Father knows best location

06-10-2006

By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions

Baseball is not his father’s sport, but that never hindered A.J. Griffin's future.

Tim Griffin grew up a high school hockey player in Grand Rapids, Minn., a small town near the Canadian border not far from Duluth and frigid Lake Superior. But after Tim and Kathy Griffin settled in San Diego and their son began playing youth baseball in El Cajon, A.J. trusted his father’s sports IQ.

“My Dad always told me that great pitchers like Greg Maddux get people out by controlling their movement more than from throwing hard,” said A.J., a Grossmont High senior pitcher/infielder. “Controlling location on your pitches is much harder for the batter. He told me that my whole life, and I started to see it my sophomore year.”

The light bulb clicked on and still burns brightly.

Griffin used his control as a pitcher and his bat and slick glove as a first baseman to lead Grossmont to a second straight CIF San Diego Section Division II title as a senior in 2006. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder was named the CIF Player of the Year on the 46th annual Breitbard All-CIF baseball team.

Throughout Griffin’s high school pitching career, the big right-hander borrowed from the first three rules of real estate – location, location, location. As a senior, he was 11-3 with a 1.46 ERA while striking out 110 and walking only 16 in 91 innings. Of his 16 walks, only four scored.

“It was a dominating performance,” said veteran Grossmont coach Rob Phillips. “He knows if you throw strikes, you’re going to be successful.”

As a junior, Griffin was 8-2 with only nine walks in 67 innings.

“Pretty amazing, huh?” Phillips added.

In three varsity seasons on the mound, Griffin was 24-8 with 15 complete games, a 1.92 ERA, and 229 strikeouts with 45 walks in 208 innings. Who does he think he is, Greg Maddux?

Griffin’s next stop is the University of San Diego, where he is committed to a scholarship offer from head coach Rich Hill and joins a program that has advanced to the NCAA Tournament three of the last five years.

“We’re excited to have a local guy who’s not only a great player but a great person,” Hill said. “He’s competitive. He’s the kind of pitcher who pulls his hat down low and goes after people, and I like that.”

Arthur Joseph Griffin – he is named for two late great-grandfathers who were still alive when he was born -- didn’t hear his name called in the two-day amateur baseball draft that concluded Wednesday. But he’s not disappointed or feeling overlooked. Scouts knew he planned to attend college, which always lowers a prospect’s draft stock.

“Going into the draft, I knew I wouldn’t go high,” he said. “But I was hoping I would so I could feel cool. But it doesn’t matter.”

In college, pro scouts want to see more consistency on his fastball. Griffin’s velocity jumps between 91 and 82, but he has the long body and arms to develop consistent velocity as he matures.

“He’s got a great downward plane and he can throw a slider and a fastball,” Hill said. “When the ball comes from high plane to a low plane, it’s tough on hitters.”

At the plate, Griffin hit .349 (29-of-83) with five home runs, 24 RBIs, 24 runs scored and four stolen bases. Phillips also says he’s the best defensive first baseman he’s coached in 10 years at the school.

Although Hill is aware of Griffin’s value as an everyday player, USD recruited him as a pitcher because players with his control are hard to find.

“They told me I’ll have a chance to hit, but I’m cool with just pitching,” Griffin said. “I usually like the one I’m having the best streak at the time.”

As a senior, that included a streak of nine complete games. It also featured closing out the final game of his high school career in relief with a second straight CIF title. He picked up the win with three perfect innings and three strikeouts.

“Last year we had a team expected to win,” Griffin said. “This year we had a young team with four sophomores, so it was pretty awesome to come out on top again. We had a lot of leaders on our team and that made everyone do their job.”