Ken Griffey Jr., Jerry Manuel serve as mentors for baseball camp

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Ken Griffey Jr. talks to a group of high school baseball players. | Madeline Kenney/Chicago Sun-Times

Two former White Sox returned to Chicago on Wednesday to be mentors for the “Breakthrough Series,” a development camp put on by USA Baseball and MLB that embraces diversity.

Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and former Sox manager Jerry Manuel spoke to a group of roughly 60 high school junior and senior baseball players at Curtis Granderson Stadium at UIC. The attendees were selected for their athletic abilities.

Manuel started the day by welcoming the players to the camp and introducing Griffey Jr., the “Swingman,” who shared life advice and keys to making it in the majors.

At a young age, Griffey Jr. learned from his father, 19-year veteran Ken Griffey Sr., how essential a strong work ethic is.

“My dad was an All Star, not a superstar,” Griffey Jr. said. “He had to work, and you have to continue to work. He would say, ‘People are going to be bigger, stronger, faster. That don’t mean they’re not working.’ ”

Griffey Jr. clearly took his dad’s advice to heart and has the career to prove it.

As one of the most prolific hitters in history, Griffey Jr. slugged 630 career home runs — sixth-most all time — and had a .284 career batting average. He had 10 Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger honors in his 22-year career.

Griffey Jr. played part of one season for the White Sox toward the end of his career in 2008. He said that stint made him feel young again.

“It was a lot of fun [playing for the White Sox],” he said. “I could tell you that I felt like a 19-year-old kid again to be able to come back and be in a playoff race, being in games that actually mean something.”

Seventeen-year-old Jaylen Patterson, one of the 11 Chicago kids selected to participate in the session, remembered watching Sammy Sosa and Griffey Jr. highlights growing up.

Patterson’s face lit up at the mention of Griffey Jr.

“He’s a great hitter, a power hitter,” Patterson said. “He’s going to evaluate us and help us to become better hitters.”

Griffey Jr. helped teach the participants proper stances and form. Manuel also worked on drills with the campers. He said he loves coming back to Chicago and enjoys working with the sport’s future. Manuel also said it’s good that the camp is able to bring in recognizable and famous players to work with the kids.

“To give them a chance to touch and feel these guys and their passion to continue to play,” Manuel said. “I think it’s a huge bonus for us to get a Hall of Famer out here to spend that much time with the kids.”

The “Breakthrough Series” has had nearly 160 of its previous participants selected in the MLB Draft, including 16 in 2017.

Follow me on Twitter @madkenney.

Email: mkenney@suntimes.com

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