The Seattle Mariners haven’t exactly been must-see television for the first five weeks of the 2010 Major League Baseball season.
With a 12-19 start and an offense that ranks dead last in the American League, the Mariners wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar outside the state of Washington if it weren’t for Milton Bradley’s constant outbursts.
Until now.
Baseball fans should tune in to Mariners games in the next few weeks to possibly catch a final glimpse at the greatest center fielder since Willie Mays.
Larry LaRue of The News Tribune reported on Monday that Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. could lose his spot on the 25-man roster by the end of May, all but ending the career of the 40-year-old slugger.
Griffey is finishing his prolific 22-year career with the organization that selected him with the first overall pick in the 1987 MLB Amateur Draft.
Looking back, it’s remarkable that Griffey has made it to this point. At age 18, under immense stress at home from his father, Ken Griffey Sr., Griffey swallowed 277 aspirin pills in a suicide attempt. He was rushed to Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio and was in the intensive care unit. The two sides would patch up their relationship and Griffey had the opportunity to play alongside his father in 1990.
Griffey emerged as a star in 1993 behind a .309 batting average with 45 home runs and 109 RBI. He left his mark on the 1993 MLB Home Run Derby at Camden Yards in Baltimore, hitting a home run that hit the B&O Warehouse located beyond the right field wall.
Following the All-Star break, Griffey went on a historic run, hitting home runs in eight consecutive games, tying a Major League record held by Dale Long and Don Mattingly. Griffey nearly broke the record on July 29, 1993 with a double off the right-center wall that was just shy of a home run.
With a picture-perfect swing and his ability to gracefully cover center field, Griffey was well on his way to breaking Hank Aaron’s record of 755 home runs.
However, in 1995, we got a glimpse at just how fragile Griffey really was. On a ball hit by Kevin Bass of the Baltimore Orioles, Griffey crashed into the Kingdome center field wall for a remarkable catch, breaking his left wrist in the process.
Unfortunately, it was a sign of things to come for Griffey’s career after his departure from Seattle to the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. During his time with the Reds, Griffey wouldn’t play in more than 145 games in a season. Between 2002-2004, Griffey missed 260 out of a possible 486 regular season games. From tearing his hamstring completely off the bone to breaking his wrist (again) while playing with his kids, Griffey appeared to be snakebit.
When Griffey was healthy with the Reds, he showed glimpses of the same brilliance he displayed during his 11 seasons with the Mariners. As recently as 2007, Griffey hit .277 with 30 home runs and 93 RBI in the cozy confines of Great America Ballpark.
After a trade deadline deal sent Griffey to the Chicago White Sox, the free agent outfielder returned to Seattle in 2009.
Griffey’s career appeared to be over at the end of the 2009 season. In the final game of the season, an emotional Griffey was carried by his teammates to the clubhouse, with all signs pointing to that this was it.
But in the offseason, Griffey signed a one-year contract after hitting 19 home runs and a team-leading 63 walks. A left knee injury that required surgery last October prevented Griffey from getting into shape during Spring Training and is one of the major reasons for the sharp decline in power this season.
Despite all the injuries and setbacks, Griffey sits fifth on the all-time home run list with 630 career home runs.
At age 40, the writing is on the wall that it’s time for Griffey to retire. He’s batting .208 heading into Tuesday with zero home runs and just two extra base hits. Not only his production declining, his interest in the sport has been called into question. Griffey reportedly fell asleep in the clubhouse during a recent game, making him unavailable to pinch-hit for Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu.
It’s not anyone’s place to tell a future Hall of Famer like Griffey when it’s time to hang up the cleats. But the perfect opportunity for Griffey to transition from a player to the Seattle coaching staff passed this weekend when the Mariners fired hitting coach Alan Cockrell. Alonzo Powell, who was the hitting coach for the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers, replaced Cockrell, a role that Griffey could have filled for the team.
How important is Griffey to the Mariners organization? Seattle has four promotional nights centered about Griffey this season, including Ken Griffey Jr. Retro T-shirt Night on May 22, a tribute to the old blue and yellow uniforms from 1989.
If Griffey could flash back to 1989 and redo his career without the injuries, we would be talking about arguably the greatest player in baseball history.
Thanks for the memories, Junior.