Bottom Of The Inning

Did you know that MLB is the oldest major professional sports league in the world or that the Arizona Diamondbacks could’ve been called the Phoenix Cactus Cutters? Why is the Pittsburgh called the pirates? This is how every MLB team got their name and identity. National League East Atlanta Braves 0:15 Miami Marlins 1:31 New York Mets 2:43 Philadelphia Phillies 4:18 Washington Nationals 5:21 Central Chicago Cubs 7:26 Cincinnati Reds 8:36 Milwaukee Brewers 10:00 Pittsburgh Pirates 11:40 St. Louis Cardinals 12:36 West Arizona Diamondbacks 13:34 Colorado Rockies 14:36 Los Angeles Dodgers 15:10 San Diego Padres 16:38 San Francisco Giants 17:50 American League East Baltimore Orioles 18:37 Boston Red Sox 19:44 New York Yankees 20:25 Tampa Bay Rays 21:31 Toronto Blue Jays 22:19 Central Chicago White Sox 23:12 Cleveland Guardians 24:22 Detroit Tigers 25:24 Kansas City Royals 26:13 Minnesota Twins 27:06 West Houston Astros 27:55 Los Angeles Angels 28:30 Oakland Athletics 29:27 Seattle Mariners 30:03 Texas Rangers 30:40 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Griffey Junior was one of the most physically gifted players to ever step onto a big league diamond. He didn’t need to juice. Neither did Barry Bonds. But Bonds, also the son of a major leaguer, took a different path, whereas Junior refused to inject synthetic hormones into his body. Much of Junior’s career must be seen from this context: his peers, McGwire, Sosa, ARod, Bonds, Clemens, and on and on, resorted to artificial means to boost their careers. None are in the Hall of Fame. But Ken Griffey Jr is. His career was remarkable, except there will always be a question mark attached to it. What if? What if he had stayed healthy? What kind of numbers could he have put up had he played in 150 games per season? Because no teenager, not Mel Ott, not Bryce Harper, had as much pure talent as Junior when he broke in at 19 with the Mariners. If you go by WAR alone, the numbers say Harper had the best year, but he didn’t have Junior’s speed or defensive ability. 0:00 Intro 2:21 Highschool 4:46 Turning Pro 7:29 Rookie Sensation 9:28 Father-Son 12:44 Superstar 19:52: The Reds & Beyond 22:55 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices