What Does Ken Griffey Jr. Joining Mariners Leadership Group Mean?

Ken Griffey Jr. has had a lasting legacy on the Mariners organization. From the time that he began his career to saving baseball in Seattle, to the House that Griffey Built, to being a Special Consultant to the Organization. Now That Legacy is going to grow even more after the Mariners announced that Griffey is joining the Partnership Group.

Griffey was the No. 1 overall pick in the amateur draft by the Mariners in 1987. Two years later, came his major league debut and he quickly grew into one of the best players of his generation with that familiar “S” on his hat — whether it was turned forward or backward.

This announcement comes months after it was announced that Ken Griffey Jr. would be the new Senior Advisor To MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

What Does Griffey Say?

According to the Press Release:

“As I said in my Hall of Fame speech, I’m very proud to be a Seattle Mariner,” Griffey said. “I’m excited for this incredible opportunity to join John and the rest of the Mariners Partnership Group. This is a dream come true because of the relationship I’ve always had with the team, its fans, and the city of Seattle. I view this as another way to continue to give back to an organization and community that has always supported me, and my family. I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to this organization’s success in any way possible.”

“We’re going to win,” Griffey said during a press conference at T-Mobile Park. “I don’t like losing. The guys who played with me and the guys I played against [know] I’m a very bad loser. And I take this responsibility to the highest level. I think being a 17-year-old kid getting drafted, I consider this like the guy who started in the mailroom and now has worked his way up. This is an opportunity, like I said, that I don’t take lightly.”

How Big Is The Stake?

Though it is unknown how big the stake is, Griffey officially joined the Partnership group back in September. He preferred not to make the announcement then due to the post-season run that the Mariners won.

Griffey will take on what Stanton described as a portion of one of the 17 current partners’ interests. That partner did not completely sell off his share and remains with the Mariners. Stanton said that Griffey is not obtaining the forfeited ownership shares of Kevin Mather, who resigned as president and CEO in February. Griffey becomes the 18th partner in the ownership group.

The Mariner’s new ownership group partially bought out Nintendo back in 2016.

So still no real explanation as to how big Griffey’s stake is, except for that it is essentially the share of someone else’s share.

So What Does This Mean?

For the players, it means they have an ownership partner that understands the workload that the players have to go through. Though, for the fans, it means the Mariners will be in the playoffs very soon. When Ken Griffey Jr. promises something he most definitely delivers, and the Mariners have seen that time and time again. As the Mariners get ready to make a splash in the offseason and prepare for the 2022 season.

The man that they call ‘The Kid’ said “We want to win, and we are going to win.”

That sounds like a very powerful message heading into next season.

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