NAME:GEORGE KENNETH GRIFFEY JUNIOR
TEAM: SEATTLE MARINERS 
POSITION: CENTERFIELD 
NUMBER: 24 
THROWS: LEFT 
BATS: LEFT 
HEIGHT: 6-3 
WEIGHT: 205 
BORN:NOVEMBER 21, 1969, DONORA, PA 
SHOE SIZE: 11
DRAFTED: FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK OVERALL SELECTED BY SEATTLE IN JUNE,'87 DRAFT

1998 Season
You may have missed it. Ken Griffey Jr.
 hit 56 home runs. Played every game. Put together perhaps the
 best season in the American League. He was a major factor in
 the Great Home Run Chase with 32 homers after 82 games, and was
 hitting .299 and slugging .678 at the All-Star break. His 
numbers declined noticeably thereafter. It was a frustrating 
year for him, as the Mariners struggled and he grew increasingly
 irritated with home-run questions.

Hitting
For years, the book on Griffey was to jam
 him inside. But he's so quick that he gets the bat head out and
 turns on anything on the inner half of the plate. A pitcher's
 best chance is to work him with high fastballs outside. He'll
 chase those pitches or pop them up as he tries to pull the 
ball. He grew increasingly overeager at the plate the last two
 months, as his unintentional walk rate dropped from one every 
8.8 at-bats to one every 13.0. As a result, he finished with his
 lowest full-season batting average, slugging percentage 
and on-base percentage since 1992.

Baserunning & Defense
Death, taxes and Griffey's Gold Glove are
 all certainties. He captured his ninth consecutive Gold Glove
 in 1998, an AL record for outfielders. There's no doubt that
 players and managers consider him as good as any center fielder
in the league. His arm is average to slighty above average, but
 he charges the ball well and has a quick release. He has good 
speed and is aggressive on the bases. He stole a career-high 20
 bases last year.

1999 Outlook
The Mariners are set to move into their 
new stadium in July. It's called Safeco Field, but it may as 
well be coined The House That Griffey Built. At 29, he remains 
as valuable as any player in baseball.While it may be unfair to
 expect a better year, he's certainly capable of it.

YR - AVG - G - AB - R - H - 2B - 3B - HR - RBI - SB 
89 -.264 -127- 455- 61-120- 23 - 0 - 16 - 61 - 16 
90 -.300 -155- 597- 91-179- 28 - 7 - 22 - 80 - 16 
91 -.327 -154- 548- 76-179- 42 - 1 - 22 - 100 - 18 
92 -.308 -142- 565- 83-174- 39 - 4 - 27 - 103 - 10
93 -.309 -156- 582-113-180- 38 - 3 - 45 - 109 - 17 
94 -.323 -111- 433- 94-140- 24 - 4 - 40 - 90 - 11 
95 -.258 -72 - 260- 52- 67- 7 - 0 - 17 - 42 - 4 
96 -.303 -140- 545-125-165- 26 - 2 - 49 - 140 - 16 
97 -.304 -157- 608-125-185- 34 - 3 - 56 - 147 - 15