Fielder-Kids, Juniors

George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. (born November 21, 1969, in Donora, Pennsylvania) is a second generation Major League Baseball player on the Cincinnati Reds. His nicknames have been "The Natural", "The Kid", and "Junior". more...

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He is the son of former big league outfielder Ken Griffey.

Youth and early career

Ken Griffey Jr. shares not only the same birthday, but also the same birthplace, as Hall of Famer Stan Musial in the Pittsburgh industrial town of Donora, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father, Ken Griffey, Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds when Junior was five. He attended the Archbishop Moeller High School.

In 1987 Griffey was selected with the first overall pick of that year's amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners based on his tremendous potential. One scout said of Griffey, "If you thought Barry Bonds was interesting, wait until you see this kid." In January of 1988, Griffey attempted suicide by swallowing over two hundred aspirin. He ended up in the intensive care unit at Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio. Griffey was overwhelmed by racial slurs direced at him as well as a tenous relationship with his father. He rebounded the next year as a big leaguer, he was well on the way to the Rookie of the Year award but was thwarted when he slipped in the shower and broke a bone in his right hand in late July, 1989. While with the Mariners, Griffey established himself as baseball's premier player- during the 1990s, Griffey was considered one of the best players of all time. Before injuries cut into his production, he was a top run producer and the best center fielder in the big leagues. Griffey hit for a high average, batting over .300 for seven of the years of the '90s, and hit with power as well, slugging 422 home runs during the decade.

Additionally, his defense in center field was widely considered among the elites during the decade. Thanks to his impressive range, Griffey frequently made spectacular diving plays, and he often dazzled fans by making over-the-shoulder basket catches (a la Willie Mays' "the Catch" in the 1954 World Series) and by robbing opposing hitters of home runs at the wall — leaping up and pulling them back into the field of play. He was featured on the Wheaties cereal box and, because of his general likability and good reputation, was an effective pitchman. Griffey also had his own signature sneaker line from Nike, Inc.

Because of his all-around excellent play, he was a perennial participant in the All-Star Game, particularly during the 1990s although less so during the early '00s because of injuries. Junior has led his league multiple times in hitting categories and was awarded Gold Gloves for his defensive excellence from 1990 to 1999. Griffey also became one of a very small number to have played on the same team as his father, Ken Griffey, Sr. in 1990 and 1991. At the MLB Home Run Derby in 1993, which was held at Oriole Park in Baltimore, Griffey slugged a ball over the right field wall, hitting the warehouse. Griffey is the only player to ever hit a home run that has hit the warehouse, an impressive feat, considering the ballpark's 15-year history. In 1997, he won the American League Most Valuable Player award, hitting .304, with 56 home runs and 147 runs batted in.

Read more at Wikipedia.org