2020 MLB Season: The game continues to get younger
For those concerned about MLB’s future, don’t worry, the game is in good hands.
For the second consecutive season, the Washington Nationals’ roster features the youngest player in the MLB. That player, infielder Luis Garcia, became the first player born in the 2000s to homer in a Major League game, making most of us feel old by comparison.
Garcia is one of the many young stars that find themselves contributing on a regular basis in 2020. It was clear that this was where baseball was heading from the meteoric rises of now superstar outfielders Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto in 2018, but in the always unpredictable 2020, the youth movement has managed to accelerate even more quickly than most expected.
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Fernando Tatis Jr.
Over on the West Coast, Fernando Tatis Jr. is solidifying himself as a perennial superstar, with many declaring him an early frontrunner for the NL MVP Award this season. If he succeeds, this would be the second year in a row that the NL MVP goes to someone 24-years-old or younger- with Cody Bellinger taking home the honor last year. Tatis Jr. is only 21 years of age yet he is already emerging as the face of a franchise now known as “Slam Diego.”
Dustin May
On the mound, 22-year-old Dustin May found himself filling in for an injured Clayton Kershaw on opening day in Los Angeles. The young righty was not even featured on the Dodgers’ initial opening day roster but has now established himself as a regular contributor to their rotation.
Through his first four starts this season, he has garnered a 2.75 ERA and struck out 17 thanks to a fastball with deadly movement that can reach triple-digits on the radar gun and a curveball whose spin rate surpasses the legendary arm he filled in for to begin the season.
Jesus Luzardo
Oakland A’s fans are surely rejoicing the genesis of top-prospect Jesús Luzardo’s MLB career. Despite being only 22-years-old, Luzardo has been a touted prospect for quite a while, leaving Oakland fans itching to catch a glimpse of their future ace.
His early showings this season have not disappointed. The lefty has achieved an ERA of 2.60 with 17 strikeouts and shows no signs of slowing down soon. Needless to say, Luzardo should be a force to be reckoned with in the future, and it will be riveting to see him go up against the star-studded bats out West.
Luis Robert
Perhaps the most electric rookie this season is the White Sox rookie Luis Robert. Highly regarded as a five-tool prospect, Robert’s first few weeks in MLB have proven many right. In addition to showing off his jaw-dropping speed, Robert has absolutely smoked the baseball, even checking-in with a 116 mph exit velocity for his first career base hit.
Robert has, without a doubt, already won over fans on Chicago’s South Side at the age of 22. Look for him to finish high up in MVP voting for years to come, especially if the White Sox can establish themselves as perennial contenders.
Bichette, Vlad Jr., and Biggio
Up North of the border (which means Buffalo for this season), a pair of second-generation MLB players have found themselves taking the league by storm all before turning 23. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, 21 and 22-years-old respectively, embody the youth movement perfectly. They swing hard and with tons of aggression, often producing the kind of sounds that drop jaws when bats meet ball. The dynamic duo is joined by yet another second-generation star in Cavan Biggio– who at 25, looks old by comparison.
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If the past few seasons left any room for doubt that baseball was becoming younger and younger, 2020 is here to put that doubt to rest. The scariest part of this youth movement is that for every young star named above, there are even more who were left out. Many teams are seeing their top prospects mature at a mind-blowing pace, so the youth movement is more than likely here to stay. The league is now full of stars who could not even rent a car without having to pay an extra fee, and baseball is better off for it.