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. De La Cruz has been skyrocketing up prospect lists for the past year due to his all-around tools. He would make only one more appearance in the next week, but then never again pitched in the majors. The 40-man rosters seemed like a good first place to search for our mystery player. 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). Tony Conigliaro, CF: 19 years, 100 days in 1964 (Red Sox)A teenage Conigliaro made his Major League debut for the Red Sox on Opening Day in 1964. He went 2-for-3 in a Cardinals win over the Pirates. 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. 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. The trends have changed over time, with younger players like 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall getting more shots early in the last century thanks to a less structured minor league system or wars overseas that drained the talent pool. Despite entering the league at only 17 years old, Granny Hamner would also play in the league for 17 years. After a handful of mediocre relief appearances, the hard-throwing Feller earned his first start on August 23, hurling a complete game gem, allowing only one run, while striking out 15. Appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16 with the caption "The Chosen One." 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. Despite the Dodgers losing that day, Brown accomplished his first league hit. On Dec. 12, 2004, they traded him to the Blue Jays for a 27-year-old catcher by the name of Kevin Cash. Making his big league debut on August 18, 1943, McKee tossed three innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits and two walks. 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 40 years, 191 days old in his final game, on May 31, 2010. Trammell and Lou Whitaker made their big league debuts together in insanely appropriate fashion, and even though Trammell only played in 19 games and hit just .186 in that debut 1977 season, he'd go on to become a Detroit Tiger legend, winning the 1984 World Series and being named MVP. 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. David Ortiz Positions: Designated Hitter and First Baseman Bats: Left Throws: Left 6-3 , 230lb (190cm, 104kg) Born: November 18, 1975 (Age: 47-085d) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic do More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 10x All-Star HR Derby Champ 3x World Series 7x Silver Slugger WS MVP ALCS MVP 27 34 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. He had debuted in June 1998, a few months after turning 19. So one level down we go! Doerr was a nine-time All-Star for the Red Sox and is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Pagliaroni wouldn't see the big leagues again until 1960, when he stuck as a big league catcher for the next 10 seasons. Alex George entered the MLB early. Overall, Houtteman posted an 87-91 record with a 4.14 ERA in 325 games over 12 seasons. 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. He pinch hit and struck out in the eighth inning of win over the Chicago White Sox. But Im doing my due diligence and mentioning them anyway. 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. 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 . Hamner was also a three-time NL All-Star. Alvarez is a bit tougher to imagine, considering how much extra time catchers usually need to develop, but he is about as highly touted on prospect lists as any other player mentioned in this search outside of Volpe. 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 . Another youngster rushed to the big leagues during the waning years of World War II, Osgood made his MLB debut on June 18, 1944. After his short-lived cameo at the big league level, George toiled in the minors for several years, but never again reaching the majors. 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. In the season-ending game, Derrington was given a chance to start for the Chicago White Sox in his MLB debut. A international player must be at least 17 by the end of their first pro season. 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. He went 0-for-2 in a Dodgers loss to the Phillies. . Marco Jose Luciano is a 19-year-old active MLB player from the Dominican Republic. Given his initial shot on August 19, 1943, Michaels went hitless in two starts late that year. 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. There's something compelling for baseball fans about very young MLB players. 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. Given his MLB debut on September 30, 1956, two months prior to his seventeenth birthday, Derrington hurled six innings against the Kansas City Athletics, allowing six runs on nine hits and six walks. Mantle would go on to hit 13 home runs as a teenager for the Yankees, before hitting 23 the following season as a 20-year-old. Mickey Mantle, RF: 19 years, 179 days in 1951 (Yankees)Batting third in his first Opening Day and his Major League debut, the Hall of Famer went 1-for-4 in a Yankees win against the Red Sox. Beltre played until he was 39, receiving MVP votes and winning a Gold Glove as a 37-year-old in 2016. At 17 years old, McKee remains to be the youngest MLB player to accomplish a nine-inning complete-game victory in the season ender. Then again, I dont particularly enjoy trying to predict who is going to win the World Series or the Cy Young Award. Wander Franco, SS, Rays (age 21, DOB: March 1, 2001) Franco is nearly three years younger than the Rays franchise. While he will be remembered as the youngest player in Major League Baseball history, he was also named to the All-Star team twice and inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1968. As such, it seems likely that the first 2002 baby to reach MLB will have a great chance to be a star someday, too. Franco was born on March 1, 2001. Born on March 1, 2001, he was tagged as one of the best prospects in Major League Baseball. Rocco Baldelli: 21 years, 187 daysDebut: March 31, 2003. "This is the only thing that's made having to. He missed most of the 1952-53 seasons due to military service. 