Baseball's Greatest Players: The Prodigies and 10 numbers that define them

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Baseball's Greatest Players: The Prodigies and 10 numbers that define them originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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They captured our imagination from the moment we first saw them. They are best remembered for their youthful emergence and the dreams their talents inspired.

Every player who reaches “The Show” has already beaten long odds. The typical journey demands years of competition, refinement and failure before a player is ready for the highest level. Once there, the fastballs are harder, the breaking balls sharper and the margin for error smaller than ever.

The latest entry into our SN 140: Baseball's Greatest Players project features ten ballplayers who skipped much of that waiting. Undaunted by youth or inexperience, they competed against bigger, stronger and more seasoned men while carrying the expectations of their clubs, their fans and the media.

While most players their age were still honing their craft in college or the low minor leagues, this group proved that greatness doesn’t always have to wait.

These are the Prodigies.

BASEBALL'S GREATEST PLAYERS
Immortals | Artists | Unicorns | Juggernauts | Supernovas | Unsung | Showmen | What-Ifs  | Pioneers

(Editor's note: Each hyperlinked name takes you to that player's page within the digitized SN Archive. Once registered (it's free!), readers have instant access to every article and cover related to each player, as they originally appeared in print.)

Baseball's Greatest Players: The Prodigies

Bob Feller

Bob Feller's legacy is defined by his teenage arrival in the big leagues, the blazing fastball that made him a sensation, and an unwavering commitment to the country he loved deeply.

From 1938-48, Feller pitched in seven seasons uninterrupted by the war and led the majors in strikeouts in every one of them.

SN

Al Kaline

Al Kaline answered the prayers of Tigers fans who watched him grow from a once-in-a-generation talent to an unequaled franchise icon.

Kaline produced 8.3 WAR in 1955, the most a 20-or-younger position player ever had (since surpassed by Alex Rodriguez and Mike Trout).

Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench was baseball's best catcher by 21, and by 28 had reshaped the position behind the plate and anchored the Big Red Machine in the batter's box.

Bench is the only position player in history to win his second MVP before turning 25 years old (1972).

SN Archive (1976):The Big Red Machine is better than ever

Iván Rodríguez

When Iván Rodríguez looked in the mirror, he saw Johnny Bench, whose game he emulated on the way to a first-ballot Hall of Fame career of his own.

Rodríguez won 13 Gold Gloves and 7 Silver Sluggers, a total (20) matched only by Barry Bonds.

Chipper Jones

Five years after Atlanta made him the number one overall pick out of high school, Chipper Jones proved to be the finishing piece of its first championship team and the face of a division dynasty.

Chipper accrued 85.3 WAR with the Braves, most among No. 1 overall picks with the team that drafted them.

Eddie Mathews

The precocious Eddie Mathews revolutionized the third base position with his bat, brought Milwaukee a slice of baseball heaven, and formed one of the sport’s most prosperous partnerships with Henry Aaron.

Mathews hit 47 home runs in 1953, which remains the highest total by a 21-or-younger player in MLB history.

Robin Yount

Robin Yount gave Brewers fans the rare privilege of watching an 18-year-old shortstop blossom into the defining player of a franchise with which he grew old.

Yount played more major-league games (243) as a teenager than any player in history.

SN Archive (1975):Terrific Teenager Takes MLB By Storm

SN

Willie Wells

Willie Wells was the best player in the Negro National League by the time he turned 22, an early declaration that he would become one of history's greatest and most well-rounded shortstops.

Wells is the youngest player to lead his league in WAR in four consecutive seasons (ages 22-25 in 1927-30).

Juan Soto

Juan Soto was intentionally walked in the World Series two days before his 21st birthday, foreshadowing the reverence his bat has commanded every day since.

Soto hit each of the first 83 home runs of his career against a pitcher older than he was (including postseason).

Mel Ott

Mel Ott rewrote the National League record book in a 22-year career powered by a pure left-handed swing, hand-crafted by the gods for the Polo Grounds.

At 20 in 1929, Ott is the youngest player in MLB history with a 40-HR season, a 150-RBI season, and a walk total that led his league in a season.

Our process for Baseball's Greatest Players

Every week through the end of the World Series, we'll unveil one room at a time — 10 players along with the numbers that define them — culminating in the Inner Circle, the 10 greatest to ever play, period.

We researched and considered over 500 names, weighing not only fundamental changes to the game, but also factoring in modern metrics, recently uncovered Negro Leagues data, shifting league demographics and the evolution of today's stars. We stripped away preconceptions and applied objective, critical analysis to every player under consideration.

SN140:Baseball's greatest 25 teams since 1886

Once we landed on 140 names, we decided that traditional rankings simply don't work for baseball. How is one to honestly assess if Cy Young — a pitcher whose career began in the 19th century — is greater than Albert Pujols, a 21st-century slugger? How do you compare Josh Gibson in the Negro Leagues to Jackie Robinson in the National League?

Instead, we created 14 position-less rooms, each representing and articulating varying archetypes of greatness.

From there, we slotted 10 players into each room with careers connected by defining common threads.

We factored in modern metrics, recognized and utilized now accessible Negro Leagues data, contextualized changing league demographics, considered functional changes to the game such as strike zone and mound height adjustments, and included active players alongside their historical counterparts.

The result? 

The most unique, comprehensive and celebratory evaluation to date of Baseball's Greatest Players.

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