Ken Griffey Jr. Believes Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Can Grow Baseball With Star Power
Almost from the time he arrived in the big leagues at age 19, Ken Griffey Jr. was a transformational player. Not only did he embody a style of play blending power and speed that few before him possessed, he was one of baseball’s last crossover stars. Even non-baseball fans were aware of “Junior” during his 22-year career (1989-2010) as he loaned his name to shoes and video games.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is the only modern player with the same degree of crossover potential. As the greatest two-way player the sports has seen in a century — if ever — Ohtani’s celebrity has captivated two continents in the six years since he arrived in Major League Baseball.
Last week, the Ohtani show reached Seoul, South Korea, where the Dodgers opened their regular season with two games against the San Diego Padres. Griffey was in attendance, and spoke with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain about Ohtani’s potential to grow the game.
“He’s a great player. We don’t have that – we didn’t have a position player who hit, played defense, and pitched. In an era that you either played one position and moved on. We had some guys who could’ve done it but it’s just nowadays, times have changed, and you can afford to have that guy.”
— Ken Griffey Jr. via Dodgers Nation
Well, the Dodgers could afford that guy at least. Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract featured $680 million deferred salary but still counts as the largest in professional sports history. The Ohtani brand is unique not just in baseball, but in any sport.
Could Ohtani inspire a new generation of baseball players in the same way Griffey did years ago? The Kid himself believes it’s possible.
“It doesn’t matter who it is that helps grow the game of baseball. All it takes is one person to change a household, and that’s the thing. My dad grew up watching football. Everybody wanted to play football. All of a sudden your guy, Stan Musial, played baseball, he’s from the same town and ended up playing with my grandfather in high school. The rest is history. It just takes one person to change the game for generations.”
— Ken Griffey Jr. via Dodgers Nation
Few living baseball players could provide a more hearty endorsement.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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