Friday, August 1, 2008 | By Alex Eisenberg

Trade Review: the Impact of Ken Griffey Jr. In Chicago

On Thursday, the White Sox made a move to grab Ken Griffey Jr. from the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar.

Griffey is obviously a shell of the player he once was, but that shell still makes for a fairly productive player. He doesn't hit for average anymore, but he gets on base a at a decent clip and even though his power is in its fourth consecutive year of decline, the .187 ISO-power still rates as top-30 among all qualified outfielders.

As Griffey has aged, the plate discipline has improved and he's become more selective in the pitches he decides to go after. It's a sign that Griffey is laying off pitches he used to be able to handle.

Ideally, Griffey should be used in a platoon role for the White Sox as he has hit right handed pitchers to the tune of an .825 OPS compared to a .709 OPS against left handed pitching.

The Swing

Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey has lost some bat speed in recent years, but he still possesses a beautiful stroke.

He keeps his hips closed until the last possible moment before aggressively unloading them forward. His hands and hips turn together and he uses a firm front leg in which to turn his hips on. Everything is essentially focused on Griffey's center of gravity--the area where most of the power comes from.

The pitch he is hitting for a homerun is a 91 mph sinking fastball and displays Griffey's ability to golf a pitch over the outfield walls.

Defense

The reports out of Chicago suggest Griffey will be the team's center fielder. Nick Swisher will move to first base as he does have experience at that position. Pushed out of the line-up is Paul Konerko, who has struggled mightily this year.

The big question is can Griffey even play center any more? He hasn't played the position since 2006 and his zone rating wasn't particularly good when he did play that position.

Griffey's defense is going to be a very interesting thing to keep an eye on. Exacerbating the problem is the White Sox don't have a lot of range at the corner outfield spots either, so they're not going to be able to help Griffey out in center all that much.

A factor that should be considered is the type of pitchers the White Sox have on their roster. WIth the way their outfield is set up, ideally you want pitchers that miss bats and/or generate ground balls.

The White Sox pitching staff is composed of guys that have anywhere from average to high K-rates and bunch of guys who you can call moderate ground ball pitchers. Javier Vazquez, Octavio Dotel, and Scott Linebrink all miss bats, but all give up a decent amount of fly balls. However, as a whole, the White Sox pitching generally keeps the ball on the ground. The fewer chances Griffey gets in center, the better.

Final Thoughts

The overall talent given up by Chicago was not a steep. Nick Masset could develop into a 5th or 6th pitcher out of the bullpen and Danny Richar has the potential to be a utility guy, but is struggling in AAA this year after a strong performance in 2007. At the very least, the White Sox get a solid bat in Griffey and added depth to their roster.

But the overall fit is pretty questionable. The deal is a win for the White Sox if Griffey holds his own in center, but that's a big if.

One last thing to point out, the White Sox will get some sort of compensation in terms of draft picks when they decline Griffey's option and if they choose wisely, the prospect(s) they end up picking could easily have more value than Masset and Richar going forward.

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