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 . He posted a 3.46 ERA with 161 strikeouts in 132 2/3 innings over 149 outings with the Rays before being traded to the Phillies on Dec. 29. Predicting when top 2023 prospects will make their MLB debuts. it seems a 2022 MLB debut is all but inevitable. Nuxhall still holds the record for the youngest player in MLB history at 15 years, 316 days old. Joe Nuxhall had one of the more interesting paths to the majors in modern baseball history. Bryce Harper has taken Major League Baseball by storm at the tender age of 19 years old, which got us thinking about the most notable teenage debuts in the history of the game. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. By Jordan ShustermanFOX Sports MLB Writer. Send a Message. 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. Kazmir pitched five innings against a lineup led by Ichiro Suzuki and Edgar Martinez. The 17-year-old first baseman would only appear in two games for the Cleveland Indians, knocking one base-hit and collecting one RBI in eight at-bats. Just to put his age in perspective, consider this: Franco wears a No. It was a measly six games in 1979 and he never recorded an at-bat, but still scored three runs and stole two bases. Carl Crawford: 20 years, 349 daysDebut: July 20, 2002. The future Hall of Famer is the last teenager to appear in an Opening Day game, regardless of whether he started or not. He made his MLB debut on July 8, 1994 at 18 years, 11 months old. Still a teenager on Opening Day 1975, Yount became the only teenager to homer on Opening Day, in a Brewers loss, also to the Red Sox. As time has gone on, the teenage debut has become rarer, which makes Harper's ascendance all the more remarkable. 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. The youngest player in Major League Baseball is Baltimore Orioles infielder Adrian Marin, who is currently 21 years old. His last season as a ballplayer was 1963 with the Senators organization. He played Rookie-level ball in 99, Class A in 2000, Double-A in 01 and Triple-A in 02 before making his entrance as the Devil Rays No. Young players reign supreme in baseball. The 27-year-old is coming off an outstanding 2022 campaign that saw him finish second in AL Cy Young voting. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Be the first one to comment on this story. At 16 years old, Carl Schieb became one of the youngest to play in the MLB. Not even Franco did it. Throughout his career, he played eight seasons, all with the Phillies, before retiring in 1955. 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. Jim Derrington started his MLB career young at only 16 years old. Unfortunately, his career also ended quickly. Although Jim Derrington is only third on this list, he remains the youngest pitcher to ever start a game. 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. . 15. For this piece, lets take a closer look at the 10 youngest players to ever debut in MLB. 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. Billy Consolo, 2B: 19 years, 238 days in 1954 (Red Sox)Consolo hit leadoff for the Red Sox, notching a third-inning single off Bobby Shantz in a Red Sox loss to the Athletics. OK, maybe thats a bit much. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting with a .264/.329/.420 season and 16 home runs. Following an underwhelming 2022 season, Giolito arrived to White Sox camp 35 pounds slimmer than his build last spring. Here are the last five players to go deep. 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. His favorite position is shortstop. Hed debuted in September 1944 as an 18-year-old, playing in three games at the end of the season. Robbins made his debut a year earlier and pitched well as a teen, starting eight games and putting up a 3.91 ERA. 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. 23 players age 22 or younger have put up a 125 OPS+ since 2000, more than the previous three decades combined (20). Taillon's exhibition debut in a Cubs uniform was a mixed bag. Kaline went on to be an 18-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and won a batting title, as well as a World Series. Another beneficiary of the events of WWII, Cass Michaels was a utility infielder who parlayed his versatility into a 12-year career with the White Sox, Senators, Athletics and St. Louis Browns. 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. A typical Major League Baseball season lasts approximately one month and one half, and teams play 162 games. Medical issues limited him after that, although he was part of the Rays worst-to-first turnaround in 2008 and finished his playing career with the team in 10. Predicting when top 2023 prospects will make their MLB debuts. 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. He also wound up becoming a beloved broadcaster for the club before his death in 2007. 35,010: 4.16: Sports: In other words, its been a while. He hit ninth in a Brewers loss to the Red Sox. Or write about sports? The 20-year-old hailed from the Dominican Republic and made his major league debut late in the season on Sept. 7, 2017. 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. He debuted just days after his 19th birthday. Overall, 31 different position players have started Opening Day at Tatis' age or younger in the Modern Era, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you. 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. Kenny Kelly: 21 years, 225 daysDebut: Sept. 7, 2000. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first! As such, this Wander fun fact seemed especially ripe for further exploration. 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. Tatis says shoulder, wrist '100%' in first game since '21. 9278 Nuxhall still holds the record for the youngest player in MLB history at 15 years, 316 days old. There have been 20 teenagers to start on Opening Day in the Modern Era (since 1900), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. 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