Retired baseball star Ken Griffey Jr., along with former LA Dodger Mike Piazza, will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2016.
So far, Griffey Jr is the only No. 1 draft pick to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, CBS Sports reports.
Griffey Jr. played 2671 games during his career, playing for the Seattle Mariners, the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. His career RBI was at 83.5 percent and he made, on average, 28 home runs per season, leading him to 630 home runs overall, according to ESPN.
The Mariners announced that the retirement of Griffey Jr.’s number would take place in August after the Hall of Fame Induction. Griffey Jr. will enter the Hall of Fame as a Mariner and will join late announcer Dave Niehaus as the only Mariners represented in the Hall, ESPN reports.
“I played 13 seasons here. I did most of my damage here. I was drafted here. It’s the right thing to do,” Griffey Jr said.
The Pennsylvania native will also throw the first pitch during the Mariners first home game against the Oakland Athletics on April 8, according to ESPN.
Griffey Jr. was drafted in 1987 straight from high school and became the first overall pick, according to CBS Sports. Picked by the Mariners, he stayed with the franchise for 11 years.
During the 1995 season, the Mariners earned the American League (AL) West title and ousted the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. The team’s success that season assisted in keeping the franchise in Seattle, according to ESPN.
In 1997, Griffey Jr. was named MVP after he hit 56 home runs, had 125 runs and stole 15 bases.
His father, Ken Griffey Sr., played for the Cincinnati Reds and helped the team win the World Series in 1975 and 1976. Griffey Sr. also is a three-time All-Star, Sports Illustrated reports.
“I’m just a proud father, just glad everything went the right way,” Griffey Sr. said. “He did the things that he was supposed to do the right way and that is what is most important to me.”
