Ken Griffey Jr. shows off new shape at Mariners camp

PEORIA, Ariz. — Even a little less of Ken Griffey Jr. can still send the volume of a clubhouse spiking.

Griffey arrived in camp on Friday, showing off a trimmer physique he says is seven pounds lighter than last season. The surgery last October to remove a bone chip from his knee has eased the pain he felt all of last season and left him better equipped to do strength and endurance training this winter.

"I can do things now that I couldn't do before," Griffey said. "That's the big difference."

It remains to be seen just how good of shape Griffey is actually in and whether, at age 40, he can be a regular contributor on the field. But judging by his performance Friday, turning up the electricity inside a clubhouse that had seemed rather staid the first two days of camp, his off-field abilities remain intact.

One of the first things Griffey did upon entering the clubhouse was point at Cliff Lee's locker. He then said he was going to throw bunting practice and throw a ball behind Lee's head.

Lee threw a ball behind Griffey's head in 2004 at the time the slugger was sitting on 499 career home runs.

Griffey was only kidding around this time, defusing any tension with his trademark humor. Later, after most reporters had left the clubhouse, he and Lee were seated at a table together, chatting amicably along with Chone Figgins, who also arrived in camp Friday.

The youngest player in camp, catcher Steven Baron, soaked it all in quietly from a distance. Baron didn't turn 19 until Dec. 7 and wasn't born until Griffey had already completed his second major-league season.

"I still haven't talked to him yet," Baron said. "I hope I will soon."

The handshakes and jokes flew for a few more minutes as players prepared to take the field. Later on, Griffey — who didn't have to report until Monday — talked more about his health status and where he's at.

Griffey discussed a change in his eating habits and some increased leg and weight workouts to strengthen his knee and slim his body down. He'd arrived in a baggy gray sweatshirt that hid his frame underneath, prompting some kidding by manager Don Wakamatsu as he greeted him.

"I said, 'You're coming in like a boxer, that's unfair, I can't tell,' " Wakamatsu said. "You have to give him a hug to see if he'd lost any weight."

Wakamatsu added: "He looks in pretty good shape. Again, when we start running around out there, you can't hide that. We'll see how he feels. But all indications are, he's in pretty good shape."

Wakamatsu was asked whether Griffey would have to do the mandatory 300-yard shuttle run, which he skipped last spring.

"He's going to run the 50," the manager quipped.

But Griffey's ability to maintain his knees at serviceable levels is no laughing matter. The bone spur he had removed last October was a constant source of discomfort last season, and Griffey often found himself sitting out several days after just one game as a designated hitter.

His ability to handle a DH role — and perform well enough — on a regular basis should help the team determine how to use players at other positions. For instance, Milton Bradley could spend less time as a left-handed DH and more in left field if Griffey shows he can handle the bulk of DH duty from the left side.

Griffey said his son, Trey, a high-school football player in Florida, packed on several extra pounds of muscle using a personal trainer.

So, Griffey decided to emulate some of the workouts his son was doing — minus treadmill work, which apparently caused his son to burn the motor out on the one they have at home.

"I don't do treadmills," Griffey said.

But he still can do a clubhouse with the best of them.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.

Read his daily blog at www.seattletimes.com/Mariners