Consider This About Slade Heathcott & Mason Williams
Slade Heathcott is 22-year old. And, Mason Williams is 21-years old. To date, neither of them has played a single game at the Double-A level (or higher).
Adam Jones was playing as a full-time and productive player in the major leagues when he was 22-years old. Ditto on Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Beltran and Grady Sizemore. Heck, guys like Ken Griffey, Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Upton and Rocco Baldelli were excelling in the big leagues as full-time regulars at the age of 21.
Unless Heathcott and Williams come fast this year – and, they just may do that – we shouldn’t consider them as all-stars in the making, yet.
The fact that they haven’t sniffed Double-A yet at their age is a flag. Let them play there and master it – and then get their feet wet in Triple-A. If that all happens this season, then Yankees fans can get excited about these two players.
Agreed that we should temper expectations.
Tempering enthusiasm isn’t a bad thing with any prospect, not just with these two. That being said, age 21 or 22 is old for Double-A? That’s news to me.
Furthermore, the fact that the players you listed were already in the majors is a total strawman argument. You’re comparing Williams and Heathcott to all-stars and future Hall of Famers. There are plenty of examples of good, productive, and valuable outfielders that made their MLB debuts at age 24 or 25.
MJ Recanati wrote:
Isn’t that what most Yankees fans are doing now?
FWIW, yesterday, on WFAN, Cashman used the Grady Sizemore comp on Heathcott.
It as actually funny since Cashman could not remember Sizemore’s name. He kept saying something like ‘that guy they had in center with the Indians.’ Finally, someone in the headset must have told him Sizemore. Pretty scary that the GM of your team doesn’t know the name of a guy on the free agent market now, like Sizemore.
In any event, Cashman, I guess, doesn’t realize that they guy he is comparing him to, Sizemore, was already excelling in the majors at an age where his guy is just losing his Double-A cherry.
Steve L. wrote:
No. And there’s another strawman argument for those scoring at home.
Steve L. wrote:
A player comp is simply a player comp. It doesn’t mean that the players both have to make their MLB debuts at the same age in order for the comparison to be accurate. An athlete with average power and good defensive instincts doesn’t seem too far off to me.
Steve L. wrote:
Jesus, now Cashman’s a bad GM because he couldn’t remember someone’s name? Ever forgotten someone’s name before? And the fact that Sizemore is a free agent matters how? The guy has played in only 43% of games over the last three seasons. He remains a free agent for a reason. If the Yanks want to sign him, that’s cool, but let’s not pretend that Cashman forgetting his name for a moment is in any way a big deal. Sizemore would sign with the Yankees even if Cashman called him Grady McFuckstick.
MJ Recanati wrote:
Sure it does, if you’re projecting similar careers.
Steve L. wrote:
Semantics.
I start getting suspicious once a player passes his 23rd birthday and we’re still hearing he’s nor ready for the major leagues.
Heathcott & Williams both have had shoulder surgery. Injuries suck.
Joseph Maloney wrote:
And, when someone is 24+ when they first make the bigs and do well, they often flame out – like a Eric Hinske, Mitchell Page, Bump Wills, Chris Sabo, Pat Listach, Marty Cordova, etc.
Yes, there’s a Wade Boggs or Kirby Puckett once in a while. But, generally, if a guy isn’t starring in the majors by 23, the odds are that we will not star in the majors for a long time, if at all.
Steve L. wrote:
And both of them may be starting in the majors by age 23. With respect to Heathcott, he’s been delayed by multiple injury years.
Many Hall of Famers were starting in the majors by age 22. That much is true.
But Paul O’Neill wasn’t a regular until age 24. Neither was Bernie. Jorge wasn’t the starting catcher until age 26, though he likely could’ve been at 25. Graig Nettles wasn’t a starting 3rd baseman until late in his age 24 seasons. Mike Lowell wasn’t a starter until age 25. Sam Rice didn’t make it as a starter until age 27. Mike Piazza wasn’t a starter until age 24. Kevin Youkillis waited until he was 27. Jeff Kent: 24. Carlos Delgado bounced off the major league ceiling for three years before finally breaking through at age 24. Jason Varitek wasn’t the regular Sox catcher until he was 27. (Catchers are a special case, and maybe some extra allowance should be made for them, but lots of great catchers also broke through at 21-22-23.) Davey Lopes didn’t even make it to the majors until he was 27, and didn’t start until he was 28. Ron Cey didn’t start until he was 25. Steve Garvey was a part-timer for the Dodgers for 5 years, but didn’t become the full-time first baseman until he was 25. Sal Bando wasn’t a starter until he was 24. Indian Bob Johnson didn’t make the majors until he was 27. Bill Terry didn’t start for the Giants until he was 26. Lance Berkman didn’t crack 40 games until he was 24, and didn’t crack 450 PA until he was 25. Bobby Abreu wasn’t a regular until he was 24. Darrell Evans wasn’t anything like a regular until he was 25. Edgar Martinez bounced off the majors for 3 seasons before finally settling in as a regular at age 27. Jim Edmonds wasn’t a starter until age 25. Todd Helton didn’t start until age 24. Carlton Fisk is another member of the catcher’s club: he wasn’t a starter until age 24…and stayed in the major for a mere 21 seasons after that. Luke Appling wasn’t a starter until age 24.
Among the greatest players ever, Honus Wagner wasn’t a starter in the NL until age 24. (Well, that’s not really the modern major leagues.)
Obviously, cases like Jackie Robinson, Ichiro Suzuki and Minnie Minoso are excluded from this discussion.