Ken Griffey Jr.’s Rise from the Bellingham Mariners to MLB Stardom

Before Ken Griffey Jr. became a prominent name in Major League Baseball (MLB) and one of the most well-known players in the Seattle Mariners, he played in the minor leagues in Bellingham, Washington. 

Ken Griffey Jrs Minor League Career with the “Baby M’s”

After being drafted in 1987, Ken “The Kid” Griffey Jr joined the Mariners Class A Short Season Minor League Affiliate, the Bellingham Mariners. Griffey Jr. would debut with the Bellingham Mariners on June 16 of that 1987 season; in his first year with the “Baby M’s,” Griffey Jr batted 313 with 14 home runs, 40 runs, and 13 steals.

Griffey Jr’s Journey Through the Minor Leagues

That next season in 1988, Griffey Jr. would move onto the following levels of the Mariner’s “farm system.” He would move to Class A and then AA with the Vermont Mariners and the San Bernadino, California Spirit. 

Ken Griffey Jr’s Major League Debut

Ken Griffey Jr. made his Major League Baseball debut in 1989 and played with the Seattle Mariners until the 1999-2000 season.

Ken Griffey Jr. leaves the Seattle Mariners.

 In February before the 2000 season, Griffey was traded to the Reds for pitcher Brett Tomko, outfielder Mike Cameron, and minor leaguers Antonio Perez and Jake Meyer. Griffey signed a nine-year, $112.5 million contract with the Reds after completing the trade, with a club option for a 10th.

Griffey Jr. returns to the Seattle Mariners.

After playing for the Reds and briefly for the Chicago Whitesox in 2008, Griffey Jr. eventually returned to Seattle, where he played from 2008-2009 before his retirement in 2010.