A.J. Graffanino was truly born to play baseball, and his father, long-time major-leaguer Tony Graffanino, has the photos, videos — and memories — to prove it.
There’s A.J. swinging a bat as an infant, running imaginary bases as a 2-year-old, taking fungoes on major-league fields throughout his childhood, sitting on the bench during Triple-A games in Columbus.
“It’s always what he’s done — play baseball,’’ said Tony Graffanino.
And now A.J. is playing for the Washington Huskies, who open their baseball season Friday at Sacramento State. The Huskies, though picked seventh in the Pac-12 coaches poll, have designs on the first College World Series appearance in school history, and the junior Graffanino is a large part of those aspirations.