Ken Griffey Jr. is a former professional baseball player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest outfielders in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB). Here's an overview of his remarkable career:
**Early Life:**
- **Birth:** George Kenneth Griffey Jr. was born on November 21, 1969, in Donora, Pennsylvania, USA.
- **Family:** His father, Ken Griffey Sr., was also a professional baseball player, and they became the first father-son duo to play in the MLB at the same time since the 1920s.
**MLB Career:**
- **Debut:** Griffey made his MLB debut on April 3, 1989, for the Seattle Mariners at the age of 19.
- **Teams:** He played the majority of his career for the Seattle Mariners (1989-1999, 2009-2010) and also played for the Cincinnati Reds (2000-2008) and the Chicago White Sox (2008).
- **Position:** He primarily played as a center fielder.
- **Accomplishments:**
- Griffey was a 13-time All-Star.
- He won 10 Gold Glove Awards for his outstanding defense in the outfield.
- He was named the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1997.
- Griffey was known for his powerful swing and hit 630 home runs in his career, which ranks him 7th on the all-time home run list as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021.
- He also had 1,836 runs batted in (RBIs) and a career batting average of .284.
**Injuries:**
- One significant aspect of Griffey's career was his struggle with injuries, which impacted his playing time and overall statistics, especially during his tenure with the Cincinnati Reds.
**Retirement:**
- Griffey officially retired from professional baseball on June 2, 2010.
- He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016 with a record-breaking 99.3% of the vote, which was the highest percentage in Hall of Fame history at that time.
After his playing career, Griffey has been involved in various charitable activities and has also worked in broadcasting. His impact on the game, both on and off the field, has solidified his legacy as one of the all-time greats in baseball history.