When Ken Griffey Jr. was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, he received 99.32% of the vote, which at the time was the highest percentage in Hall of Fame history. That was not exactly a surprise. Over 22 seasons, “The Kid” became one of the most beloved baseball players of all time, hitting 630 home runs, making 13 All-Star teams, winning 10 Gold Gloves, and helping define an entire era of baseball with his swing, his smile, his backward cap, and his seemingly effortless greatness.
Now one of the greatest baseball players of all time is making a major real estate move.
Griffey and his wife, Melissa, have listed their massive lakefront estate in Windermere, Florida, for $27 million. The property, located in the Orlando suburb long favored by athletes, executives, and other high-net-worth buyers, sits on nearly 11.6 acres with 440 feet of frontage on Cypress Lake.
And this is not some modest post-retirement Florida mansion. This is a 22,100-square-foot custom-built compound with seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, two powder rooms, a grotto-style pool, a private boat dock, a 10-car garage, a golf simulator, a wine room, a gym, a salon, a media lounge, and enough square footage to make most luxury homes look like guesthouses.
The $2.6 Million Land Purchase
Griffey and Melissa bought the lakefront lot in 2004 for just under $2.6 million. At the time, Griffey was still in the later years of his playing career, having already become a Seattle Mariners icon before moving on to the Cincinnati Reds.
Rather than buying a completed mansion, the couple purchased the land and built their own estate from the ground up. The Mediterranean-style home was completed in 2008, creating a sprawling private retreat in one of Central Florida’s most exclusive residential pockets.
Now, roughly two decades after buying the land, the Griffeys are asking $27 million for the finished estate.
That means the current asking price is more than 10 times what they originally paid for the land. Of course, that comparison does not factor in the enormous cost of building and maintaining a 22,000-square-foot custom mansion, but it still shows how dramatically the property’s value has grown.
Inside The 22,100-Square-Foot Mansion
The home is set beyond a gated driveway and introduced by a dramatic motor court and porte-cochère. Inside, the residence opens with a 28-foot travertine foyer, a bifurcated staircase with wrought-iron railings, and a trio of soaring Gothic-style arched windows that frame views of the palm-filled grounds.
The home has a strong Mediterranean and Moorish-inspired feel, with formal spaces, columns, arched windows, stone details, and large-scale rooms designed for entertaining. The formal dining area is lined with columns, while the kitchen features a coffered ceiling and professional-grade appliances.
The primary suite is appropriately grand, with a stone fireplace, a tufted headboard, and the kind of scale one would expect in a mansion built for an athlete who spent his career roaming center field like he owned the grass. There is also a two-bedroom guest wing with its own entrance and living area, making it ideal for visiting family, guests, or staff. Here is a video tour:
The Grotto Pool, Boat Dock, And 10-Car Garage
The outside of the property is just as over-the-top as the interior.
The grounds include a 125,000-gallon grotto-style swimming pool with a slide, waterfalls, and a spa-like atmosphere. There is also a basketball court, a private dock on Cypress Lake, and wide lawns dotted with palms and mossy cypress trees.
For car collectors, the estate includes a 10-car garage with two lifts. For golfers, there is an indoor golf simulator. For entertaining, there are multiple recreation areas, a media lounge, and lakefront outdoor spaces. The property also includes a gym, a wine room, a salon, an elevator, and an automated smart-home system.
All told, the property has the feel of a custom-built athlete’s dream house, which makes sense considering who built it.
Ken Griffey Jr.’s Post-Playing Life
Since leaving the field, Griffey has stayed close to sports. He has worked as a sports photographer, shooting major events including the Masters and NFL games. He has also invested in Seattle sports, including stakes connected to the Seattle Sounders FC and the Mariners, and has served as a senior adviser to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.
