Ken Griffey Jr. is heading into the Home Run Derby in a role that would have looked impossible when he was still launching balls into the stands. The Hall of Famer said he will photograph Monday night’s event at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, working from the photo well instead of the batter’s box.
The timing fits the reason his name is drawing attention now: All-Star week in Philadelphia has put Griffey back in the middle of baseball’s biggest stage, only this time with a camera. He is one of nine players in Major League Baseball’s 600-homer club and the only three-time winner of the Home Run Derby, which makes his decision to cover the event from the other side of the lens feel even more striking.
Griffey’s photography has become a real second act, not a ceremonial one. He said he has been fortunate enough to shoot the Masters, the Ryder Cup, the Indianapolis 500, the All-Star Game, the World Series and football games, and described himself as someone trying to learn as much as possible over the course of his photography career. He has also been appearing at major sports events as a credentialed photographer, including work earlier this year at the World Baseball Classic.
That path started at home. Griffey said it began when his daughter stopped dribbling a basketball at age 5 and asked whether he was paying attention to the game. She told him she wanted him to watch her like everybody else’s kid. What started as a way to really focus on the kids turned into a serious hobby, then a gear collection: one camera became two, two became four, and one lens turned into about 15.
That detail matters because it explains the oddness of the scene on Monday night. The man best known for hitting home runs is now working the event from behind the camera, and he is doing it while still carrying a baseball résumé that includes a place in the 600-homer club, a 13-time All-Star record and duties as a part owner and special consultant for the Seattle Mariners. Griffey has also served as a senior advisor to Commissioner Rob Manfred since 2001, with a focus on youth baseball development.
He even leaned into the role on Saturday in Philadelphia, helping unveil a mural created by Philadelphia-based artist Paul Carpenter in partnership with Deer Park Spring Water and Major League Baseball. Griffey said he has been all over the map with photography. On Monday night, the map points straight to Citizens Bank Park, where one of baseball’s most familiar power hitters will be trying to catch the swing instead of being the one who makes it.
