Much ado is made in baseball about legacy players. Just look at the current crop of rising stars sired by former baseball greats: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette. It’s always fun to see a new face with a familiar name, a combination of that sweet nostalgia aroma with an even sweeter new prospect smell.
At 29 years old, Mike Yastrzemski can hardly be called a prospect, but boy, is his legacy a big one. Grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, one of the best to ever play the game.
When the younger Yastrzemski made his MLB debut in May, he was mostly a novelty: a ho-hum player picked up on waivers who just happened to be related to one of baseball’s greatest. But as the season progressed, and as Mike kept hitting homers—despite playing in Oracle Park! despite being left-handed!—it became clearer and clearer that something special was happening.
That something special culminated in yesterday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, the first time a Yastrzemski took the field at Fenway Park since 1983. Usually, the hype surrounding occasions like this one is overblown. Sure, it’s nice when the player-related-to-the-more-famous-player gets a standing ovation, and it’s nice to see shots of the relatives together, but it’s rarely anything more than that.
Mike made it more special than that.
The moment could not be more perfect: Not only did he hit his 20th home run—a feat near impossible for any Giants hitter—he did it in The House That His Grandfather Built.
It’s impossible to overstate just how much Carl meant to the city of Boston. In 1960—one year before the elder Yaz made his Red Sox debut—Ted Williams retired, taking with him the remaining spirit and identity of a team that hadn’t sniffed contention in over a decade. Facing the loss of an icon, the new kid in left field brought a level of play that seemed reminiscent of, well, The Kid.
Carl could hit—he secured the batting title three titles. He could play the field, winning seven Gold Gloves. And then he started doing everything well, recording a run of 15 straight All-Star appearances to go with an MVP award. He made being a Red Sox fan fun.
A lot of the same things can be said about his grandson. Mike can hit, Mike can field, Mike can do a little bit of everything. And most importantly of all, Mike is making it a whole lot easier to be a Giants fan.
It’s hard to quantify the magnitude of this event, so here are some fun facts about the two Yastrzemskis:
- Carl spent just two years in the minors before making the jump to the majors as the starting left fielder on Opening Day in 1961. He was only 21. Carl would become the second-greatest Red Sox position player by rWAR to ever live, just behind the great Ted Williams.
- Mike was drafted out of college by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013. He spent 6+ years bouncing around the minors before finally making his MLB debut for the San Francisco Giants at the age of 28. Mike would become the second-greatest Giants position player by rWAR to ever play this season, just behind the great Evan Longoria.
- Over his 23 seasons, Carl would become the team’s career leader in hits, XBH, RBI, games played, at bats, and total bases.
- Over his one season (so far), Mike would become the first corner outfielder in a Giants uniform to hit 20+ home runs since man discovered fire.
- In his first season, Carl put together a line of .266/.324/.396, with 11 home runs and an OPS+ of 91.
- In his first season (so far), Mike has put together a line of .265(!)/.324(!!)/.509, with 20 home runs and an OPS+ of 117.
- It took Carl 23 games to hit his first home run at Fenway Park. It took Mike only three at bats.
I must admit to feeling an endearing connection to Mike the player. In the one and only recap I’ve ever written for this site, I just so happened to have the luck of witnessing his rather memorable first career hit. To capture the absurdity of that entire game, I posted this screengrab from the broadcast:
That is Mike’s wife, Paige, giving some of the best side-eye I’ve ever seen.
Fast forward four months, and this is Paige now:
There she is, engulfed in a bear hug, surrounded by the pure joy of her and Mike’s family.
In my humble opinion, no two images tell a better story of Mike’s season. It’s incredible, astonishing, unlikely. And now, it’s unforgettable.