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. The Tiger legend hit .250 with a home run in 30 games for Detroit in 1953, kicking off a Hall of Fame career. If Hassell somehow destroys each level of the minors one month at a time, perhaps Preller would be aggressive enough to call up the sweet-swinging outfielder for a September playoff push. Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He went 1-for-5 in a Red Sox win over the Yankees. That said, it would take a whole bunch of injuries to the Houston pitching staff to get either of these guys to Minute Maid Park anytime soon. 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. As a 17-year-old, he swatted a sac fly in one plate appearance in an 18-9 loss to the Senators. Well, I guess 18 if you count going to Candlestick Park in San Francisco for an NFL exhibition game. 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's hit 322 home runs with a .277 average over his career since then. 1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft and Baseball America's top prospect entering the '06 season, Young reached the Majors and played well in his debut. Maybe he caught an inning at the end of the game. Just as he began his playing career at a young age, Mauch became the Phillies manager in 1960 at the age of 34. But we dont need a 2002 DOB to snatch the title from Franco. But Im doing my due diligence and mentioning them anyway. Furthermore, while Jasson Dominguez is a top young prospect, his highly anticipated MLB debut will still come in 2023. 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. He then wouldn't appear in the big leagues again until 1952 at a more reasonable age of 23. Pagliaroni wouldn't see the big leagues again until 1960, when he stuck as a big league catcher for the next 10 seasons. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. All Rights Reserved. But Volpe's star seems as ascendant as that of any player in the minors right now, so he could certainly force his way to the big leagues sooner rather than later. A-Rod was drafted in 1993 and rocketed through the minor league system. 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. But Alvarado ends that trend, as the Venezuelan lefty reliever had not yet turned 22 when he emerged from Tampa Bays bullpen and gave up three runs in an inning of work during a 10-6 loss to Miami at Tropicana Field. He hasn't looked back since, arguably becoming one of the greatest hitters of all time. . . Quite a finish after that rocky start. Drafted second overall in the 2002 Draft, Upton played 130 games in the Minors in 03 and 98 in 04 before the then-Devil Rays called him up. The following year, he received MVP votes for the first of what would be six times. At 17 years old, McKee remains to be the youngest MLB player to accomplish a nine-inning complete-game victory in the season ender. He only got to play that year for a month due to the strike and split much of the next season between the Mariners and their AAA affiliate. But after his debut, Nuxhall would return to the league in 1952. Batting ninth, Upton went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. In 849 games, mostly with the Red Sox and Pirates, as well as short stints with the A's and Seattle Pilots, Pagliaroni hit .252 with a .751 OPS, hitting 90 home runs with 326 RBI. Since each league now has 15 teams, the new alignment requires additional interleague play. Art Houtteman made his big league debut in one inning of relief for the Detroit Tigers on April 29, 1945. Overall, Michaels hit .262 in his big league career with a solid .702 OPS for a utility player. He would sit out the entire 1943 season, and played only sparingly upon his return for the 1944 and 1945 seasons. Another youngster rushed to the big leagues during the waning years of World War II, Osgood made his MLB debut on June 18, 1944. Trout is also the youngest. For the Philadelphia Phillies, McKee appeared only in five games. In that debut, he hurled 0.2 innings, allowing two hits and one run in a lopsided loss to the New York Yankees. Kazmir pitched five innings against a lineup led by Ichiro Suzuki and Edgar Martinez. The 20 Youngest MLB Players to Debut Since World War I0 of 20Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesBaseball is a young man's game. The Mets were roundly criticized for trading Kazmir, their first-round pick in 2002, to get Victor Zambrano. His stellar resume is all the more impressive considering he missed nearly four years of his career due to serving in the Navy. Until this day, Joe Nuxhall is in the record books for being the youngest player to ever play in the MLB. Not the greatest start for the man with the fiery temperament, but he'd go on to hit 509 home runs and bat .292 lifetime, while winning a World Series title and being selected to nine all-star games. 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. Washington reportedly will add Luis Garcia after optioning him to Triple-A on March 27, and his May 16, 2000 birthdate would make him the youngest player in the Majors. 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. Derrington made another 20 appearances for the White Sox in 1957, and overall went 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA in only 43 career big league innings. "This is the only thing that's made having to. On the flip side of Baker is Oliver Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals . 