George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first overall pick in the 1987 draft, and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (eight, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).[1]

Griffey signed lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo; his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute.[2][3] Griffey is one of only 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades.[4]

Following his playing career, Griffey joined the Mariners' front office as a special consultant.[5] He was inducted into both the Mariners Hall of Fame[6] and the Reds Hall of Fame.[7] In 2016, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 99.32% of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver's record of 98.84%,[8] a record that had stood for 24 years.[9]

Griffey is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey Sr. and the father of former football player Trey Griffey.