Search Results for: ken griffey

Five moves that helped land Gillick in the Hall

Normally, trading a future Hall of Fame player is the death knell for a major league general manager. But when Pat Gillick did it he laid the groundwork for historic success. In 1999, Gillick, with impressive credentials on his resume, replaced Woody Woodward as General Manager of the Seattle Mariners. The team’s superstar center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. was grumbling about the lack of support on the roster and issued a trade demand. Woodward had famously told reporters, “I don’t want to be the guy remembered for trading Ken Griffey Jr. away from the Mariners.” Gillick had no such fear.

Is Mike Trout the Least Exciting Superstar in Baseball History?

One of the problems of being really good when you’re young is that expectations are set very high. That’s what happened to Mike Trout. He had arguably the best first five seasons of any position player, all before his 25th birthday. But now, as he navigates his 30s, the outfielder is facing the reality of being human.

The 20 Greatest Dodgers of All-Time

This is the third installment of my “Top 20” series, looking at the top players for a specific franchise based solely on Wins Above Replacement. Quibble if

Sparky Anderson was a man of hyperbole and principle

When the Cincinnati Reds named 36-year old George Anderson as their manager during the 1969-1970 off-season, newspapers in the city asked “Sparky Who?” Within a few years, he was one of the few men in sports who was known by one name.