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). While 19-year-olds are regularly the youngest age an MLB player can make his debut, it has been rare to see anyone younger showcase his talent on the MLB field. Earning his debut on June 10, 1944 the 15-year-old Nuxhall became the youngest player ever to appear in a Major League game. Michael Vick holds the record since 2000 with a 4.33 time. He didn't have another season with fewer than 15 home runs for the rest of his 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. PACE, Fla. (BVM) - The No. Tommy Brown became the second youngest player to debut in the MLB when he appeared for the Brooklyn Dodgers on August 3, 1944. He still remains the youngest American Leaguer to play in baseball's modern era. 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. Like Franco, Luciano and Marte have been highly touted since signing as 16-year-olds out of the Dominican Republic, but their respective organizations seem to be taking their time with their development. Appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16 with the caption "The Chosen One." Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. He's proven to be a perennial Cy Young candidate since shifting to . Mauricio is the best prospect of the bunch, with Tena a close second, but both Cleveland and New York are already plenty crowded with infielders at the levels above them. Will your squad's best young players be breaking camp with the team? The No. of Batting third in the opener, he went 0-for-4 in a Mets loss to the Cardinals. Upon returning to baseball, he cemented a regular utility role with the Phillies, taking part in their storied "Whiz Kid" squad in 1950. It's sort of hard to believe that the now-Texas Rangers third baseman, with his monstrous home runs and pet peeves about being touched on the head, got his start all the way back in 1998. From 1952-66, Nuxhall would post a 135-117 record with a 3.88 ERA while also recording 1,372 strikeouts. Look, Ill be honest: I hadnt heard of these gentlemen when I started this exercise. After all, he is listed in the box score as appearing for Dodger catcher Mickey Owen, but Palica was a pitcher, so it's difficult to discern. Here are the last five players to go deep. He was no flash in the pan, earning 10 gold gloves and 5 All-Star Game selection in his career. But would burn out by the time he was 24 years old. The youngest player on any Opening Day roster in 2021 was Marlins righthander Eury Perez, who made the Low-A roster despite having never thrown a The Rays promptly traded Young to the Twins that offseason for a return headlined by Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, beginning a trade tree that has been fruitful for the franchise for 13 years and counting. 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 1946-47, he pitched 33 games in the Cubs' minor league system, but his professional baseball career ended in 1947 at 20 years old. Not even Franco did it. 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. Following the 1944 season, Miksis joined the Navy and served for 2 years before resuming his big league career in 1946. 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. . Kazmir eventually proved those critics correct, as he went 45-34 with a 3.51 ERA and two All-Star nods from 2005-08 and started Game 1 during the Rays first trip to the World Series. and let him make his MLB debut . Chad Gaudin: 20 years, 130 daysDebut: Aug. 1, 2003. results. He made his debut in 1954, but struggled to catch on full-time for five seasons. Offensively, Soderstrom and Hassell are the most advanced of this bunch and could hit their way to Double-A in a blink. Trout was just two months shy of his 20th birthday when he debuted for the Angels in July of last year, and was considered by most MLB scouts as the best prospect in all of baseball, even besting fellow phenom Bryce Harper. He made little impact at the big league level, earning 11 plate appearances through the end of the 1955 season, but only getting one hit, while striking out seven times. Logan Sargeant, First American F1 Driver Since 2015, Ready for Debut MLB 1 . 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 stage hardly looked too big for pitcher Andrew Painter. He made his MLB debut on July 8, 1994 at 18 years, 11 months old. Predicting when top 2023 prospects will make their MLB debuts. Here are the 10 youngest players opening the season in the big leagues: 1. Caballero saw his career post a batting average of .228, one home run, and 40 RBI. In case you're wondering, the only player ever to win an MVP Award in his age-21 season or younger was Vida Blue in 1971. Age: 14 years, 10 months, 1 day | Adu, supposedly America's great soccer prodigy, became the youngest player to appear in a game and the youngest to score -- during the 2004 season with D.C. United. Unlike the names above, you wont find them anywhere near any top-100 prospect lists. While he has yet to establish himself as a regular starter at the big league level, Marin is widely considered to be a promising young talent and is expected . Aside from playing for the Dodgers, Palica also saw action for the Baltimore Orioles. MLB also added a second wild-card team in . Robin Yount, SS: 18 years, 201 days in 1974; 19 years, 204 days in 1975 (Brewers)Younts Major League debut came on Opening Day in 1974 as an 18-year-old. After spending four years in Oakland's minor leagues, Cruz made his MLB debut in 2005 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Saturday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis could go a long way in determining the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Hall of Famer went 1-for-3 with a double batting second in a Mariners loss to the As. He also may or may not have fallen asleep during a game in his final season. 41,403: 4.62: Sports: Aug 3, 2011: Over/Under: 35 HRs in a Season. