Mariners: Griffey ‘ripped,’ ready to go
January 28, 2010
SEATTLE (AP)—Ken Griffey Jr.(notes) is “ripped” and ready to go for springtraining.
Baseball’s active home run leader had his second arthroscopic knee surgeryin 12 months in October, to remove a bone spur. And Seattle Mariners trainerRick Griffin says Griffey is “better now than he was at any time last year.”
Griffin spent a few days with Griffey at his home in Florida this winter.The trainer said Thursday the slugger who turned 40 on Nov. 21 has lost about 7pounds.
Griffey’s even bragging about his new physique.
“He told our general manager that he’s going to be ripped. We’ll see,”Griffin said, smiling three weeks before the Mariners begin spring training.
“He knows he has to lose weight. And he has,” Griffin said.
Griffey hit .214 last season in his return to Seattle, with 19 homers and 57RBIs in 117 games. He was a designated hitter for all but the first weeks of theseason.
The man with 630 career home runs had his knee drained repeatedly in 2009,and often walked stiffly around the clubhouse with a bulbous ice pack wrappedaround his leg.
Yet he still produced thrilling, late-game home runs, reminders of what madethe 13-time All-Star a Seattle icon from 1989-99, beginning as a grinningMariners teenager.
“A lot of people don’t realize, not being in the clubhouse every day, howbad his knee was last year,” Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu said.
He has Griffey penciled in as his designated hitter. Wakamatsu, who ledSeattle’s turnaround from 101 losses to an 85-77 record last season, saidThursday at the team’s annual pre-spring training luncheon that the Marinerswill again slowly work the 1997 AL MVP into everyday shape.
“When he can play, he’s going to be in there,” Wakamatsu said.
Griffey is Seattle’s clubhouse leader and the key to maintaining theenvironment of trust Wakamatsu created last year in his first season with theMariners.
But just as Seattle is expecting more out of its rising team, its managerexpects more out of Griffey now that he’s healthy.
“We’re expecting production,” Wakamatsu said.
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