With the excellent column by DC on the teenage players, and with the outstanding article in The Athletic on Zach Reks, I thought I would take a look at late bloomers. If Zach Reks does make it to the Majors, he would certainly be a late bloomer, but he hardly is the only one.
A young infielder was drafted in the 9th round out of South Carolina and had a fairly undistinguished MiLB career.
Age 21 – A – .253/.317/.409/.726
Age 22 – A+ – .262/.337/.369/.706
Age 23 – A+, AA – .258/.329/.378/.707
Age 24 – AA – .270/.319/.391/.710
Age 25 – AA, AAA – .319/.371/.470/.840
Age 26 – AAA – .265/.317/.364/.681
He made his MLB debut at 27 and in 332 PA that year, he slashed .283/.323/.392/.716. But this was a blip compared to what he would do the next three years.
Age 28 – .288/.324/.460/.784 – Led AL in SB with 34
Age 29 – .304/.367/.438/.806 – Led MLB in hits with 192 and SB with 45
Age 30 – .302/.348/.463/.811 – Led MLB in hits with 206 and triples with 10
By now everyone who has followed baseball the last couple of years recognize the feats of KC 2B Whit Merrifield. Yes, Whit is primarily a singles hitter, but that should not diminish what he has accomplished even in this era of the long ball.
I am not proclaiming Zach Reks to be the next Whit Merrifield, but if Zach continues to develop, he will have a nice niche as a 4th OF as a LAD. After being drafted in the 10th round of the 2017 draft, all Zach has done is to hit .300/.383/.469/.852 in 1,040 PA. He has moved rapidly through the organization and after 2 years of professional ball, Zach made it to AAA last year where he hit .284/.382/.520/.901 with 19 HRs in 385 PA. He is going to get another chance to prove last year was not a fluke this year at AAA, but I would not at all be surprised if he somehow gets a call this year.
Cody Thomas has caught the eye of many Dodgers fans this Spring, but he has not been nearly as successful as has Zach, even though Cody was drafted a year earlier. Cody will hit the ball farther, run faster, has a great arm, but he does not have the bat to ball skills that Zach has, and Zach is now learning to launch the ball on his pull side. Both Cody and Zach have special skills, while one is more of a blue-blood (Thomas), and the other is an ultimate dirtbag grinder (Reks).
As a fan of Reks, I am torn. I want him to remain a Dodger, but it might be best for him to be traded to a team who could use him more regularly. I am not just a fan of the LAD, but I am especially drawn to certain players who I want to succeed, even if it means that they will not do it as a Dodger.
Merrifield was certainly not the first late bloomer. There have been some very notable players whose careers did not start to roll until after their 28th birthday.
Jose Bautista
Perhaps best known for his creative bat flips, Bautista was a 20th-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000. Bautista was never considered a prized prospect or even someone who would start at the ML level. He put together some above-average seasons in the minors, and was called up in 2004 at the age of 23. He spent the next several seasons putting up mediocre numbers with Pittsburgh and Toronto, but something clicked in 2010 at the age of 29. He revamped his swing with a leg kick and led ML hitters with 54 HRs with the Blue Jays. At 30, he led ML hitters with 43 HRs and 132 RBIs. He was still a prolific power hitter over the next several years.
Dante Bichette
While I have been an avid fan of Bo Bichette, his career is taking a different path than did his father’s. Dante was a very uninspiring OF while with the Angels and Brewers, but once he was traded to the Rockies in 1993 at the age of 29, everything changed. That year Bichette hit .310/.348/.526/.874. But that year paled in comparison to 1995 at the age of 31 when he hit .340/.364/.620/.984 and led NL hitters with 40 HRs and all of MLB with 128 RBIs. He went on to have 8 consecutive years with an OPS > .800.
Kevin Millar
Admittedly, Millar is a favorite of mine as he was one of my son’s best buddies on the 2004 Red Sox team. Millar went undrafted out of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He signed with the St. Paul Saints of the Independent League and became a replacement player in 1995. He toiled in the minor leagues for the Florida Marlins until 1999 when he came up for good with the Marlin at the age of 27. Kevin became a fixture in a lineup at 29 and stayed in MLB until he turned 37.