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. On July 19, 1936 when a 17-year-old Bob Feller was handed his first appearance at the big league level, most had no idea that the less-than physically imposing teenager was about to embark upon a legendary career marked by two decades of pitching dominance. At 19 years and 208 days old, Soto is the youngest player to hit a home run in an MLB game since Jurickson Profar of the Texas Rangers back in 2012. The cautionary tale to end all cautionary tales of the misuse of a young, gifted pitcher. Here's Call to the Pen's round two of MLB trivia, taking a look at the youngest records in MLB history. Though it was remarkable, he got torched in his lone teenage appearance and didn't set foot on a big league field for another eight years. In this photo, current Los Angeles Dodger Andre Ethier tosses his helmet in a touching tribute to former Brooklyn Dodger Charlie Osgood. Will your squad's best young players be breaking camp with the team? For this piece, lets take a closer look at the 10 youngest players to ever debut in MLB. Rocco Baldelli: 21 years, 187 daysDebut: March 31, 2003. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Conigliaro went on to hit 24 home runs that season, which is still the mark for a teenager in a single season. It didn't really predict the 18-8 record he'd have the following year, or the fact that he'd go on to be the home run king for about 50 years. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. With young, modern phenoms such as Bryce Harper knocking on the door of the big leagues while still in his teens, let's take a look at the 20 youngest players to play in Major League games since the end of World War I. That got us thinking: Where does he rank among the youngest Rays players ever at the time of their big league debut? to The 20 younger players in the MLB that debut since World War I,0 von 20Christian Petersen/Getty PicturesBaseball is a young man. Inactive players are those players no longer playing in professional baseball anywhere (including the minors or internationally). Did Patrick Beverley, Timberwolves over-celebrate winning play-in. Gone are the days of 40-year-old MVPs and late career renaissances that seemed so prevalent in the last two decades of Major League Baseball.There seems to be an influx of yout. 15. Since then, Palica would leave the MLB and return only in 1947. MLB refers to the league made up of the post-2000 merger of the American and National Leagues. When he debuted last season, he became the first player born in 2001 to reach the major leagues. For example, players such as Harris or Rodriguez might be more likely to get an emergency call-up, considering their ability to defend at a high level, than a player who is more bat-first. it seems a 2022 MLB debut is all but inevitable. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. One of the greatest pitchers of all time, Feller didn't even play an inning of minor league ball. Former New York Yankees teammates Babe Ruth, right, and Lou Gehrig pose together at a spring training game in St. Petersburg, Fla., March 16, 1935 as . The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. He and Whitaker are considered by many Detroit faithful as Hall of Fame snubs. Through 0.2 innings, Nuxhall finished with a 67.50 ERA with zero strikeouts while giving up five runs to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. RHP Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers (Age: 24) The No. Nuxhall still holds the record for the youngest player in MLB history at 15 years, 316 days old. Entering the 2023 campaign, Franco will turn 22 years old. 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. Entering late in an 18-0 drubbing at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, the teenage Nuxhall faced nine hitters, retiring two, but allowing two hits, five walks and five runs. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951. All rights reserved. The future Hall of Famer is the last teenager to appear in an Opening Day game, regardless of whether he started or not. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. However, as of 2022, the youngest MLB player is likely to be outfielder Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. Nuxhall remains the youngest individual to play in a major league game in history. Wander Franco was the youngest player in the MLB in both 2021 and 2022. 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. Ryan Weathers, LHP, Padres (age 21, DOB: Dec. 17, 1999) Like Alex George, Rogers McKees baseball career was short-lived. (Bryce Harper hit 22 in 2012, as did Juan Soto in 2018.). He resumed his professional baseball career upon his return in 1947. I have been to 17 MLB stadiums including all five current venues in California 13 of which still exist (Milwaukee County Stadium, Metrodome, Busch Stadium II and Globe Life Park have since been replaced). Initially debuting as a defensive replacement late in a September 14, 1944 blowout, going hitless in one at-bat, Granny Hamner built an impressive Major League career over the course of 17 seasons. Statistic Description: Youngest Player in Majors This is found using the player's age at the start of the season regardless of their age when they actually played during the year. The next step would be to find players younger than Franco who are currently playing in Double-A. Soto is also tied for 100th on the active leaderboard for MLB home runs (99) and is 48th . While he only played one game with the team in 1944, it was a less-than-ideal MLB debut. 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