SPECULATOR: Paths to prospect stardom
Jun 9 2021
The "A-Rod 10-Step Path to Stardom" has been a longtime staple in the Baseball Forecaster (page 53 in the 2021 version). It's our annual reminder that even the best prospects rarely hit the ground running. A more common path to stardom is filled with highs and lows; from a poor initial MLB cameo to a minor league demotion, to another crack in the majors; rinse and repeat.
We all know the Mike Trout example—he slashed .220/.281/.390 in his 2011 debut before becoming Mike Trout—but there are plenty of others (Lucas Giolito, and more recently Kyle Lewis, Carson Kelly, Tyler O'Neill, etc.) who needed a couple of tries before it started to click. The Acuñas, Tatis's, and Sotos of the world are the exceptions, not the rule.
So this week,...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Speculator
Baseball is back and we're here to overreact. We'll speculate on several Opening Weekend storylines.
Apr 2 2025 3:09am
Apr 2 2025 3:09am
Our annual Opening Day Eve exercise at category leaders who went outside the Top 200 this draft season.
Mar 26 2025 3:09am
Mar 26 2025 3:09am
They come from all stages of the draft. We'll use history as our guide to speculate on this season's Top 15 players.
Mar 19 2025 3:10am
Mar 19 2025 3:10am
Applying some of Flaherty's pre-breakout traits to this year's player pool.
Mar 12 2025 3:05am
Mar 12 2025 3:05am
We'll apply some lessons learned from last year's pool to speculate on this year's breakouts.
Mar 5 2025 3:09am
Mar 5 2025 3:09am
