Nobody Daily – 6/11/08

Nobody Asked Me But:

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th home run Monday night. That places him at number 6 in career home runs. And there could have been so many more. Had he not suffered numerous injuries, most caused by his “take no prisoners,” “leave-it-all-on-the- field” style of play, he would have left both Babe and the Bonds far in his wake.

A look at statistics will prove my point. Griffey, in his career, has averaged 40 home runs a season. That figure includes the injury years when his output was significantly less. If you do nothing more than credit him with his 40 home run average and he would be at 800 now, and he would almost certainly have exceeded his average several times during those years when he was forced to be a part time player. The injuries were who he was, but it is a shame that they cost him so much.

In my opinion, Griffey Jr., when he was younger and whole, was the best player in baseball since the “Say Hey Kid” roamed center field first at the Polo Grounds and later at Candlestick.