Major League Baseball history comes full-circle at the MLB Draft, and it will make a lot of people feel old. The sons of former players are a large part of this year’s class— from All-Stars to journeymen and everyone in between.
It is a testament to a generation of young athletes who spent a lot of time in the clubhouse, on the field during batting practice, or in the stands while their fathers lived out their big league dreams.
Travis Bazzana, Charlie Condon, Jac Caglianone, J.J. Weatherholt, Hagen Smith, Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Connor Griffin, Braden Montgomery and Bryce Rainer are considered the 10 best prospects in this year’s MLB Draft class. However, unless you’re a seamhead or a college baseball fan, those names probably don’t stand out.
MLB players are passing the torch!
When you look a little bit deeper, a lot of the names are very familiar:
- Adrian Beltré Jr.
- 17-year-old son of Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltré
- Braden Halladay
- Former High Point pitcher
- 23-year-old son of late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay
- Max McGwire
- Former San Diego and Oklahoma first baseman
- 21-year-old son of former home-run champion Mark McGwire, who hit 583 dingers
- Brady Counsell
- 21-year-old son of two-time World Series champion and active Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell
- Jayden Fielder
- 19-year-old grandson of Cecil Fielder
- Son of six-time All-Star Prince Fielder
- Noah Sheffield
- 18-year-old son of five-time Silver Slugger Gary Sheffield
- Florida State commit
- Colt Myers
- 19-year-old son of World Series champion pitcher Brett Myers
- Lucas Ramirez
- 18-year-old son of 19-year outfielder and two-time World Series champion Manny Ramirez
- Tennessee baseball commit
- Dawson Brown
- Former Georgia Tech pitcher
- 23-year-old son of Kevin Brown, who won 211 games in MLB
- Rafael Furcal Jr.
- 18-year-old son of 2000 NL Rookie of the Year Rafael Furcal
Some of the sons are slated to be early-round picks with bright futures on the highest level. Some might be a late-round flier with baseball in their blood.
Either way, a new generation is upon us. Quite literally!
And the money today is very different than when their fathers played.
Gary Sheffield was drafted No. 6 overall in 1986. He received a signing bonus of $152,000. This year’s No. 6 overall pick is slotted at $7.2 million!