Tatis says shoulder, wrist '100%' in first game since '21. Pudge followed in fellow catcher Johnny Bench's footsteps with a teenage debut in 1991, and he was good from the start. One of the most exciting things about the start of the 2022 season is the incredible group of tippy-top prospects who made Opening Day rosters, including Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Spencer Torkelson and Hunter Greene. Ted Williams called him the best pitcher that he ever faced, which was appropriate, since both players led their generations on the field and in combat while they served the country overseas. I accept that common usage applies it retroactively thru AL and NL history, which I believe is too far gone to fight (I don't want to look like I'm tilting at windmills here) but don't call the Federal League/Negro Leagues/etc. Whether out of a desire for youthful exuberance and energy, or financial concerns with signing more established players, there appears to be a new wave of youngsters taking Major League Baseball by storm. As a 17-year-old, he swatted a sac fly in one plate appearance in an 18-9 loss to the Senators. IF Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals Born: May 16, 2000 (20 years old) Despite not yet playing above the Double-A level, Garcia joined the MLB roster last August for a Washington Nationals team that has never been shy about promoting players at a young age. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Alex Rodriguez remains MLB's last 18-year-old (he appeared in 13 games as an 18-year-old with the 1994 Mariners ), and before him, you have to go back to Jose Rijo with the 1984 Yankees. . While Jones didn't do much during the 1995 regular season, he took the World Series by storm. The 40 -year -old MVP and the end of the race are previously extended in the last two decades of major league baseball.Today, there seems to be an influx of young people i. to His stellar resume is all the more impressive considering he missed nearly four years of his career due to serving in the Navy. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Jerry Ferrara Tells Golf Stories About Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Dillon, Power vs 3 Headed Monsters | BIG3 HIGHLIGHTS, Copyright 2023 Sports Media Ventures, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Id rather forecast something far more niche. Sibby Sisti, 2B: 19 years, 265 days in 1940 (Bees)Sisti hit leadoff and went 2-for-4 with a double for the Boston Bees (the Braves franchise) in a loss to the Dodgers. Like many other young players in the World War II era, Eddie Miksis got an early start to his Major League career thanks to American involvement in the Europe and the Pacific. In the process, Caballero emerged as the youngest third baseman to play in the MLB. Caballero saw his career post a batting average of .228, one home run, and 40 RBI. On that day, he hurled three innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing one run on two hits and three walks. Well, Franco was born just a month and a day before Pujols MLB debut. In the season-ending game, Derrington was given a chance to start for the Chicago White Sox in his MLB debut. At 19, he was the youngest starting pitcher to debut in the Majors since Flix Hernndez in the 2005 season and the second youngest Dodgers starting pitcher to debut since 18-year-old Rex Barney in the 1943 season. (Bryce Harper hit 22 in 2012, as did Juan Soto in 2018.). He played most of 1945 in the minors before being drafted into military service for the majority of 1946. Tatis is the eighth-youngest position player to start on Opening Day in the last 50 seasons -- six individuals did so, including Robin Yount twice. Tampa Bay called up Upton and gave him his first start on Aug. 2, 2004, a 6-3 loss against Boston. But Im doing my due diligence and mentioning them anyway. On March 1, Wander Franco turned 20 years old. Harper has taken the league by storm this year, making fans with his hard-nosed style of play. Doerr played in just 55 games in 1937, but played in 100 or more in every season from 1938-51 except 1945, when he served in the military. All of them have been position players -- the youngest pitcher on record to start on Opening Day was Catfish Hunter at 20 years, 4 days old in 1966. The Rk column indicates how many players were born before/after the specified date. Chad Gaudin: 20 years, 130 daysDebut: Aug. 1, 2003. FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023. On May 1, 1925, the teenage Foxx would enter the game against the Washington Senators as a pinch hitter, and he began his Hall of Fame career with a single. As time has gone on, the teenage debut has become rarer, which makes Harper's ascendance all the more remarkable. Predicting when top 2023 prospects will make their MLB debuts. But after his debut, Nuxhall would return to the league in 1952. A pair of 20-year-olds debuted just last season: Washington infielder Luis Garca (20 years, 90 days) and new Rays right-hander Luis Patio (20 years, 284 days in his debut for the Padres). Baldelli finished third in the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year Award voting after slashing .289/.326/.416 with 11 homers, 78 RBIs and 27 steals, and he enjoyed a 3-WAR season in 04. