The Surprising Story of How Ken Griffey Jr. met his Grandfather for the 1st Time
Ken Griffey Jr. went on to have an exceptional MLB career. From the time he entered the league out of high school, he transitioned into one of the greats and cemented his career by being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Griffey enjoys being around his family. One family member that he did not meet until he was older was his grandfather.
Ken Griffey Jr. had a career to remember
Griffey made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old in 1989. The Seattle Mariners took him with the first overall pick in the 1987 MLB draft. Griffey immediately made an impact when he first entered the league. He played in 127 games in his rookie season and batted .264 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. The next season he made tremendous improvements. In his second MLB season, he was named an All-Star and won a Gold Glove award. During the 1990 season, he batted .300 and hit 22 home runs.
Griffey had the complete package for an MLB player at a young age. He could hit for power, and he played centerfield at a high-level. Batting from the left side, Griffey had that smooth swing that many people enjoyed watching. He continued to put up impressive numbers throughout his career and established himself as one of the best players in the game. Griffey played for three teams during his career. After spending his first 11 seasons in Seattle, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, and he had the opportunity to play closer to his family.
From 1990 to 2000, Griffey made the All-Star team, and he was racking up Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. Griffey played with that confidence, and he knew he belonged in the big leagues. He was a highlight reel during his career, and he made plays in the outfield that fans couldn’t believe, and it was hard for people not to like Griffey.
There will never be another Ken Griffey Jr. in the MLB
When Griffey played in the league, he helped change the culture of the league. When Griffey sported the backward hat during a Home Run Derby, that sparked younger players to do the same. Those younger players wanted to be like Griffey, and he was someone they looked up to. In 1996, Griffey became the first player in MLB history to have his name on a shoe when Nike released the Air Griffey Max 1.
That doesn’t happen if Griffey doesn’t have the success that he did early on his career. Griffey was a once in a lifetime type of player, and when you thought about the MLB during the time he played, he was a name that always came up. He was a person who was known outside the game of baseball; that’s how popular he was. Griffey will continue to be a relevant name throughout baseball, and his career will never fade away.
The story of how Ken Griffey Jr. met his grandfather
Griffey appeared on the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. The three of them had a conversation that lasted over two hours, and Griffey talked about his baseball career and his journey to get there. During the beginning of the podcast, Griffey talked about the first time he met his grandfather.
Griffey said that his grandparents divorced when he was two years old. He also talked about the first time he met his grandfather. Griffey broke it down like it happened yesterday. He said he was 19 years old when he met him, and he did not know what his grandfather looked like before then.
During the interview, Griffey said that he was sitting in a lobby one day and a man was standing near him. Griffey said that Harold Reynolds was with him, and he told Reynolds that he thinks the guy was his grandfather. It was his grandfather, and Reynolds introduced the two for the first time. After Griffey met his grandfather, he said he called his grandmother and told her what happened, and his grandmother told him to stay away from him. So that was the only time that Griffey met his grandfather.
