Each Thursday during the 2023 MLB season, we will have a trio of baseball trivia questions for you to mull over. It's a break from the norm in our fantasy baseball coverage, and we hope you will take part and enjoy every week.
If you'll indulge me for a moment and allow me to put on my "proud parent" hat, I just want to celebrate a milestone for my son, who along with his fellow seniors, graduated from high school Wednesday -- and his salutatory speech showed wisdom far beyond his 18 years. I'm not quite ready for the empty nest, but I'm very excited to see him spread his wings at my alma mater over the next four years.
Anyway, back to the trivia quiz, which is the reason you're really here. Now, the baseball team at my son's high school put up a valiant effort against Chase Petty in 2021's state playoffs before falling short. Petty would go on to become the first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins. Yet, here in 2023, he's in his age-20 season and still only in High-A, nowhere near ready to face MLB-level talent.
That's not the case for today's answers. These baseball prodigies all made some noise in the bigs as teenagers younger than my son is today. Can you name them all? As always, in the spirit of fun, three questions are before you. Three answers are required. We're on the honor system here, so please no searching the internet for the answers. You just might be surprised at how much you actually know!
Question 1
His appearance lasted just nine batters -- five of whom he walked and two (including Stan Musial) who got hits. Still, what is the name of the youngest pitcher in MLB history, who took the mound in just one game a few months shy of his 16th birthday?
Question 2
What player who ended his career with more than 500 home runs, is the only member of that exclusive club who can lay claim to have hit his first homer in his age-18 season?
Question 3
Who was the most recent player to hit a major league home run in his age-18 season? He started 100-plus games that year and ended up playing his entire career with the same team.
Take your time and think about your answers, and when you're ready to see if you're right, click here.