Ken Griffey Junior was one of the most physically gifted players to ever step onto a big league diamond. He didn’t need to juice. Neither did Barry Bonds. But Bonds, also the son of a major leaguer, took a different path, whereas Junior refused to inject synthetic hormones into his body. Much of Junior’s career must be seen from this context: his peers, McGwire, Sosa, ARod, Bonds, Clemens, and on and on, resorted to artificial means to boost their careers.
None are in the Hall of Fame. But Ken Griffey Jr is. His career was remarkable, except there will always be a question mark attached to it. What if? What if he had stayed healthy? What kind of numbers could he have put up had he played in 150 games per season? Because no teenager, not Mel Ott, not Bryce Harper, had as much pure talent as Junior when he broke in at 19 with the Mariners. If you go by WAR alone, the numbers say Harper had the best year, but he didn’t have Junior’s speed or defensive ability.
0:00 Intro
2:21 Highschool
4:46 Turning Pro
7:29 Rookie Sensation
9:28 Father-Son
12:44 Superstar
19:52: The Reds & Beyond
22:55 Outro
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