Bosley: When Ken Griffey Jr. played for the Vermont Mariners
From SABR member Bruce Bosley at the Burlington Free Press on July 23, 2016:
On Sunday afternoon, Ken Griffey Jr. will receive baseball’s highest honor, induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in in Cooperstown, New York.
Just 28 years ago on nearly the same date, July 6, 1988, Griffey became a member of the Double A Vermont Mariners, his final stop in the minor leagues.
Griffey goes into the Hall as the recipient of the highest percentage of votes for induction by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was listed on all but three of 440 ballots.
In its five years as a member of the Eastern League and 22-plus more in the New York-Penn League, no other prospect on a Vermont franchise had the tools and ability of Griffey, who was just 18 years old that summer and only 18 months out of high school. He would jump over Triple A the next spring and reach the major leagues on opening day in 1989. His tremendous ability was obvious at the start.
Read the full article here: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/sports/2016/07/23/griffey-jr-played-vermont-mariners/87483206/
Originally published: August 2, 2016. Last Updated: August 2, 2016.