Ken Griffey
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1991)
Ken Griffey was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1991 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 19 seasons. In 2,097 career games, he hit .296 with 2,143 hits, 152 home runs, and 859 RBI. Ken Griffey was a 3-time All-Star and an All-Star Game MVP. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 15,957.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 190 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1973-08-25
- Last Game
- 1991-05-31
- Awards
- 3× All-Star · All-Star Game MVP
Full name: George Kenneth Griffey
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,097 | 7,229 | 1,129 | 2,143 | 364 | 77 | 152 | 859 | 200 | 719 | 898 | .296 | .359 | .431 | .790 | 15,957 |
Career AVG .296 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +14.5% above league average.
Career OBP .359 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +10.6% above league average.
Career SLG .431 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +12.0% above league average.
Career OPS .790 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | CIN | NL | 25 | 86 | 19 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | .384 | .256 (+49%) | .325 (+30%) | .378 (+50%) | .703 (+41%) | 561.5 |
| 1974 | CIN | NL | 88 | 227 | 24 | 57 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 9 | 27 | 43 | .251 | .256 (-2%) | .324 (+3%) | .369 (-2%) | .693 (avg) | 29.1 |
| 1975 | CIN | NL | 132 | 463 | 95 | 141 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 46 | 16 | 67 | 67 | .305 | .257 (+18%) | .327 (+20%) | .374 (+7%) | .701 (+13%) | 1377.3 |
| 1976 | CIN | NL | 148 | 562 | 111 | 189 | 28 | 9 | 6 | 74 | 34 | 62 | 65 | .336 | .255 (+32%) | .320 (+25%) | .360 (+25%) | .681 (+25%) | 2828.1 |
| 1977 | CIN | NL | 154 | 585 | 117 | 186 | 35 | 8 | 12 | 57 | 17 | 69 | 84 | .318 | .264 (+20%) | .329 (+18%) | .401 (+16%) | .730 (+17%) | 2198.9 |
| 1978 | CIN | NL | 158 | 614 | 90 | 177 | 33 | 8 | 10 | 63 | 23 | 54 | 70 | .288 | .257 (+12%) | .323 (+6%) | .378 (+10%) | .702 (+8%) | 985.3 |
| 1979 | CIN | NL | 95 | 380 | 62 | 120 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 12 | 36 | 39 | .316 | .265 (+19%) | .329 (+13%) | .397 (+19%) | .727 (+16%) | 1146.6 |
| 1980 | CIN | NL | 146 | 544 | 89 | 160 | 28 | 10 | 13 | 85 | 23 | 62 | 77 | .294 | .264 (+11%) | .326 (+12%) | .387 (+17%) | .714 (+15%) | 1602.4 |
| 1981 | CIN | NL | 101 | 396 | 65 | 123 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 12 | 39 | 42 | .311 | .255 (+21%) | .320 (+16%) | .368 (+11%) | .688 (+13%) | 976.1 |
| 1982 | NYA | AL | 127 | 484 | 70 | 134 | 23 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 10 | 39 | 58 | .277 | .261 (+6%) | .324 (+2%) | .388 (+5%) | .712 (+3%) | 280.4 |
| 1983 | NYA | AL | 118 | 458 | 60 | 140 | 21 | 3 | 11 | 46 | 6 | 34 | 45 | .306 | .260 (+17%) | .324 (+9%) | .389 (+12%) | .714 (+11%) | 952.1 |
| 1984 | NYA | AL | 120 | 399 | 44 | 109 | 20 | 1 | 7 | 56 | 2 | 29 | 32 | .273 | .259 (+5%) | .322 (-1%) | .384 (-1%) | .707 (-1%) | -73.3 |
| 1985 | NYA | AL | 127 | 438 | 68 | 120 | 28 | 4 | 10 | 69 | 7 | 41 | 51 | .274 | .257 (+7%) | .323 (+2%) | .390 (+9%) | .714 (+6%) | 383.4 |
| 1986 | NYA | AL | 59 | 198 | 33 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 26 | 2 | 15 | 24 | .303 | .257 (+18%) | .325 (+7%) | .395 (+20%) | .720 (+14%) | 459.6 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | 80 | 292 | 36 | 90 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 32 | 12 | 20 | 43 | .308 | .257 (+20%) | .325 (+8%) | .395 (+27%) | .720 (+19%) | 459.6 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 122 | 399 | 65 | 114 | 24 | 1 | 14 | 64 | 4 | 46 | 54 | .286 | .262 (+9%) | .331 (+8%) | .415 (+10%) | .746 (+9%) | 750.5 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 69 | 193 | 21 | 48 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 17 | 26 | .249 | .254 (-2%) | .317 (-4%) | .377 (-19%) | .695 (-12%) | -330.7 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 25 | 50 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .280 | .254 (+10%) | .317 (-3%) | .377 (+11%) | .695 (+5%) | -330.7 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 106 | 236 | 26 | 62 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 29 | 42 | .263 | .254 (+3%) | .319 (+8%) | .375 (+13%) | .694 (+11%) | 509.1 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 46 | 63 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 5 | .206 | .257 (-20%) | .324 (-28%) | .385 (-26%) | .710 (-27%) | -287.1 |
