The MLB Youth Movement
The MLB front office has been trying to figure out how to make the game more fun for the fans. A lot of their focus has been trying to change the pace of the game. Ya know, make it go faster for the ADD generation.
I think a possible solution has been found...and it has nothing to do with the MLB organization nor the pace of the game.
To judge what a good solution could be we have to figure out what made the MLB popular when it was actually popular....specifically the late 1990s and the early 2000s. When people watched baseball what did they watch for?
Players.
They watched Derek "The Captain" Jeter and David "Big Papi" Ortiz in their prime. They were waiting on every pitch thrown to Mark Maguire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds who (steroids or no steroids) would bomb a ball at a ridiculous rate.The infamous Bronx Bombers and the Miracle BoSox. The pitching trio of Greg Maddox, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. Even the stunners of Luis Gonzalez in Arizona and Dontrelle D-Train Willis in Florida attracted their share of attention.
One other magical element about the players was that they still had long careers ahead of them. They were young. It is only within the last couple years that we have seen Papi and the Captain retire. Even the young phenom Albert Pujols who began his dynamic career in 2001 is still on the field.
So is the solution to popularity peering out at us again now.
The answer is yes!! Youth is ruling the fields and these players will last.
Let's simply look at some of the best teams in the league and thier best and most popular players.
At this point in the season, the two best teams in the MLB are the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Who are their starts? For Houston it is a trio of young talent. None of the tree have been in the league more than 7 years. Jose Altuve (2011) and Carlos Correa (2015) are in the AL MVP conversation while George Springer (2014) is likely also starting with his teammates in the All-Star game this year. As for the Dodgers, the names Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager are becoming household names. Bellinger is a rookie and Seager is a sophomore.
Looking at other major teams, there are dynamic youngsters throughout the league. Bryce Harper (age 24) and Mike Trout (25) have already been pegged as two of the best players in the league. Aaron Judge for the Yankees is a rookie and is leading the league in most batting stats, All-Star voting, and even the MVP conversations. Others in their early to mid 20s include powerhouses such as Fransisco Lindor (23), Manny Machado (24), Nolan Arenado (26), and Kris Bryant (25).
These young-stars will likely be in the league (and dominating the league) for the next decade and maybe longer. Being able to follow players for a ling time will keep the interest of players and help young fans follow their favorites for a while.
Just like Lebron and Steph ignited the NBA early and Peyton Manning and Tom Brady made a stand early in their NFL careers, the popularity of the MLB should rise as young players begin to dominate and hang around.
I foresee a great future for the league as the youth movement moves fans into ballparks and in front of television sets. If I were you I would hop on that bandwagon now and catch the amazing careers of what could become some of the greatest baseball stars in history.
I think a possible solution has been found...and it has nothing to do with the MLB organization nor the pace of the game.
To judge what a good solution could be we have to figure out what made the MLB popular when it was actually popular....specifically the late 1990s and the early 2000s. When people watched baseball what did they watch for?
Players.
They watched Derek "The Captain" Jeter and David "Big Papi" Ortiz in their prime. They were waiting on every pitch thrown to Mark Maguire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds who (steroids or no steroids) would bomb a ball at a ridiculous rate.The infamous Bronx Bombers and the Miracle BoSox. The pitching trio of Greg Maddox, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. Even the stunners of Luis Gonzalez in Arizona and Dontrelle D-Train Willis in Florida attracted their share of attention.
One other magical element about the players was that they still had long careers ahead of them. They were young. It is only within the last couple years that we have seen Papi and the Captain retire. Even the young phenom Albert Pujols who began his dynamic career in 2001 is still on the field.
So is the solution to popularity peering out at us again now.
The answer is yes!! Youth is ruling the fields and these players will last.
Let's simply look at some of the best teams in the league and thier best and most popular players.
At this point in the season, the two best teams in the MLB are the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Who are their starts? For Houston it is a trio of young talent. None of the tree have been in the league more than 7 years. Jose Altuve (2011) and Carlos Correa (2015) are in the AL MVP conversation while George Springer (2014) is likely also starting with his teammates in the All-Star game this year. As for the Dodgers, the names Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager are becoming household names. Bellinger is a rookie and Seager is a sophomore.
Looking at other major teams, there are dynamic youngsters throughout the league. Bryce Harper (age 24) and Mike Trout (25) have already been pegged as two of the best players in the league. Aaron Judge for the Yankees is a rookie and is leading the league in most batting stats, All-Star voting, and even the MVP conversations. Others in their early to mid 20s include powerhouses such as Fransisco Lindor (23), Manny Machado (24), Nolan Arenado (26), and Kris Bryant (25).
These young-stars will likely be in the league (and dominating the league) for the next decade and maybe longer. Being able to follow players for a ling time will keep the interest of players and help young fans follow their favorites for a while.
Just like Lebron and Steph ignited the NBA early and Peyton Manning and Tom Brady made a stand early in their NFL careers, the popularity of the MLB should rise as young players begin to dominate and hang around.
I foresee a great future for the league as the youth movement moves fans into ballparks and in front of television sets. If I were you I would hop on that bandwagon now and catch the amazing careers of what could become some of the greatest baseball stars in history.
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