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Differences Between Hiragana and Katakana and Which to Learn First. Although Jim Derrington is only third on this list, he remains the youngest pitcher to ever start a game. (He hit .267 at nineteen for the '51 Yankees . Theres a perfectly reasonable chance that Wander Franco will still be the youngest player in MLB on Opening Day 2023! Your login session has expired. Even if Alvarez's defense behind the dish isnt fully baked by the end of this season, his bat might be too overwhelming to ignore if the Mets need an offensive boost at some point this year. Overall, he was 41-55 with a 4.22 ERA in his career split between starting an relieving. Being the first player born in a year to reach MLB usually portends some level of stardom or at least indicates a successful career ahead. He was 40 years, 87 days old in his final game, on Aug. 13, 1977. You can follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_. Vivas, Pereira, Jimenez and Noel are all fun prospects in their own right, but they're in High-A and still a ways away. The Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. was 20 years, 85 days old on Opening Day 2019, just out of his teens. Unfortunately, his career also ended quickly. He was 41 years, 84 days old in his final game, on July 20, 1937. He made his debut at 17 in 1936, going 5-3 with 76 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched, which sets him apart on this list for his success rate on the mound at such a young age. Coventry City vs. Aston Villa (27 February 1999) Gary McSheffrey is the joint-sixth youngest player to ever make their debut in the Premier League, at the same age as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy. Quite a finish after that rocky start. Mauricio, Tena and Tovar are all in Double-A, but none seems all that close to debuting based on their track records and organizational depth charts. There seems to be an influx of youth in Major League baseball these days, as performance-enhancing drugs and their impact upon the game have been reduced by baseball's renewed focus on eradicating under-handed methods of enhancing one's abilities and prolonging careers beyond their natural expiration dates. Tatis says shoulder, wrist '100%' in first game since '21. The same goes for these five players, each of whom has the talent to zoom through the minors but is starting at too low a level to imagine it happening quickly enough to beat the other candidates to the big leagues. He lives in D.C. but is a huge Seattle Mariners fan and loves watching the KBO, which means he doesn't get a lot of sleep. He spent time with the Mets and Astros before returning to Tampa Bay in a 2007 trade for Ty Wigginton. Granny Hamner, SS: 17 years, 356 days in 1945 (Phillies)Hamner debuted in September 1944, in part because many players were fighting in World War II and there were roster spots available. He pitched four more seasons of minor league ball without again reaching the majors. He went 0-4 in a loss to the Detroit Tigers that day. Being on a 40-man suggests two very important things about a player: 1) his organization believes he can be a major-leaguer; 2) an additional roster move to clear a spot on the 40-man would not be necessary in the event of any of these players being called up. He was twice the American League MVP, three times an all-star selection and was voted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. In addition to being the youngest person to ever play for the Yankees, Hanson is also the only person younger than 18 to appear in a game for them . The added mass didn't work out last year as the big righty yielded a 4.90 ERA and 1.435 WHIP in 161.2 innings (30 starts). The 20 younger players in the MLB that debut since World War I,0 von 20Christian Petersen/Getty PicturesBaseball is a young man. Tatis says shoulder, wrist '100%' in first game since '21. But after 21 games, Derrington would never play again in the MLB. Nuxhall did not pitch again in the MLB until 1952, at the age of 23. