Youth and the EFL

With Andre’s entry into our league I am for the first time since Season 2 in the older half of the EFL. On Opening Day (2004) we ranked as follows:

1.  Phil Smith: 49
2.  Ron Mock: 47
3.  Tim Smith: 23
4.  Ryan Mock: 19

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The next year Mark Weiner joined the league, pushing me to the pivotal 3rd out of 5 position. Then Tom entered the league, making me a clear member of the younger half, a rank I occupied for many straight years.

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Last year on Opening Day, we ranked as follows (I think — feel free to make corrections):

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1.  Tom Johnson: 70+
2. Mark Weinert? Somewhere north of 64?
3. Dave Votaw?  Somewhere north of 64?
4.  Phil Smith: 63
5.  John Johnson: 62
6.  Ron Mock: 61
7.  Rob Bohall: ??
8.  Jamie Johnson: 40?
9.  Mark Johnson: 38?
10.  Brooks Lampe: 3x?
11.  Ryan Mock: 33.

Note that I regained my former position in neither the elder nor the younger half. I was the swing vote, the bellwether, the pivot.

.Ryan has always been the youngest.

.But now Andre has joined us.  I have no idea how old he is — older than Jamie, younger than me, somewhere in there. He and Rob can figure it out. But whereever he is, I’m now 6th oldest out of 12.

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I may never again escape the older half of the league. I am ok with this, mostly, but I have to admit part of my contentedness is found here:

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1. Elvis Luciano, RHP, Blue Jays (born 2/15/00)
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, Padres (1/2/99)
3. Juan Soto, OF, Nationals (10/25/98)
4. Bryse Wilson, RHP, Braves (12/20/97)
5. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Braves (12/18/97)
6. Victor Robles, OF, Nationals (5/19/97)
7. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves (1/7/97)
8. Gleyber Torres, 2B/SS, Yankees (12/13/96)
9. Eloy Jimenez, OF, White Sox (11/27/96)
10. Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox (10/24/96)

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These are the ten youngest players in MLB on Opening Day 2019, according to MLBTraderumors. Gleyber Torres is out of the EFL and unlikely to be back before he ages out of this list. Fernando Tatis, Jr., is likely to join the EFL in time for May competition.  Elvis Luciano may also join us, although I gather from the MLBT article, it isn’t a given.  Of the other 7, Acuna is a Cascade (and former Wolverine), Wilson is a Dragon, and Jimenez and Devers are current Wolverines.  That leaves Soto, Robles, and Albies as Pears.

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I may be in the older half of the league ownership, but I am in second place in my share of the most youthful players in the big leagues. And Tatis is there for the picking, to put me in a tie for first place…

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On the other hand, according to the same article:

1.  Not one of the 10 oldest Opening Day MLB players is in the EFL.
2.  Of the 750 + players on Opening Day rosters (not counting Ichiro, who was already off the Seattle roster by the official Opening Day) only 6 are older than my oldest child.

Sobering stuff.  Kind of like these standings except it’s still too early to take them seriously.  DC Still hasn’t had a pitcher appear as far as I can tell.  Look, Rob, if you have had pitchers “appear”, they’ve been invisible so far.  It doesn’t do any good to have invisible pitchers “appear.”