Over the last few years we have been spoiled. It seems like every top prospect lately has come up, and proven themselves to be among the best in the game immediately. Bryce Harper started bashing from almost his very first pitch it, and only a midsummer slump last year slowed him down. Mike Trout looks like he might end up being the greatest player of all time, all the while finding a cure for cancer, and feeding the hungry. For 2/3s of this season Manny Machado was making a serious run at one of the oldest records in American sports, the single season doubles record. It does not usually work out this way. For every Alex Rodriguez, who came up and put together MVP quality seasons consistently in his early 20’s, there are 10 guys that need to adjust to Major League pitching.

On the other end of the spectrum we have a player like Raul Ibanez. Although he has cooled off lately, Ibanez still has a shot at setting the homerun record for any player of his age. These type of statistics have always fascinated me. I love watching an 18 year old hold his own, in the same league that  somebody literally 2 and a half times his age is also surviving in. I thought an interesting project would be to find the greatest hitting season ever for every age. This is purely from an offensive perspective. I did this because quite frankly I do not trust defensive metrics that over 20 years old. I do not want to exclude an old time player just because of my personal bias. This exercise is from a wide range of factors, not purely OPS+, or wRC+. I factored in playing time, quality of play, and impact on the game. All ages are based on the Baseball Reference definition, their age on June 30th. Today’s edition will have ages 18-29, while tomorrow I will have ages 30-40.

18 or younger-Whitey Lockman

This one was difficult. Not surprisingly, there have not been very many great seasons by players barely old enough to vote. The obvious choice would probably be Phil Cavarretta, who in 1935 had 28 doubles, 8 homers, and 82 RBI, all of which are the most all time. However, I ultimately decided to choose a player that was truly great over only a handful of plate appearances. Whitney Lockman in 1945 hit .341 in 129 at-bats. He also walked more often than he struckout. His .890 OPS is 164 points better than any 18 year old.

19-Tony Conigliar0

When I think of great seasons by a 19 year old, I think of Tony Conigliaro. He had 24 homeruns, and a .530 slugging%, both records. Other players in contention were Mel Ott, who hit .322 in 500 plate appearances, and Bryce Harper, who scored 98 runs, and led the Nationals to the playoffs last year.

20-Alex Rodriguez

This is where the list gets good. 7  20 year old players have had at least 500 plate appearances, and an OPS+between 160-169. Mike Trout last year was  the best offensive player in baseball. Ty Cobb and Al Kaline each led the league in hits. Mel Ott and Ted Williams each had OPS’s over 1.000. There are many great selections, all honestly within spitting distance of each other, but I decided A-ROD was the best. In 1996 he led the league in batting, doubles, and runs scored. He also launched 36 bombs, and had 215 hits.

21-Mike Trout

His season isn’t over yet, but I am confident saying this season will end up being the best ever by a 21 year old. Trout’s 181 OPS+ blows away the field, and he is currently leading the league in walks. He has an outside shot at his 2nd straight 30 homer-30 steal season. He also has a chance at being the only player in history, of any age, with 30 homers-30 steals-40 doubles-10 triples. Many other players were great, including Willie McCovey, who was dominant but in less than 200 at-bats, and Jimmie Foxx, who had a .463 OBP

22-Ted Williams

This was the easiest age to decide upon. I didn’t have to look up the numbers to know who I was going to choose. Williams hit .406, and had arguably the best offensive season of all time. The fact that he didn’t win the MVP is a joke. Other great seasons were put together by Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, and Boog Powell.

23-Ted Williams

He really was the greatest hitter ever. In 1942 he put together a season that was well below is level of performance the previous year. He still led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, homers, RBI, and runs scored. This is probably the best back-to-back run since the days of Ruth. Players who were also great in their age 23 seasons are Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols.

24-Jimmie Foxx

In 1932 Jimmie Foxx had a batting line of .364/.469/.749. He hit a league leading 58 homeruns, 168 RBI and 151 runs scored. He won the AL MVP, not an easy accomplishment in a league with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, and Al Simmons.  Ty Cobb also had an amazing year as a 24 year old, hitting .420 while stealing 83 bases. Lou Gehrig had a 220 OPS+ as a 24 year old. Either of them would be equably good selections.

25-Babe Ruth

In 1920 Babe Ruth had his first Babe Ruth season. It was first year as a Yankee, and made the Red Sox regret their decision right away. He finished with a 239 wRC+, and 54 homeruns. His 1.379 OPS in 1920 is the highest any player other than Barry Bonds has ever had. Mickey Mantle also had a great offensive season as a 25 year old. had a .512 OBP in 1957.

26-Frank Thomas

In 1994 a pair of 26 year olds were having historic seasons prior to the strike. Jeff Bagwell had 116 RBI and 39 homers in only 11o games. However I feel like Frank Thomas’s season was even better. He was hitting .353, while averaging nearly a walk a game. Add in his 38 homers in 113 games, and if allowed another 40+ games he might have finished with one of the 5 best years ever. Babe Ruth also was amazing as a 26 year old, setting the MLB record with 119 extra-base hits.

27-George Brett

Although Brett only 515 plate appearances in 1980, they might have been the best 515 plate appearances of the decade. He hit .390, while averaging over an RBI a game. He only struckout 22 times in his 515 plate appearances, an absurd ratio for the time period. Ted Williams was also incredible as a 27 year old. Williams had a .497 OBP in 1946. Also Chris Davis is currently only 12 homers away from tying Hank Greenburg’s record high of 58 as a 27 year old.

28-Rogers Hornsby

In 1924 Rogers Hornsby set the Major League record, by batting .424 for the season. However, that was far from all he did. He led the league with 121 runs, 43 doubles, and 89 walks. His .507 OBP and .696 SLG were tops that season as well. As always Babe Ruth was in contention as a 28 year old. He had a .545 OBP and slugged 41 dingers.

29-Mickey Mantle

1961 was a magical season for the Yankees. Roger Maris would establish a new Major League record with 61 homeruns. However the man behind him the lineup was even better. Mantle had 54 homers, and a league leading .687 slugging percentage. The tandem led the Yankees to a World Series championship over the Cincinnati Reds. Other players with notable 29 seasons were Babe Ruth, who hit 46 homers and had a .513 OBP, and Albert Pujols, who won his 2nd straight MVP in 2009 with 47 homers and a league leading 189 OPS.