David Ortiz
One of Millar’s teammates and another of one of my son’s closest MLB friends, Big Papi was a non-distinguished player with the Minnesota Twins and was released at 26 years old. He signed with Boston at 27 and proceeded to produce at the elite level for the next 14 years with Boston. His final year was very special. At the age of 40, Papi hit .315/.401/.620/1.021. He led MLB hitters with 48 HRs, slugging at .620, and OPS at 1.021. He led AL hitters with 127 RBIs. He may have started late, but he could end it all at the most elite level with a HOF induction.
Other late bloomer hitters include Nelson Cruz, Scott Brosius, and Jayson Werth.
There are admittedly more pitching late bloomers than there are hitters. Perhaps the biggest (literally and figuratively) late bloomer is Randy Johnson. I am partial to Johnson because he is a Trojan. Johnson started his career at the age of 24 with the Montreal Expos. The next year he was traded to Seattle. He had some success, but he had zero control with his fastball and slider mix.
At the age of 29, something clicked. The 6’10” behemoth left-hander learned control. From the age of 31 in 1995 till the end of his career at the age of 45 in 2009, Randy would win five Cy Youngs and became arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history.
Zach Reks is not the only older Dodger prospect looking to make a mark this year and move into aforementioned class of late bloomers. Edwin Rios and Tony Gonsolin will join Reks with a baseball age of 26. Mitch White is not far behind at 25. Rios and Gonsolin have already received The Call, and Reks and White could join them this year or next. But will any of them take it to the next level and join the late bloomers club?
Discussion (67)
Disagree, not disagreeable
A Badger and a Bear are off tap water and back drinking filtered water. Welcome home!
Can we replace Pollock and Hernandez with McKinstry and Reks. I’m starting to think that Taylor would be a better platoon partner with Joc instead of Pollock. For the most part the relievers that are a lock to make the team and the relievers that have a realistic shot at making the team are pitching pretty good so far.
Swing a deal. I’m in….
Welcome back Badger. I wasn’t on the board yesterday. I agree with you on defense. Every player has somewhere to be on every play.
If they gave the Cy Young Award based on a 3-inning stint in a ST game, David Price would be a leading candidate. Great outing today.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if he was our best starter this year after we did Boston the favor of taking him off their hands and Graterol turned out to be our closer after being rejected by the Sox.
Remind me again who was the other guy we got from Boston in the Price deal!
Ubaldo Jimenez pitched one of the most uniquely efficient (on pitch count) innings I think I have ever witnessed. 10 batters, 2 strike outs, one walk, 2 HBP, 3 hits and 5 runs, all on 19 pitches. That’s not easy to do.
Watching the game. Dino Ebel is AMAZING!
Referring to your comment above AC, regarding the players you met when Andy was playing for Boston, what a group of diverse and very strong personalities that clubhouse had. Tito, who by most reports is one of the more beloved men in all of baseball, must have had his hands full keeping those guys on the same path. For the most part the 2020 Dodgers are much more vanilla, temperament wise. We still don’t seem to have that Papi or Varitek personality among position players to put the whole team on his shoulders when the need arises.
DodgerBlueMom – I’m with you on Rick Monday’s humorous nitroglycerin line from a couple days ago. I’m stealing that one. The best line I’ve heard this spring was at a ST game where a batter got some serious chin music and spun out of the way. A fan yelled “what are you doing? He’s not an Astro!”
I think we are all enjoying the play this spring of Raley, Peters, Reks, McKinstry, Thomas and Rios as position players. Here’s their problem as I see it so far (barring injuries or transactions)
1. Pollock
2. Pederson (if he can answer the bell)
3. Belli
4. Betts
5. CT3
6. Kike
7. Beaty
8. Turner
9. Seager
10. Lux
11. Muncy
12. Smith
13. Barnes
There’s no room at the Inn right now. The youngsters need to play at OKC and wait for their opportunity. I bet the Orioles and the Mariners would love to have the players the Dodgers send down.
