SHOWDOWN HALL OF FAME: Ken Griffey Jr

The third entry into the Showdown Hall of Fame is the one, the only, "The Kid!" Son of a key cog in the Big Red Machine, Griffey Jr burst onto the scene in 1989 as a nineteen year old. Griffey was famous for his smile, backwards hat, and the smoothest left-handed swing baseball has ever seen. Over the next eleven years, Griffey would go to every All Star games and led the majors in HR four different times. More impressively, The Kid actually made baseball fun and relevant in Seattle. Teamed with fellow young star Alex Rodriguez, Griffey led the Mariners to the franchise's first three playoff berths, including two trips to the ALCS.

In 2000, Griffey went home to Cincinnati. Sadly, his Reds career was ridden with injuries. He made three All Star teams in nearly a decade with the Reds, but never put up the consistent power numbers he did in Cincinnati. With his career coming to a close, The Kid came back to Seattle as a man and still contributed for a season. Now, Griffey is in the real Hall of Fame, after 22 seasons and 630 HRs.

So without further ado, one of the greatest power hitters of all time: Ken Griffey Jr!

1993: This is the year of Griffey's first spike in power, going from HRs in the 20s to 45 dingers in a single season. Mixing his incredible defensive skills (Griffey won ten straight gold gloves) with power, Ken put together an all-around card that could be at the top of any lineup! Little did the baseball world know that he was just getting started!

1994: If not for the infamous baseball strike, it's possible that Ken Griffey Jr would have broken Roger Maris' single season HR record rather than McGwire and Sosa. He hit 40 HRs in a mere 111 games, leading the majors. He also put together his best overall card, including a triple, a few doubles, and speed to go with his +3 CF skills. At the end of the day, Griffey's HR quest is the second  biggest "what if" after the Expos potential title run caused by the 1994 strike.

1995: Despite an injury plagued season, Griffey helped the Mariners reach the playoffs for the first time in their history. During his 72 games, Griffey still managed to hit 17 HRs and scored the winning run in an instant classic Game 5 of the ALDS, sliding in to give the Mariners a 6-5 win in extra innings over the vaunted Yankees. 

1997: His only MVP season, Griffey belted 56 HRs for the 1997 Mariners. Once again, Griffey got his team into the postseason. He also accumulated an amazing 147 RBIs and led the majors in slugging with a .646 clip. Although his OBP wasn't the highest, his combination of A+ power and A speed make this a dynamite card.

1998: For quite some time in 1998, McGwire was racing Griffey rather than Sosa to the 62 HR mark. In the end, Griffey matched his HR total from 1997, leading the AL once more with 56 homers. He nearly matched his 147 RBIs, with 146 this season. Ridiculously, he lost the MVP to the Rangers Juan Gonzalez despite hitting 11 more homers and having nearly 2 more WAR (6.6 to 4.9). This card is the ultimate power card, giving a 14-20 chart despite an OB 8. 

2000: The new century saw Griffey leave Seattle for an old place: Cincinnati. In his first and best season with the Reds, Griffey whacked 40 homers. Unfortunately, this was the year that Griffey came in second at the Home Run Derby, following two victories in 1998 and 99. This was the kind of production Cincinnati fans assumed they'd get every season from Griffey, and probably would have if not for a rash of bad luck injuries. 

2007: Griffey's final All-Star season, Griffey mashed over 30 homers for the last time while playing one of his last seasons. Lesser defensive prowess and less speed mark his increased age, which had suffered several catastrophic injuries in preceding seasons. Still, this one last contributing card has a great power range, and is great for "one true outcome" believers.