Major League Baseball Outfielder Comparisons: Ken Griffey, Jr. Vs. Hank Aaron

The majority of Major League Baseball purists will preclude that Hank Aaron is the best all-around African-American baseball player of the twentieth century. Hank Aaron played in an era where lucrative contracts were not the talk of the town, nor did he have the luxury of not having to deal with bigotry and prejudice. Indeed, the valiant and tireless efforts of Hank Aaron's bravery despite battling through so much adversity help pave the way for Ken Griffey, Jr. to reap the benefits that the new era of Major League Baseball has to offer.

Hank Aaron played 12 years with the Milwaukee Braves, and he would continue his career with the Atlanta Braves when the organization decided to give the team a bold facelift, Aaron would play 9 more years with the Braves before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975.

Hank Aaron played most of his career as a Right Fielder; even though he did play a position at First Base, overall, his fierce out fielding skills help earn him 3 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1958 to 1960. In comparison to Hank Aaron's Gold Glove titles, Ken Griffey, Jr. has won an astounding 10 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1990 to 1999; Griffey also won 7 Silver Sluggers awards from 1991 to 1999.

Ken Griffey, Jr. has always been a threat at the plate due to his power hitting skills, and his left handed batting style - in addition to his sweet stroke has posed a problem for many pitchers throughout the years who have tried to pitch to him inside the plate. On the other hand, Hank Aaron right handed batting style was a thing of graceful beauty, Ken Griffey, Jr. batting style is quite similar to Aaron's up swing power hitting. Hank Aaron's 755 home run record was broken by Barry Bonds in 2007, with 762 home runs he is the all-time leader in this category, but there is an asterisk next to that stat considering he used some form of steroid to achieve this. Ken Griffey, Jr. has played for 21 seasons and he has 630 home runs, it may be far-fetched to believe that he can break Aaron's all-time home run record due to the fact that he is in the twilight of his career.

Ken Griffey, Jr. has battled with injuries in the later part of his career, but it has not stopped him from hitting 1829 RBI's, and he has 2763 Hits. The question is does Griffey have enough in his tank to break Hank Aaron's record of 2297 RBI's and 2763 Hits.

Even though Hank Aaron stats were mediocre during his last two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, all-in-all he managed to become the new "sultan of swing" before he retired. Indeed, Hank Aaron will always be remembered as the best all-around baseball player in Major League Baseball history.

Statistical Resources: www.probaseballreference.com