| 1990 | SEA | AL | 21 | 77 | 13 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 3 | .377 | .257 (+46%) | .324 (+37%) | .385 (+35%) | .710 (+36%) | -287.1 |
| 1991 | SEA | AL | 30 | 85 | 10 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 13 | .282 | .255 (+10%) | .323 (+18%) | .384 (+4%) | .708 (+10%) | 181.1 |
| Career · 22 seasons | 2,097 | 7,229 | 1,129 | 2,143 | 364 | 77 | 152 | 859 | 200 | 719 | 898 | .296 | — | — | — | — | 14,372 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2097 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1045 | 3505 | 587 | 1046 | 87 | 452 | .298 |
| Away | 1052 | 3724 | 542 | 1097 | 65 | 407 | .295 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-05-31 | SEA | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1991-05-28 | SEA | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991-05-27 | SEA | KCR | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991-05-26 | SEA | TEX | L | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991-05-25 | SEA | TEX | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991-05-22 | SEA | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991-05-20 | SEA | KCR | W | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991-05-19 | SEA | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991-05-17 | SEA | NYY | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991-05-15 | SEA | CLE | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 172 | 148 | 1320 | 93 | 23 | 121 |
| OF | 1703 | 1600 | 3258 | 106 | 66 | 22 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | CIN | OF | 21 | 20 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | CIN | OF | 70 | 66 | 115 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975 | CIN | OF | 119 | 115 | 202 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 1976 | CIN | OF | 144 | 126 | 270 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| 1977 | CIN | OF | 147 | 144 | 298 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| 1978 | CIN | OF | 154 | 150 | 296 | 13 | 10 | 2 |
| 1979 | CIN | OF | 93 | 94 | 175 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 1980 | CIN | OF | 138 | 137 | 266 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| 1981 | CIN | OF | 99 | 99 | 268 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 1982 | NYA | OF | 125 | 117 | 282 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| 1983 | NYA | 1B | 101 | 95 | 830 | 57 | 7 | 82 |
| 1983 | NYA | OF | 14 | 13 | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | NYA | 1B | 27 | 26 | 241 | 16 | 11 | 23 |
| 1984 | NYA | OF | 82 | 74 | 181 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 1985 | NYA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | NYA | OF | 110 | 94 | 222 | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| 1986 | NYA | OF | 51 | 42 | 96 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 1986 | ATL | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | ATL | OF | 77 | 73 | 136 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | ATL | 1B | 3 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1987 | ATL | OF | 107 | 97 | 181 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 1988 | ATL | 1B | 11 | 7 | 68 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| 1988 | ATL | OF | 42 | 39 | 61 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1988 | CIN | 1B | 10 | 9 | 64 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1989 | CIN | 1B | 9 | 4 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1989 | CIN | OF | 58 | 52 | 76 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1990 | CIN | 1B | 9 | 5 | 42 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 1990 | CIN | OF | 6 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | SEA | OF | 20 | 19 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | SEA | OF | 26 | 25 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 172 |
