SEATTLE MARINERS

Ken Griffey Jr. says Barry Bonds should be in MLB Hall of Fame

Feb 21, 2016, 10:05 AM | Updated: 10:16 am

Baseball Hall of Fame centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr poses with the Daytona 500 winner’s trophy...

Baseball Hall of Fame centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr poses with the Daytona 500 winner's trophy during a news conference before the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Griffey is the honorary starter of the race. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

(AP Photo/Terry Renna)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Ken Griffey Jr. says steroid-tainted slugger Barry Bonds deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Griffey is serving as honorary starter for the Daytona 500, where he will waive the green flag to start the 58th running of “The Great American Race.”

Before he took his spot in the starter’s stand Sunday, he met with the media and one of the first questions was about Bonds belonging in Cooperstown.

After a long pause, Griffey said “Yeah. I think that overall, when you look what people have done, yeah. It’s not my vote, so I can’t vote for him. But if you look at what he’s done, those numbers speak for themselves.”

The polarizing home run king, Bonds is returning to the major leagues as hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. Bonds is 0 for 4 in annual Hall of Fame balloting.

Griffey was elected to the Hall last month.

Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mariners Roof Report

Brought to you by
Chance Rain Showers then Light Rain Likely
High 60° | Low 47°
No game today.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners Luis Urías Rangers...

Stephen Hawkins

Mariners hang on to beat Rangers 4-3, win third straight series

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ty France and the Seattle Mariners never left Texas with a win last season. In their first trip to the Rangers’ ballpark this year, they took the series and first place in the AL West from the reigning World Series champions. Seattle Mariners 4, Texas Rangers 3: Box score France and […]

7 hours ago

Seattle Mariners J.P. Crawford...

Brent Stecker

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford lands on 10-day IL

J.P. Crawford has been placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain ahead of the Seattle Mariners' series finale in Texas on Thursday.

11 hours ago

Seattle Mariners fall 5-1 to Texas Rangers...

The Associated Press

Garcia, Carter power Texas Rangers past Seattle Mariners 5-1

The Seattle Mariners leave nine runners on base and relinquish first place in the AL West in a 5-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.

1 day ago

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh...

Zac Hereth

Mariners’ Raleigh, Crawford out of lineup — here’s why

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is out of Wednesday's lineup after having oral surgery to fix a broken tooth.

1 day ago

Seattle Mariners Julio Rodríguez...

Stephen Hawkins

Julio Rodríguez reunites with an old friend: Mariners’ HR trident

Julio Rodríguez tightly hugged the trident that the Seattle Mariners use to celebrate home runs. It was a happy reunion, the first time the young slugger got to hold it after going deep this season.

1 day ago

Seattle Mariners Josh Rojas...

Brent Stecker

Key figure for first-place Mariners has been 3B Josh Rojas

The Seattle Mariners' leader in batting average and on-base percentage is surprisingly Josh Rojas, who is also playing strong defense at third base.

1 day ago

Ken Griffey Jr. says Barry Bonds should be in MLB Hall of Fame