He hit 600 home runs (5th all-time), won 10 Gold Gloves and appeared in 13 All Star Games. In nearly 150 years of baseball history, only the great Willie Mays can match Ken Griffey Jr. in these statistical categories. However, despite these extraordinary statistics, Ken Griffey Jr. might be the ultimate "What Could Have Been" player. An incredibly promising career was derailed in the second half of his career by chronic injuries that kept him out of hundreds of games. Without these injuries, Griffey was on track to become the Home Run King (Stark, 2010) and perhaps the greatest player of all time. Despite these setbacks, Griffey is still revered as one of the greatest and most popular MLB players of all time. The savior of baseball in Seattle and the only star to remain above the darkness of the steroid era, Griffey will go down in history as a legendary athlete. Ken Griffey Jr. was born in Donora, Pennsylvania on November 21, 1969. After starring at Moeller High School in Cincinnati (Joseph, 1997, p. 10) and becoming one of the hottest prospects of all time , Griffey was drafted with the first overall pick by the Seattle Mariners, the same team his father, Ken Sr., played for. For. Entering the league at the age of 19, Griffey became an instant star as the ultimate tool powerhouse, a rare breed of speed, power, contact, fielding and arm strength. In just his second year, he was named the youngest All Star Game starter in what would be the first of many Summer Classic appearances. He was named the 1997 AL MVP and was named to the MLB All-Century team in 1999 (Reader, 1999). In 2000, he requested to be traded to the Cincinnati Reds to be closer to his family. It was during this time in Cincy that his string of injuries began to occur and his career ended...... middle of paper ......yer. Unfortunately, Griffey might be one of the few players we can still enjoy unsuspectingly in the future, as steroids continue to be a problem even today (Ware, 2013). Although he was never able to reach his true potential as the greatest baseball player of all time due to injuries, Ken Griffey left an indelible legacy. He revolutionized the game with his rare combination of speed and power, as well as his incredible defensive ability. Off the field, he was one of the most marketable athletes of all time. He single-handedly saved baseball in the city of Seattle and was one of the few stars to avoid any steroid controversy. While some choose to simply remember his broken promise, most will admire his incredible ability, noble accomplishments, and impeccable reputation. He will always be considered a hero and icon of sports, and for this reason he is a legendary athlete..