Ken Griffey Jr. Wins a Unanimous AL MVP

On November 12, 1997, Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners was named the American League's Most Valuable Player by unanimous vote. All 28 members of the BBWAA who cast ballots placed him first. He was the ninth unanimous MVP in AL history and the first Mariner to win the award.

Griffey's 1997 season was the peak of a career that had already produced six All-Star selections and four Gold Gloves. He hit .304 with 56 home runs, 147 RBIs, 125 runs scored, and a .646 slugging percentage. He led the league in all four of those categories. At 27 years old, he appeared to be on a trajectory toward the all-time home run record.

The 56 home runs placed him in company that was still exclusive in 1997. Only Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Hack Wilson had hit more in a single season at that point. The steroid-fueled totals of the late 1990s and early 2000s would eventually push that number down the historical rankings, but in the fall of 1997, 56 felt like a staggering total.

Griffey's swing was the most aesthetically admired in the game. Left-handed, fluid, with a high follow-through that became one of the defining images of 1990s baseball. He made center field look effortless and hit balls distances that prompted comparisons to Mickey Mantle.

The Mariners finished 90-72 but missed the playoffs. Seattle would not return to the postseason until 2001, the year after Griffey left for Cincinnati. His MVP campaign in 1997 remains the statistical high point of a Hall of Fame career.