The Bat Cave

Okay, my initial reaction to this news is excitement. Griffey is the best player to ever play for the Mariners… and his 11 years in an M’s uniform has to be amongst the best 11 offensive years for one team in the history of baseball. Certainly, by the time Griffey left the M’s before the 2000 season to become a Cincinatti Red, he was well on his way to obliterating Hank Aaron’s all-time homerun record. That record has since been eclipsed by the freak show that is Barry Bonds, whose obvious steroid use leaves his accomplishment tainted. How great it would have been to see Griffey break and hold on to that record, huh? The Kid was really someone you loved to root for. He was the best player on a struggling Mariner team and he was so good, that I often see people posting online from across the globe that say he was their favorite player growing up. Something about Griffey just stood out and everybody loved him. It’s incredible sad that his career as a Red has been riddled with injuries because he could be a HR King we all would be happy to see. Griffey averaged 36 HR a season during his 11 years with the Mariners… a number somewhat hindered by modest power his first four years and an injury-depleted 1995 season. Since joining the Reds in 2000, Griffey has averaged 25 HR/year and has exceeded 36 HR just once with 40 HR in 2000. Needless to say, one can only wonder what a healthy Griffey would have been able to accomplish by keeping pace with his prime numbers… Alas, we will never know.

As far as how productive he will be for us? Who knows… There’s some small possibility that being home in a Mariner uniform (wearing #24?) and supposedly being as healthy as he’s been in years (I’ve heard that before though) could lead to a huge year. However, at 39 years old and with a long history of injuries limiting his abilities the past several years, it’s hard to be so optimistic. No matter the case, at $2 million for one year, Griffey coming back to Seattle is well worth the price. It gives fans something to look forward to in what should otherwise be a pretty bad season for us.