I also like Raley, Reks, Beaty, Peters, and Ferguson. Wish all of them could make the OD roster. Very hard choices to make.
A reliable 3rd pitch will put Fergusson and Stripling in the rotation. If there is a question it is when.
They are 2 of my favorites.
1. Lux DH
2. Muncy 2B
3. Bellinger CF
4. Taylor SS
5. Barnes C
6. Beaty 3B
7. Raley RF
8. White 1B
9. Reks LF
Let’s hope the Price is Right!
Blake Treinan will make his spring debut today. That will be nice to see!
I am not sure why there is such skepticism about players whose numbers jump up. Players develop differently just like all of us. The difference between players like Whit Merrifield and others is that Whit got a chance with a team in a rebuild. KC could afford to play certain players while he may not have had the chance with LAD.
If anyone spent time with MiLB players you would learn that many MiLB players languish in the minors and never get The Call, but might have flourished if given a chance with another team. I am not sure my son would have made it with Philadelphia, but he got his chance with Boston and he did get The Call. Unfortunately he got hurt and was never able to get back to the elite level. He did not do it with PEDs…he just got a chance.
How many realize that players who are drafted late and do not get bonus dollars are not given the same chance as are high draft picks? If Zach Reks hit like Jeren Kendall, does anyone really believe that Reks would still be in baseball?
Are there the same suspicions about Maury Wills who did not get to LAD until he was 26?
Like the Girlfriend who gets back with you for Christmas, Badger has just turned up in time to celebrate his Birthday with us all.
Happy Birthday Badger
The grinders! My favorite type of baseball players. On team like the Dodgers, though, they mostly serve as an insurance policy for injuries. I do hope Reks makes it to the majors and that he enjoys some success. His story and journey are very admirable and inspirational.
Nice post AC. Have you ever met Millar in person? I assume he’s exactly the way he comes off on IT. A total goofball but probably a great friend.
Article in the LA Times about Ferguson talking with Kersh over the off season about developing a slider as a young Kersh did and we all know where his career went from there. Keep an eye on Ferguson this year. He could make a big jump if his slider develops.
Remember the Alamo and remember sweet Lou Johnson.
I really like Reks, Raley, and Beaty.
I believe that moving forward, players like Reks will play a bigger part in the team.
Friedman is not going to make a trade, just to make a trade and he obviously doesn’t have to get under the Luxury Tax this year. However, where a trade could occur is if a contender needs a player due to injury and is willing to overpay for a Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez or the like. Then, Reks, Raley & Beaty (sounds like Dewey, Cheatem & Howe) could get their chance… for the Dodgers.
I am not so suspicious today as I believe if they were prone to using PED’s they would do so sooner in their careers. Also I expect if PED’s were used in that specific year they would have to be used to continue on successfully. Certainly in the current environment the likelihood of being caught is rather significant. I more so suspect the suddenly big chested guys in the past as the cheaters, not the little guys whose body make up doesn’t change all that much.
I see guys like Zack Reks as a credit to the game and their families. His story and that of others is one of perseverance, beating the odds, Quite often it is just a matter of getting an opportunity. Examples would be Justin Turner and Max Muncy. Hopefully Zack will make it to MLB even as a fourth outfielder somewhere. He has only played three years so is not yet eligible for minor league free agency. He is a career .300 hitter in the minors.
I’m often suspicious of players whose numbers jump up like some of these. It’s not the norm. Yes some players accomplish this by swing changes or a new approach, but we all know some do it with PED’s.
I have been a fan of Reks from the time he was selected by the Dodgers in the entry draft, and I read about his perseverance to be a college baseball player. Although he is not as versatile defensively as Beaty or Rios, I am hopeful that he has a terrific season for OKC and wins a regular spot in the Dodgers OF in 2021. Max Muncy is on the path to being the next late blooming star with a total of 70 home runs, 176 runs scored, 177 RBI, and 145 OPS+ in his age 27 and 28 seasons.