FanNation

There's an issue I'd like to press.When the talks of the best baseball players of all time,I at least want to hear this name in the conversation:Ken Griffey Jr.No I don't think he's the best baseball player of all time,but I'd like to hear his name mentioned among the best more often.

Now remember  when Jr. was the next big thing in the '90s?He had endorsements,fame,the sweetest swing in baseball,and was being talked about as possibly the best player of all time?It's not like he isn't good now,but he has not been quite the same since being traded to the Reds in the offseason of 2000.

He had injury issues in Seattle and they only increased since he came to Cincinnati.Excluding this season,Jr has averaged 120 games a season since 2000.

Let's look at some of those Seattle numbers,from 1989-1999:

389 Home runs

1152 RBIs

167 Stolen bases

averaged .297

He still had a shot at the home run record,but the injuries over the years eliminated any chance he had at that.He can still pass Sammy Sosa and Willie mays with a couple good years(if he has the will to keep playing)

Let's look at some stats over his career:

2417 games

8953 at bats

478 doubles

37 triples

2589 hits

.289 batting average

.551 slugging pct

184 stolen bases

1175 walks

1559 runs

10 consecutive Gold Gloves

Now think,if he hadn't missed all those games,where would he rank on several lists among the best players in history?How many home runs would he have had?We may never know,but let's give him more credit.