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by Digger

Ken Griffey Jr added his name to baseball history this evening by hitting career homer #600 against Florida's Mark Hendrickson. Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Sammy Sosa (609) and now Griffey (600) are the only major leaguers to surpass 600 career regular season blasts.

Griffey broke into the league with Seattle back in 1989 and all who watched him play knew this guy had all the tools which make legends. Six times he topped the 40 homer mark for the Mariners including back to back 56 seasons. Injuries interefered with parts of seven seasons. Who knows where his totals would stand had he been healthy for his entire career?

Griffey has done it on both sides of the diamond. Leaping catches, shotgun arm, one time base stealer and prolific home run hitter. He was also lucky enough to play in the same game with his father, Ken Griffey Sr.

Career Highlights:
600 Career Home Runs
13 All Star Selections
1997 AL MVP
10 Gold Glove Awards
7 Silver Slugger Awards
4 Time League HR Champ
40(+) HR in 7 Seasons

Griffey's career seems to be winding down. His numbers have been off so far this season which could be due to the pressure of reaching 600. Hopefully, he'll bounce back and have another Griffey-like season. Junior has also been subject to trade rumors as his Cincinnati Reds have struggled and could be ready to downsize players with larger contracts. Griff's services will certainly be sought after for late season heroics of teams on the playoff bubble. Earlier in May, it was believed to be his former Mariners team inquiring. But, they've long since faded in the standings and probably will not look to take on another big contract. Most logical fits would be NY, Boston, Tampa Bay and Angels. All have young talent and big enough wallets to rent a star for the stretch run.