Thursday, February 10, 2000
5 things that make Griffey great
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A five-tool player is what baseball scouts spend their searching lives for — and rarely find. Only a few players can hit, hit with power, run, throw and field.
That's why a tall, lean kid from West Chester turned heads in 1987. Ken Griffey Jr. was only 17 at the time, but even at Moeller High School, Griffey's arm, speed and knack for making great plays in the field were above major league average. His bat speed was off the charts.
Scouts from every organization flocked to his games. All came up with the same conclusion: If he's available, we'll pick him.
The Seattle Mariners were the lucky ones. They had the first pick.
The scouts projections were right. After 11/2 seasons and 129 games in the minors, Griffey made the club out of spring training.
His climb to stardom was rapid. So rapid that by the time he reached his mid-20s, Griffey was the game's top five-tool player. Each of the five tools is still among baseball's best:
• Arm
Griffey's arm is legendary. He used to get a lot of assists — he had 12 in 1994, third among AL outfielders — but now he gets so much respect that he doesn't often get a chance to throw runners out. “Early in my career, base runners challenged a lot more. Teams didn't know me very well, so they wanted to see what kind of arm I had. That doesn't happen very often these days. I did notice a little more of that after I came back from the broken wrist in the 1995. But I threw a couple guys out and that stopped pretty quickly.”
• Field
Griffey is among baseball's best in running down fly balls and climbing walls to make spectacular catches. That coupled with the extraordinary arm has earned him 11 straight Glove Gloves. “Playing center field has always been a function of my particular abilities. When I was 14, my high school coach looked at what I could do and put me in center. He needed someone to cover ground and he knew I could run. He also needed someone with a good arm. Since I had been a pitcher from the first moment I started playing baseball, he knew I could throw. I genuinely like playing center field because I feel like I can control the entire outfield from that spot.”
• Run
Griffey has never stolen bases in bunches. When he does run, he is effective. And, he's gotten smarter about picking his spots. The last four years, he's stolen 72 bases in 88 attempts (81.8 percent). There's more to base running than stealing bases. One of Griffey's greatest moments came when he scored from first base on a double in the 11th inning of Mariners' 6-5 win over the New York Yankeess to clinch the 1995 Division Series.
• Hit
Griffey hits third, not fourth, in the order. That's because, unlike many classic power hitters, he's always hit for a good average. His career average is .299. He hit .284 and .285 the last two seasons after .300 or better seven of the previous eight years. He's hit as high as .327. Griffey inherited his swing. “My dad and I have the identical swing. Everybody says, "Yeah, but he didn't hit home runs like you do.' That's true, but he was in a different offense. He was the guy that had to get the man over, get on base and steal ... with me, it's the opposite. I hit third and I'm expected to hit the ball out of the ball park.”
• Hit with power
Griffey's power is unprecedented. He got to the 350-home run mark faster than anyone in the history of baseball (11/2 years younger than Henry Aaron). He's hit 49, 56, 56, and 48 homers the last four seasons. His power was not developed in the weight room. Griffey, at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, isn't in Mark McGwire's weight class. But Griffey's advantage is his fluid swing, which generates tremendous bat speed. “Most people think they have to use the offseason to get stronger by lifting weights or running 10 miles a day. I know what I have to do, and that's stay flexible ... I'm probably one of the most flexible guys on our team. I'm not that strong. I probably only bench press about 200 pounds ... ”
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