Ken Griffey Jr. purchases shares in Mariners franchise
Once the first overall pick and now a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, “the Kid” joined a group no other Seattle player has joined before.
On Monday morning, the Mariners and chairman John Stanton announced that Ken Griffey Jr. has purchased shares in the Seattle Mariners franchise.
“I really don’t know what to say,” Griffey said at Monday’s presser from T-Mobile Park. “You don’t really think of this as a kid. I mean, this is a dream come true.”
Griffey’s investment in the team was the second in three decades. In a “routine process” that began on July 1, Griffey purchased a portion of shares from an existing partner. It may not have been something he considered as a child in Donora, Pennsylvania, but the 51-year-old Griffey knew mid-season that joining Seattle’s ownership group would help the 13-time All-Star give back to a community and organization that drafted him in 1987.
“The team was playing well, and I didn’t want to take the distraction away from them,” Griffey said of the 2021 team. “That was one of the big things, is making sure that these guys know that I’m behind them.
“I’m not going to be that guy that’s gonna stand out in front. I want them to go out there and play, and not have to worry about me.”
Griffey’s statue, with his iconic swing on display, is showcased outside T-Mobile Park’s home plate entrance. It’s been over a decade since he last suited up as a Mariner, but fans still don his jersey similar to players currently on the team.
Stanton said that the partnership group must approve new ownership partners unanimously, and Griffey was deemed an “obvious” choice.
“A few weeks ago, we all saw 45,000 fans in this building,” Stanton said. “I walked the aisles… and I love the fact that I saw so many well-worn No. 24 jerseys. Our fans love Ken, and Ken loves our fans.”
Reinforced by both Stanton and Griffey on Monday was their commitment to winning. Griffey told reporters he’s a bad loser. At age 17, the draft room was his “mail room,” and he worked his way up to the highest level in baseball, he said.
First confirmed by President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto earlier this month and mentioned again by Stanton Monday, Seattle’s front office wants to be aggressive in the free agent and trade markets this offseason. And after a 90-win season that kept the team within postseason striking distance until its final game, that’s not exactly a surprise: when the organization embarked on a “step back” in 2018, Dipoto said their contention window would be now.
“I think the fans want to see a good product on the field,” Griffey said. “And if I’ve got to call somebody, I’ve got to call somebody. But for the most part, it’s just continuing to to help the guys we have here now, and getting the best out of them.”
After his 22-year playing career between Seattle and Cincinnati — and a brief, 42-game stint with the Chicago White Sox — Griffey joined the Mariners as a Special Consultant to the Franchise in 2011 following his retirement in 2010. In January 2021, Major League Baseball named Griffey as a Senior Advisor to Commissioner Rob Manfred, and he consulted with MLB on baseball operations and youth baseball development.
Now, Griffey represents the sport at youth baseball and softball initiatives across the country, most notably the annual Hank Aaron Invitational, a Monday press release said. He represents MLB at All-Star Week, and in 2023 will do so at T-Mobile Park, the home of the team he now co-owns.
“It gives people hope,” Griffey said. “It gives kids an opportunity to to really sit down and go, ‘I can be something.’ And I think that’s the most important thing. And it’s not just minority kids. It’s any kid who grows up in a tough situation, you know, that ‘I can be a part of something, from start to finish.’”
Stanton was asked if Griffey’s shares were in fact those from former Mariners President Kevin Mather, who resigned after making public comments that attacked third baseman Kyle Seager and the salary of a former player’s interpreter.
He replied with a direct, “No.”
In July 2016, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility — with a then-record 99.3 percent of the vote.
Following Griffey’s Hall of Fame induction, the Mariners retired his No. 24 at all levels of the Seattle organization. He was elected to the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2013 and to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame a year later.
“Ken has been an icon of our franchise, on and off the field, for over three decades and we are thrilled that he is joining us as a partner,” Stanton said in the press release. “His knowledge of the game, love of the Mariner fans, his experiences as a player, his passion for community service and his desire to help grow our sport will be a welcome, and invaluable, additional voice.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 1:25 PM.