This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2019
Major league baseball held its first amateur draft in 1965, and for decades, the #1 overall selection seemed to be more of a curse than a blessing. Oh sure, some nice players came from that #1 spot over the years: Rick Monday, Harold Baines, Darryl Strawberry, Shawon Dunston, and Tim Belcher for example, but none worthy of legendary status and significantly more duds than studs. And then the Seattle Mariners selected Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987. The most celebrated high-schooler since the 1950s days of "the bonus baby," "Junior" tore up the minor league circuit and made his debut as a 19-year old, smacking 16 homers. As he entered his early 20s, his maturing body helped him raise his yearly homer total from the low 20s into the 40s and 50s, leading the American League in round trippers three consecutive seasons, including back to back 56 homer seasons. His 630 taters currently rank him #7 on the all-time list. Presented is a magnificent game-used bat that Ken Griffey Jr. swung in the 1990s, a black Louisville Slugger model C271 stick that shows wonderful game use in the form of ball scuffs and blue bat rack marks. The handle has Griffey's signature criss-cross tape pattern and Griffey has added a powerful silver marker signature next his facsimile stamping on the barrel. Measures approximately 33.5 inches and weighs 31.4 ounces. LOA from John Taube - PSA/DNA with a grade of GU 9.