Ask Mike: The youngest big leaguer
Hey Guys,
I realized early in life that I’d never be a Major League baseball player. My tendency to close my eyes and wince rather than swing the bat insured me of that. Of course, not all kids are as hopeless. There are some big league ballplayers that don’t look much older than 15 or 16. Got me wondering — who is the youngest baseball player to ever make to the Major Leagues?
Well, if we’re talking in the “Modern Era,” meaning in the 20th century, then the answer is Joe Nuxhall. The former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds came up to the Show when he was all of 15 years old. Imagine that, he couldn’t drink, vote, or drive a car, but he was playing baseball against the best players in the world.
In an interview, Nuxhall said, “Probably two weeks prior to that (his debut), I was pitching against seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders, kids 13 and 14 years old. All of a sudden, I look up and there’s Stan Musial and the likes. It was a very scary situation.”
So scary, in fact, that when he was called into the game, Nuxhall tripped on the dugout step and landed on his face in front of the entire stadium. Things didn’t get much better from there.
In his first game on June 10, 1944, Nuxall pitched just 2/3 of an inning, giving up five runs before being pulled. He was quickly sent back down to the minor leagues, but eventually returned to the Majors several years later.
Nuxhall went on to have an excellent career, both as a player and an announcer. He ended his playing days in 1966 with a lifetime 135–117 record. Soon after he retired, Nuxhall began his next job as announcer for the Reds. He stayed in that position for several decades before retiring in 2004. He passed away in 2007, due to complications from cancer.
What are some other impressive things people have done at a young age? For example, author Alex Garland wrote one of my favorite novels (“The Beach“) when he was all of 26. And Mozart was composing by the age of 5. Got some favorites of your own? Leave a comment below.
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Christopher Paolini began writing the Inheritance Cycle novels (beginning with Eragon) at the age of 19. This is impressive since Eragon is not only a sizable book, but is also a bestseller and quite an enjoyable read.
As a guy who grew up in Cincinnati, there is no Reds player more revered than Joe Nuxhall….yes, even more than Pete Rose. More than just a ball player, Nuxhall was simply a genuine and kind soul. After his death, there was a huge push to induct him into the broadcaster’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Reading some of the objections, critics cite his unpolished approach to the microphone as one of his flaws. Reds fans recognized it as a charm.
For me, Nuxhall’s death symbolized the end of a VERY special era. Cynics can say what they want…but there was a time when baseball players symbolized a unique connection between celebrities and regular folks. When our heros and idols didn’t seem so aloof and untouchable. Getting an autograph wasn’t a challenge…and everyone 18 or older understood that they were a role model for kids, whether they wanted to be or not.
Nuxhall was the personification of sensibility, generosity and humbleness. How many public figures can we say that about?
Magnus Carlsen became the number one chess player in the world at age 19.
rather than swing the bat insured me of that
Shouldn’t that be “ensured”?
I think that was the trivia question from my childhood idols (Kirby Puckett) ’85 Topps rookie card.
I saw Damon Easley play his first big show game with the Angles vs A’s back in the late 80′s early 90′s when he was 17. My friend and I thought he was a ball boy taking infield during batting practice at shortstop but he started at third. He hit a triple in that game and on a very close play at third with him on defence an A’s player came in hard and knocked him on his but. From my seat behind the A’s dugout I shouted for Dave Duncan the third base coach to “Check his diapers”. Both Duncan and the Ump could not keep a straight face and had a chuckle.
Paloma Herrera was 19 when she became a principal with American Ballet Theatre. The youngest in ABT history. She’s amazing. So absolutely inspiring.
I once read somewhere about this super genius in Germany in the 1700′s. He died before he was 10 I think but he could talk like an adult by the age of two and he could remember stuff really good. I read this a long time ago so I don’t remember if I have all my facts right.
To be fair to Nuxhall, the only reason he was called up (or was in the minors at all at that age) was because the country was in the middle of World War II, and just about all the young men in the country from their late teens to late twenties were in military service. The major leagues in that era featured many 40+ year old players past their primes (including Hall of Famer Paul Waner) and even the one-armed Pete Gray. (Who wasn’t a bad ballplayer.)
