Ken Griffey Jr. Retires

A Bright Light in a Dark Time

After 22 seasons mostly filled with injuries, the highly liked Ken Griffey Jr. retired from Major League Baseball as a member of the Seattle Mariners. In an era riddled with steroid allegations and shamed with records with asterisks, Griffey stood alone. Out of all the great players that he played with throughout the years; Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire just to name a few; Griffey was the only untainted player with similar numbers. With 630 career home runs, he ranks 5th all-time. He won an MVP award, was a 13-time All-Star, and 10-time Gold Glove winner and maybe most impressive, absolutely ZERO sign of him using steroids at any point of his career.

What If?

The biggest question to Griffey’s career will always be ‘What if?’ What if Ken Griffey Jr. never followed his dad to the Cincinnati Reds and instead
stayed in Seattle? As soon as he left the Mariners, the injuries started to pile on and never seemed to stop. Even though he has the 5th most home runs in history, there is no doubt he would be #1 on that list if it wasn’t for the injuries. After the Reds came a stint with the Chicago White Sox, and eventually he returned back to the Mariners last year, but unfortunately the damage had been done. He never fully recovered and therefore could never live to the potential that everyone knew he could reach. He was the owner of one of the most beautiful, pure swings in baseball history, but he was never able to use it to it’s full advantage, which is saying a lot considering his place in the record books.

A Storied Career

Even though he had one of the unluckiest careers ever, he also had one of the best. He is a definite first ballot Hall of Famer who should be warmly welcomed to Cooperstown. One of my favorite baseball players ever, I have never met anyone who didn’t enjoy watching him on the field. He played with a child-like spirit and smile on his face that could light up, well... the steroid era. It is only fitting that his career end with the team that he should have been with for all of it. Although he made some pit stops in Cincinnati and Chicago along the way, he is a Mariner and that is how he should be remembered. At 40 years old, his retirement from Major League Baseball will leave a huge space in the game that will be difficult for any other player to fill.