| Left Field | 532 |
| Center Field | 203 |
| Right Field | 990 |
| Designated Hitter | 14 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Player of the Week | Week of 1990-09-08 |
| 1980 | All-Star Game MVP | |
| 1976 | TSN All-Star | OF |
Salary History
Ken Griffey's recorded salaries total $4,605,000 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Griffey's career ran from 1973 to 1991. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1991.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | CIN | NL | $510,000 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | $320,000 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | $500,000 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | $1,150,000 |
| 1986 | NYA | AL | $1,050,000 |
| 1985 | NYA | AL | $1,075,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $4,605,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 49.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ken Griffey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ken Griffey
Ken Griffey: the record in brief
August 25, 1973 and May 31, 1991 bracket Ken Griffey's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Reds (1973 through 1990), the New York Yankees (1982 through 1986), the Atlanta Braves (1986 to 1988), and the Seattle Mariners (1990 through 1991). Born on April 10, 1950, in Donora, PA, USA, Griffey is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio gives 5'11" and 190 pounds. The given name on file is George Kenneth Griffey.
In 2,097 games and 7,229 at bats, Griffey batted .296 with 2,143 hits, plus 152 homers, 859 RBI, and 200 stolen bases. Griffey got on base at a .359 rate and slugged .431 (.790 OPS). Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Griffey's .296 average sits 14.5% above it. In OPS terms, Griffey's .790 stands 11.3% above the league's .709. The home run peak was 14 in 1987 with the Atlanta Braves.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Griffey
- What years did Ken Griffey play?
- Ken Griffey played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1991.
- Was Ken Griffey a pitcher?
- No. Ken Griffey was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Ken Griffey hit?
- Ken Griffey hit 152 career home runs with 2,143 hits.
- What teams did Ken Griffey play for?
- Ken Griffey played for 4 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1973–1981, 1988–1990), the New York Yankees (1982–1986), the Atlanta Braves (1986–1988), and the Seattle Mariners (1990–1991).
- Did Ken Griffey win an MVP award?
- No. Ken Griffey did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Ken Griffey win?
- Ken Griffey was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Ken Griffey's career stats?
- In 2,097 games, Ken Griffey had 2,143 hits, 152 home runs, 859 RBI, 1,129 runs, and 200 stolen bases, with a .296 batting average.
- How much did Ken Griffey earn in his career?
- Ken Griffey's recorded salaries total $4,605,000 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Griffey's career ran from 1973 to 1991. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1991.
- What was Ken Griffey's salary?
- Ken Griffey's last recorded salary was $510,000, in 1990. His highest recorded salary was $1,150,000, in 1987, and his lowest was $320,000, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1990.
- What position did Ken Griffey play?
- Ken Griffey played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ken Griffey and how much did he weigh?
- Ken Griffey was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ken Griffey hit each season?
- Ken Griffey's home runs by season: 3 in 1973, 2 in 1974, 4 in 1975, 6 in 1976, 12 in 1977, 10 in 1978, 8 in 1979, 13 in 1980, 2 in 1981, 12 in 1982, 11 in 1983, 7 in 1984, 10 in 1985, 21 in 1986, 14 in 1987, 4 in 1988, 8 in 1989, 4 in 1990, and 1 in 1991. His most in one season was 21, in 1986.
- What was Ken Griffey's career batting average?
- Ken Griffey batted .296 over his career, with 2,143 hits in 7,229 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ken Griffey have?
- Ken Griffey drove in 859 runs in his career.