” Griffey Jr. is a retired baseball player, that is now in the Hall of Fame. Ken was born in Donora, Pennsylvania on November 21, 1969. Ken played 22 full seasons throughout his career (ESPN.com). Although Griffey was successful in the Major Leagues, he did not go to college. He was drafted out of high school as the first pick of the first round in 1987.
He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners, and played for them for ten years. He became a free agent in 2000 and was signed by the Cincinnati Reds (Biography.com). His early years with the Mariners were his best. In his rookie year, Griffey played 127 games. Over these games he posted a .264 batting average, with 16 big flies. While playing for the Reds, he had a batting average around .250, hitting anywhere from 3 homers to 40 homers. Winning the League Most Valuable Player is possibly the best award to win in the MLB. Ken won this award one time ten years after he made his MLB debut (ESPN.com). Because he was a phenomenal player, he was a 13 time all star. In these 13 games he was the All Star Game’s MVP in 1992 (ESPN.com). Among all the other awards, he received the Gold Glove award from his second year in the majors until his tenth year in the majors. He was also a seven time Silver
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His father, George Kenneth Griffey Sr., played in the MLB. “Well, my dad taught me that there's three parts. There's hitting, there's defense, and there's baserunning. And as long as you keep those three separated, you're going to be a good player. I mean, you can't take your defense on the bases, you can't take your hitting to the field, and you can't take your baserunning at the plate. But defense, is number one," said Ken Griffey Jr. (BaseballAlmanac.com). Ken grew up watching his dad, and dreaming that one day he too could play in the MLB. Once he got to the MLB he used this baseball wisdom to become a successful