I should have posted about this earlier for our baseball fans on the board. The San Diego Padres unloaded some of their young players, including pitcher MacKenzie Gore of Whiteville, N.C., to get Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. Soto is 23 years old, and then you have the injured Fernando Tatis Jr. at 23.
Story on the big trade.
It got me thinking of elite young duos:
I did look this up and Mickey Mantle was 19 and Yogi Berra was 26 in 1951, and Whitey Ford was 24 in 1953 when he returned from the military (he some in 1950). Lou Gehrig was 22 and Babe Ruth was 30 in 1925, so older.
Eddie Matthews was 22 and Henry Aaron was 20 for the Milwaukee Braves in 1954.
Willie McCovery was 21 and Willie Mays was 28 in 1959 for the San Francisco Giants. Two years later in 1961, pitcher Juan Marichal established himself at 23.
Roberto Clemente was 28 when Willie Stargell established himself at 23 in 1963 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jim “Catfish” Hunter was 22 and Reggie Jackson was 22 on the 1968 Oakland Athletics.
Guessing Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds. Bench was 20, Rose was 27 and Tony Perez was 26 in 1968, so not perfect but close. Joe Morgan joined the Reds at 28 in 1972 when Bench was still 24.
Gary Carter was 23 and Andre Dawson was 22 in 1977 for the Montreal Expos (Washington Nationals now for the younger crowd). Tim Raines came along in the strike-shortened 1981 season at age 21 (so Carter was 27 and Dawson 26).
Robin Yount was 22 and Paul Molitor was 21 in 1978 for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Cal Ripken Jr. was 21 years old in 1982, and Eddie Murray was 26 for the Baltimore Orioles.
Dwight Gooden and Darry Strawberry of New York Mets in 1984. Gooden was 19 and Strawberry was 22.
Don Mattingly was 24 and Ricky Henderson was 26 when they played on the 1985 New York Yankees. Young reliever Dave Righetti was 26.
Roger Clemens was 23 and Wade Boggs was 28 in 1986 for the Boston Red Sox.
Greg Maddox was 27 when he joined 27-year-old Tom Glavine and 26-year-old John Smoltz in 1993.
Jim Thome was 24 and Manny Ramirez was 23 when they were established with the Cleveland Indians in 1995. Albert Joey Belle was 28 and Carlos Baerga was 26.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners. Griffey was 26 in 1996 and Rodriguez was 20.
Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees in 1996, when Rivera was 26 and Jeter was a rookie at 21.
Chipper Jones was 25 and Andruw Jones was 20 in 1997 for the Atlanta Braves.
I'll let others sort out the young legacy of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan on the New York Mets. Ryan had one year as a full-time starter with the other two.
Could we go Trea Turner at 23 years old and Bryce Harper at 23 for the 2016 Washington Nationals?
Story on the big trade.
It got me thinking of elite young duos:
I did look this up and Mickey Mantle was 19 and Yogi Berra was 26 in 1951, and Whitey Ford was 24 in 1953 when he returned from the military (he some in 1950). Lou Gehrig was 22 and Babe Ruth was 30 in 1925, so older.
Eddie Matthews was 22 and Henry Aaron was 20 for the Milwaukee Braves in 1954.
Willie McCovery was 21 and Willie Mays was 28 in 1959 for the San Francisco Giants. Two years later in 1961, pitcher Juan Marichal established himself at 23.
Roberto Clemente was 28 when Willie Stargell established himself at 23 in 1963 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jim “Catfish” Hunter was 22 and Reggie Jackson was 22 on the 1968 Oakland Athletics.
Guessing Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds. Bench was 20, Rose was 27 and Tony Perez was 26 in 1968, so not perfect but close. Joe Morgan joined the Reds at 28 in 1972 when Bench was still 24.
Gary Carter was 23 and Andre Dawson was 22 in 1977 for the Montreal Expos (Washington Nationals now for the younger crowd). Tim Raines came along in the strike-shortened 1981 season at age 21 (so Carter was 27 and Dawson 26).
Robin Yount was 22 and Paul Molitor was 21 in 1978 for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Cal Ripken Jr. was 21 years old in 1982, and Eddie Murray was 26 for the Baltimore Orioles.
Dwight Gooden and Darry Strawberry of New York Mets in 1984. Gooden was 19 and Strawberry was 22.
Don Mattingly was 24 and Ricky Henderson was 26 when they played on the 1985 New York Yankees. Young reliever Dave Righetti was 26.
Roger Clemens was 23 and Wade Boggs was 28 in 1986 for the Boston Red Sox.
Greg Maddox was 27 when he joined 27-year-old Tom Glavine and 26-year-old John Smoltz in 1993.
Jim Thome was 24 and Manny Ramirez was 23 when they were established with the Cleveland Indians in 1995. Albert Joey Belle was 28 and Carlos Baerga was 26.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners. Griffey was 26 in 1996 and Rodriguez was 20.
Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees in 1996, when Rivera was 26 and Jeter was a rookie at 21.
Chipper Jones was 25 and Andruw Jones was 20 in 1997 for the Atlanta Braves.
I'll let others sort out the young legacy of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan on the New York Mets. Ryan had one year as a full-time starter with the other two.
Could we go Trea Turner at 23 years old and Bryce Harper at 23 for the 2016 Washington Nationals?
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