Ken Griffey Jr. was born George Kenneth Jr. on 21 November 1969 in Donora, Pennsylvania USA. He is a former professional baseball player, best known for his stunning outfielder ability when he was playing for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners. He retired having set a record as one of the most prolific hitters of home runs, ranking sixth in MLB history, achieving a total of 630 home runs. He was a 13-time All-Star too.
Do you want to know how rich Ken Griffey is, as of early 2016? Ken is estimated to have a net worth approaching $85 million. He earned his fortune through his career as a baseball player, especially during his time with the Seattle Marines and Cincinnati Reds. Reports indicated that he was paid a significant $2.3 million. He has also starred in a number of video games and appeared in various TV shows, all which have made him extremely rich.
Ken Griffey Jr. Net Worth $85 Million
Ken Griffey Jr. started playing baseball at a very young age, growing-up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his family moved to when he was just six as his father, Ken Griffey Sr. was a baseball player too, playing for Cincinnati Reds, and who devoted much of his time teaching his son the sport. He joined Archbishop Moeller High School, where he also started playing football, but was still chosen as the US High School Baseball Player of the Year. Griffey did not attend college and instead chose to chase after his dream as a professional baseball player.
Seattle Mariners chose Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987 in their armature draft, which provided him with an opportunity to prove his talent. In the 11 seasons that he played for the Mariners, he managed to rack up 167 stolen bases, 1,152 RBIs, 398 home runs and a total of 1,752 hits. In 1990 through to 1991, Griffey Jr. and his father became the first father and son to play for a team at the same time. In 1999, he expressed a desire to move closer to his hometown, which meant that he would depart from Seattle. He was traded for Bret Tomko, Antonio Perez and Mike Cameron, joining the Cincinnati Reds, where he signed a nine-year deal amounting to $112.5 million, which saw him increase his net worth significantly.
Griffey Jr. played with the Reds from 2000 to 2008, helping the team to many victories. On 31 July 2008, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, in exchange with Danny Richar, an infielder, and Nick Masset, a pitcher. On 30 October that same year, the team declined the $16 million deal that Griffey requested, so for the first time, he became a free agent. The Atlanta Braves and the Mariners took this to their advantage and courted him, but he decided to go with the Mariners, signing a deal on 18 February 2009. In May 2010, Don Wakamatsu, the manager of the Seattle Mariners, decided to limit his playing because he had recorded poor performances. On 2 June 2010, he left the team, announcing his immediate retirement from baseball.
On 17 February 2011, the Seattle Marines hired Griffey Jr. as a consultant. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on 22 July 2013. On 10 August 2014, the Cincinnati Reds also inducted him into the team’s Hall of Fame. On 6 January 2016, he was elected with 99.32% of votes to the Baseball Hall of Fame, breaking the record of 98.84% of votes held by Tom Seaver in 1992.
In his personal life, Ken Griffey Jr. married Melissa Griffey, with whom he has three children, including an adopted son. In 2007, he was diagnosed with pleurisy, but fortunately this doesn’t hinder him too much. He has a private pilot’s licence, and is the AOPA Foundation’s chairman, overseeing the charity organization’s works in promoting aviation education and safety. He has had his share of controversy: in January 1988, he tried to commit suicide at the age of 18 by swallowing 277 aspirin pills.
