What were you doing when you were 21? With all due respect, it probably wasn’t as exciting as the show Fernando Tatis Jr. is putting on nightly in San Diego.
In just his second major league season, the dynamic shortstop, barely old enough to sip an adult beverage to celebrate his success, is the clear-cut headliner of baseball’s youth movement.
Tatis has picked up in 2020 where he left off in 2019 — halfway through the shortened season, the Padres star leads the majors with 12 home runs, 29 RBI, and 29 runs on the league’s second-highest scoring offense.
Though he’s only 114 games into what should be a long career, his own manager has resorted to cross-sport analogies to describe just how dominant he’s been.
“We’ve got a No. 1 NFL wide receiver, we’ve got a point guard in the NBA, we’ve got a world-class FIFA soccer player, maybe an anchor on a 4×4 Olympic team,” first-year Padres manager Jayce Tingler said.
The home runs are majestic:
Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tell your friends. pic.twitter.com/qO6s2X71sm
— Slam Diego Padres (@Padres) August 9, 2020
The defensive plays are exceptional:
Fernando Tatis Jr. just took a hit away from Jose Altuve and turned it into two outs pic.twitter.com/S3k2IehxKv
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 23, 2020
And at 21, he’s just getting started.
But Tatis isn’t the only exciting young player to put his name on the map this season. Here are a few others.
Kyle Lewis, SEA
Success is expected from first-round draft picks. It wasn’t that simple with Lewis.
In just his second month as a pro, Lewis, the Mariners’ 11th-overall selection in 2016, suffered a nasty knee injury that cast serious doubt on his major league future and led to a meticulous recovery path. Entering 2019, he had averaged just 55 games per year.
Despite a lackluster Double-A debut last season, Seattle trusted Lewis’ ability to make the jump to the majors and promoted him in September.
Though he only took 75 plate appearances, he flashed his tantalizing power potential, homering on 40% (6/15) of his fly balls. The qualified major league leader, Christian Yelich, posted a 32.8% mark.
Lewis, 25, has been given the keys to the Mariners’ everyday center field job in 2020 and has done nothing but run with it. His 189 wRC+ is fifth among 158 qualifiers.
The #Mariners are not good.
Kyle Lewis on the other hand, is very, very good.
This home run, his 5th of the season comes off a Ross Stripling 92mph fastball on the black. 411 feet. Left the bat at 104mph. 💣💣💣💣💣 pic.twitter.com/iJd9EvwT5L
— Joe (@JoeDoyleMiLB) August 18, 2020
Defense? Defense.
We know he can mash, but Kyle Lewis is pretty good in the outfield, too. pic.twitter.com/C8sjeclh3V
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 19, 2020
Between Lewis and Jarred Kelenic, Seattle’s outfield should be locked down for years to come.
Luis Robert, CWS
Prospects are generally overhyped in this day and age, but few things are more exciting than a young player meeting expectations from the jump.
Robert, who turned pro in Cuba at just 15, commanded a $26 million bonus in 2017 and was immediately billed as the future face of the White Sox alongside fellow Cuban Yoan Moncada and Dominican power bat Eloy Jimenez.
After those two became regulars in 2019, Robert, 23, has burst onto the scene in 2020. He’s proven to be a true threat on both sides of the ball, ranking in the 95th percentile in barrel rate and posting 4 outs above average in center, both per Statcast.
Luis Robert recorded his first career multi-homer game last night! His second home run traveled an estimated 433 feet with a 115.5 mph exit velocity, the highest EV by a White Sox at home in the @statcast era (since 2015). pic.twitter.com/DT3KqEkYfN
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 18, 2020
It would only be playing into the aforementioned hype, but Robert could develop into a true five-tool star. Among 141 players with 25 competitive runs this year, his sprint speed ranks fifth at 29.1 feet/second.
Robert, Moncada, Jimenez, Abreu, Grandal, Anderson. The White Sox make a compelling case for the most exciting lineup in baseball.
Trent Grisham, SD
Is it fair that two Padres made this list? Probably not. Slam Diego doesn’t care.
Joining Tatis in the top-ten of the Fangraphs WAR leaderboard is Grisham, a 23-year-old offseason acquisition from the Milwaukee Brewers. At 1.5 wins above replacement through 29 games, he’s tied with Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper.
Without a path to a starting job in Milwaukee, Grisham has thrived in San Diego. So far, he’s impressed with his glove:
Yeah, yeah, but we still need to put respect on Trent Grisham’s name. 🌟#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/CGqA6KVWgl
— Slam Diego Padres (@Padres) July 31, 2020
His power (92nd percentile barrel rate) has been waiting to break out. It did just that on Saturday, providing Grisham with three home runs against the Astros.
Trent Grisham is hitting so many HRs he’s been having to use sign language when rounding the bases 😂 Can the @Padres lead off man keep slugging in the series finale?!#FriarFaithful | @TrentGrisham pic.twitter.com/HdtITfvHNf
— Fox Sports Slam Diego (@FOXSportsSD) August 23, 2020
Something special is happening in SoCal.
Other names to know:
Brandon Lowe (TB): 26 yrs, .313/.394/.708, 195 wRC+
Cavan Biggio (TOR): 25 yrs, .272/.402/.522, 154 wRC+
Alex Verdugo (BOS): 24 yrs, .298/.365/.543, 139 wRC+