page_title: Ken Griffey Jr.
section_title: Minor League Baseball (1987–1988)
hierarchical_section_title: Ken Griffey Jr. / Professional career / Minor League Baseball (1987–1988)
caption_attribution_description: English: Professional baseball player Ken Griffey Jr.
context_page_description: George Kenneth Griffey Jr. nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball. He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.
  Griffey signed lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo; his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. Griffey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades.
  Following his playing career, Griffey joined the Mariners' front office as a special consultant. He was inducted into both the Mariners' Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame.
context_section_description: Griffey was the number one overall selection by the Seattle Mariners during the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft held on June 2, 1987. He received a signing bonus of $160,000 from the Mariners. On June 11, 1987, Griffey joined the Bellingham Mariners of the Northwest League, a Class A Short Season minor league. He made his professional debut on June 16, 1987. During the 54-game season he hit .313. He led the team with 14 home runs, 40 RBI and 13 steals. Baseball America magazine named him the league's number one major league prospect.
  In 1988, Griffey joined the San Bernardino Spirit of the Class A-Advanced California League. During his 58 games with the Spirit, Griffey batted .338, hit 11 home runs, drove in 42 runs, and stole 32 bases. Late in the season, Griffey was promoted to the Vermont Mariners of the Class AA Eastern League. He played the final 17 games with the club, hitting .279 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.
caption: Griffey in 1988 as a member of the San Bernardino Spirit
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