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. He still remains the youngest American Leaguer to play in baseball's modern era. He led the NL in home runs six times, topped 100 RBI nine times and was named to 11 All-Star teams in his career. He went 2-for-3 with a homer in his first game, a 12-9 loss to the White Sox, and hit .317 in his first 30 games. ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web. Best picture you've ever seen, right? Delmon Young: 20 years, 349 days Debut: Aug. 29, 2006 The No. Joe Nuxhall had one of the more interesting paths to the majors in modern baseball history. He earned four All-Star nods (plus one All-Star Game MVP), a Silver Slugger Award and one Gold Glove before becoming a free agent after the 2010 season. Gaudin began his 11-year big league career by going 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 41 outings over two seasons with the Devil Rays. The forward appeared in Coventry City's 4-1 win over Aston Villa in February 1999 at the age of 16 years, 198 days old as an 89 th -minute substitute. PACE, Fla. (BVM) - The No. He was called up mainly due to a player shortage because of World War II, but in an age when teenagers were given a shot far more often, he still stood out at 15 years old. The Houston Astros could have asked for a better start to their quest to become baseball's first back-to-back World Series champions since the New York Yankees of 1998-2000. Brooks Robinson, 3B: 19 years, 332 days in 1957 (Orioles)The Hall of Famer debuted in September 1955 as an 18-year-old, but started his first Opening Day in 1957 before turning 20 in May. The career accomplishments of Foxx are staggering considering that he was essentially done with the game at age 34. The Astros have been as good as any organization at developing competent starting pitchers, and it sounds like both of these guys attack hitters with kitchen-sink arsenals designed to flummox rather than overwhelm hitters. on Oct. 2, 1974. 24 His favorite position is shortstop. He went 0-for-3 in a White Sox win over the Indians. Look, Ill be honest: I hadnt heard of these gentlemen when I started this exercise. Derrington easily became the youngest pitcher to start a game. Logan Sargeant, First American F1 Driver Since 2015, Ready for Debut MLB 1 . Despite entering the league at only 17 years old, Granny Hamner would also play in the league for 17 years. Just as he began his playing career at a young age, Mauch became the Phillies manager in 1960 at the age of 34. Young players reign supreme in baseball. Throughout his career, Ott played for the New York Giants. Staub started his career at a young age, and ended it after more than 2,900 games as a 41-year-old. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Putsy made a handful of appearances over the final weeks of 1944. The Tiger legend hit .250 with a home run in 30 games for Detroit in 1953, kicking off a Hall of Fame career. Teams are once again realizing the vital role that talented youths play in this great game, as we are seeing young players contributing to their teams across MLB. Ive broken down the candidates into a few groups: (players within each group listed oldest to youngest; DOB in parentheses). The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Despite entering the MLB as a teenager, Mel Ott would carve out a Hall of Fame career, making him one of the best baseball players in history. He would play parts of six more seasons with the Dodgers before being traded to the Chicago Cubs where he would play another six seasons. And then we can do this all over again. Michael Vick holds the record since 2000 with a 4.33 time. Click a statistic to view all values equal or higher After another All-Star season in 1941, Foxx fell from grace as he struggled mightily through the 1942 season. So one level down we go! Dan Wheeler: 21 years, 265 daysDebut: Sept. 1, 1999. - [Answer] 2022, The 20 Most Common French Idioms (Everyone Should Learn), Generate Random Strings and Passwords in Python. Or write about sports? Alex Rodriguez become a free agent as a 25-year-old in the 2000-2001 offseason, and if wasn't for his recent contract extension, Felix Hernandez would have been a free agent next winter at age 25 . Mike Trout and Alex Rodriguez also debuted as teenagers, yet didn't find real, sustainable success until their 20s. There is little information regarding his debut however, as he is listed in numerous reference sources, including box scores, as appearing in the Brooklyn Dodgers' 3-2 loss to the Giants at the Polo Grounds that day, but little else is divulged. Beginning his career as a 17-year-old on September 25, 1957, Dave Skaugstad appeared off to a promising start as a big league hurler. 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