The British blues-rock band “Free” was comprised of a group of teenagers, and their most well-known song, “All Right Now”, was written by bass player Andy Fraser at the ripe old age of 15. And George Harrison was in his mid-teens when the Beatles were starting to get famous – he was so young, in fact, that they almost didn’t allow him to play with the band.
“The former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds came up to the Show when he was all of 15 years old. Imagine that, he couldn’t drink, vote, or drive a car, but he was playing baseball against the best players in the world.”
Not really. Most of “the best players in the world” were in the military in 1944, because we were involved in WWII.
Sarge
I can name a lot but what beats me is Michael Kearny graduating from a university at age 10, receiving a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a master’s degree in chemistry at the age of 14, and taught in college at 17!
You mention a novelist who wrote a book at 26.
Albert Einstein came up with the theory of special relativity in 1905 at exactly the same age. The man was unbelievably brilliant.
One thing that’s interesting. When I was just young a high school friend of mine told me, when in the huddle, the players would find the most capable on the other side and try and break them at the knees. Also, in baseball, if you’re really good at hitin flybyes a pitcher will throw one at your head. True facts.
Talents. An inborn talents which is a gift from above.
I hope every parents will recognize their kids talents younger than 5. We may never know the future that really lies.
Bless you….
Ensured.
Joe Nuxhall was a great commentator as well as humanitarian. He is truly missed in Cincinnati, and will forever be known as one of the best to be involved in the game.
Mike we love you and we are so proud of you!
<3 Your cousin Andrea and her family.
The young man -Mark Zuckerberg (I hope I spelled his name right) who invented Facebook was in his early twenties, and look at him now, he’s wealthy. Steve Jobs from Apple was young when he helped create the computer. A lot of young people have transformed technology as we know it, and probably will have a hand in it as time goes by.
Eminem, he started rapping at the age of 14, was white and blowing all the other MCs out of the way and becoming an extremely successful, mainstream artist selling millions of albums! Another is Ryan Sheckler, a pro skateboarder who joined the skateboarding game at 6 years of age, creating his own tricks and skating in the X games at the age of 14, becoming the youngest X Games gold medalist in history! These are two that I think are amazing. I know that I’m not going to be a famous artist at age 14, I skate but I know that I’m not going to beat Ryan Sheckler’s accomplishments! These are two of the many that have spectacular achievements!
I grew up listening to him Broadcast reds games.
R.I.P. and and God Bless the old Left Hander, He’s
rounded 3rd and came home.
Christopher Paolini began writing the first book to the Inheritance Cycle when he was 16. It was published when he was nineteen.
R.I.P. Nuxy
Interesting. (Robin) Yount was the third pick overall in the June 1973 Major League Baseball Draft (age 17). Yount made his major league debut the following April, at eighteen years old. After going hitless in his first four games, Yount hit a game-winning home run in his sixth. On September 14, 1975, he broke Mel Ott’s 47-year-old record for most games played in the major leagues as a teenager. Yount courted controversy in the winter of 1978. He threatened to retire from the game and take up professional golf rather than be underpaid by the Brewers. His demands were met during spring training in 1978, and he played the full season; ultimately, Yount remained a Brewer for the rest of his 20-year career, and was elected to the Hall of Fame.
-wikipedia
Samantha Smith became the worlds youngest ambassador at the age of 13 during the cold war.
Michael Jackson. nuff said
there is a person who sailed around the world at age 15 or 16.
Tatum O’Neal won an Oscar when she was not quite ten years old.
Even though Joe Nuxall was called up during WWII doesn’t mean it was because of the war. Were there any other fifteen year old baseball players in the majors?
And I was going to say Christopher Paolini, but someone already did =)
John Clem served in the American Civil War at the age of 12 and earned the rank of Sergeant. i always find this pretty cool. he wasn’t the youngest soldier ever, but he’s the youngest i can think off of the top of my head.