The Kids Aren't Alright

The three youngest players in the majors this season are struggling at the plate.

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Youth movement

Since 1993, only 15 position players played a full season in the majors before they turned 22. The list is a who’s who of MLB All-Stars and likely Hall-of-Famers: Mike Trout, Alex Rodriquez, Juan Soto, Andruw Jones, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., Manny Machado, Adrian Beltre, Carlos Correa, Jason Heyward, Edgar Renteria, Elvis Andrus, Justin Upton, Starlin Castro, and Miguel Cabrera.

Over that same 30-year period, only six pitchers have played a full season in the majors before their 22nd birthday: Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Madison Bumgarner, Zack Grienke, Jeremy Bonderman, and Rick Porcellio.

Getting to the majors that young is hard. Performing well in the majors at such a young age is even harder.

This season, there are only three position players—and no pitchers—who have seen time in the majors before celebrating their 22nd birthday: Jordan Walker, an outfielder for the Cardinals; Francisco Álvarez, a catcher for the Mets; and Ezequiel Tovar, a shortstop for the Rockies. It’s been a rough go for all three of them.

The Cardinals started the season with Walker on their 26-man roster and he rewarded St. Louis with a 12-game hitting streak that started on Opening Day and lasted until April 12. That hit streak tied a 111-year-old record for hitting streaks to start a career by a player 20-years-old or younger. After the game on April 12, Walker was batting .319/.360/.469 with two doubles and two home runs.

Given how Walker had ripped through pitching in the minors, his early success—while not expected—wasn’t a complete surprise. FanGraphs ranked Walker No. 12 on their Top 100 Prospect List before the season and said about the outfielder:

Any discussion of Walker begins with his exit velocities, which are nearly unheard of for a player this young. He has a simple, well-leveraged swing that takes advantage of his strength, and the long levers that come with his 6-foot-5, 220 pound frame produce jaw-dropping home runs when he really squares one up.

After the hitting streak, Walker hit a rough patch.

Over his next seven starts, Walker had 28 plate appearances, five hits, one walk, and no home runs. At the end of action on April 23, Walker’s slash had dropped to .274/.321/.397. Three days later, the Cardinals demoted Walker to Triple-A. Walker’s natural position is third base, but one of the best to ever play that position—Nolan Arenado—is the Cardinals’ everyday third baseman, so Walker played right field to start his career. So far, advanced metrics grade Walker poorly in that position, which may one of may things he’s asked to work on at Triple-A. In the meantime, the Cardinals are 10-16 and in last place in the National League Central.

Álvarez was pressed into service earlier than the Mets expected after catcher Omar Narváez went on the injured list on April 7 with a left calf strain. Álvarez’s work behind the plate has been solid, but he isn’t hitting a lick. After the Mets’ Thursday night game against the Nationals, Álvarez’s slash is a meager .176/.200/.265. In 35 plate appearances, he’s walked just once, struck out 13 times, and hit one home run.

Hitting at the major league level is incredibly difficult, so his struggles are not terribly surprising. But Álvarez came into the season as a Mets' top prospect and high on the Top 100 Prospect lists at FanGraphs, ESPN and MLB.com. FanGraphs wrote: “He has had the most impressive BP session at each of the last two Futures Games, launching satellite-threatening baseballs to the very outer reaches of big league stadiums.” So far, that power hasn’t materialized.

The problem for the Mets is that Tomás Nido, the team’s other catcher, is mired in a terrible hitting slump. Nido’s slash in 46 plate appearances is .116/.152/.116. A team with Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil can cover for a light-hitting player for a period of time but not for the whole season. The Mets did win Thursday night, which ended their four-game losing streak.

The Rockies signed Tovar on his 16th birthday to an $800,000 contract and he’s been working his way up in the Rockies system ever since. Tovar got his feet wet in the majors at the end of the 2022 season and the Rockies liked enough of what they saw then, and in spring training, to name Tovar their Opening Day shortstop. He was the youngest player ever to start for the Rockies in an Opening Day game.

Like Walker and Álvarez, Tovar has struggled at the plate so far this season. In 84 plate appearances, he’s hitting .192/.250/.256 with five doubles and no home runs. But the Rockies have no plans to send Tovar to Triple-A to work through it. As the Denver Post reported a few days ago, “The Rockies believe Tovar has the physical skills, as well as mental and emotional toughness to ride out the slump.”

Tovar is known for very good defense at short. In naming Tovar their No. 22 prospect heading into this season, MLB.com said of Tovar:

He makes all the plays with excellent footwork and a plus arm, and he has every chance to show off his Gold Glove potential as a big league regular in 2023.

He’s been a bit shaky so far, but also made some exceptional plays at short like this one. 

While these 21-year-olds are learning early on how difficult the game is at the major league level, soon-to-be 34-year-old Drew Maggi got his first taste of the big show this week after 1,155 games played in the minor leagues. With outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list, the Pirates called up Maggi from Triple-A on April 23. He sat on the bench for three days, and got his first major league at-bat as a pinch hitter in Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers. (He struck out). Maggi then started at third base in Thursday’s game. He’s still looking for his first big league hit. But he told fans after Wednesday’s game: “Anything is possible. Never give up.”

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