Who are the youngest All-Stars in MLB history? 

Across MLB, there’s no shortage of younger stars making an impact this season. Whether it’s Elly De La Cruz breaking physics on the basepaths, Paul Skenes dicing through lineups in a way that shouldn’t be possible for a rookie, or Jackson Merrill blasting dingers, players in their early 20s are quickly becoming some of the sport’s biggest names.

But even if these players, or any other players in the age 21-22 range, earn a spot to the Midsummer Classic, they won’t quite be the youngest to ever do so. The most recent player to earn his first All-Star selection at age 20 or younger was José Fernández, who did so in 2013. To give a more historical lens, we rank the youngest players at the time of their first All-Star selection since the creation of the contest in 1933. All ages listed are at the time of that year’s All-Star Game.

1. Dwight Gooden, 1984
Age: 19 years, 237 days
ASG stats: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 3 K

“Doc” Gooden had a legendary rookie season, one in which he led MLB in WHIP and strikeouts, setting a still-standing AL/NL rookie record in the latter. Gooden went on to win the NL Triple Crown and Cy Young Award with an even more dominant 1985 season, as part of a career that included two World Series titles and four All-Star appearances.

2. Bob Feller, 1938
Age: 19 years, 245 days
ASG stats: Did not play

Remarkably, 1938 was already Feller’s third MLB season, as he debuted at age 17 in 1936 with Cleveland. In 1938, he led MLB with 240 strikeouts, earning the first of eight All-Star berths. Feller’s career almost entirely came before the creation of the Cy Young Award in 1956, but he did win the AL Triple Crown in 1940, and he was a 1962 Hall of Fame inductee.

3. Bryce Harper, 2012
Age: 19 years, 268 days
ASG stats: 0-for-1, 1 BB, 1 K

Having been hailed as “The Chosen One” ever since he was in high school, it was going to be tough for Harper to live up to the hype, but he managed to do it by becoming the only MLB All-Star this century who hadn’t turned 20 years old yet. He unsurprisingly went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2012, and he already has eight All-Star appearances and two MVPs to his name as of the 2024 Midsummer Classic.

4. Catfish Hunter, 1966
Age: 20 years, 95 days
ASG stats: Did not play

Hunter snuck onto the 1966 AL All-Star team in his second MLB season with the A's. His career really took off in the 1970s, though, as he finished with eight All-Star berths, the 1974 AL Cy Young Award, and five World Series titles. He was a 1987 Hall of Fame inductee.

5. Butch Wynegar, 1976
Age: 20 years, 121 days
ASG stats: 0-for-0, 1 BB

Wynegar broke onto the scene with a solid rookie season, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Detroit pitcher Mark Fidrych. However, after reaching the All-Star Game both in 1976 and again as a 21-year-old the following year, the catcher never did so again in his career.

6. Jerry Walker, 1959
Age: 20 years, 172 days
ASG stats: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (earned win)

Walker made his MLB debut as an 18-year-old in 1957, but he still was rookie-eligible in 1959, when he finished the season with a 2.92 ERA for the Orioles. However, that would prove to be the only All-Star season of Walker’s eight-year career.

7. Al Kaline, 1955
Age: 20 years, 205 days
ASG stats: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K

“Mr. Tiger” didn’t waste much time establishing himself as an MLB star. In his third season in 1955, the 20-year-old led MLB in hits (200) and batting average (.340), finishing second in AL MVP voting in a close race behind Yogi Berra. Though Kaline never won an MVP award, he did finish his career with 18 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Glove awards, and a 1980 Hall of Fame induction.

8. Johnny Bench, 1968
Age: 20 years, 215 days
ASG stats: No plate appearances (played one inning defensively)

Bench debuted in 1967, but he was still rookie-eligible in 1968, when he hit .275 and won both NL Rookie of the Year and a Gold Glove award. This was the first of 10 consecutive seasons in which Bench both was an All-Star selection and a Gold Glove award winner, which is among the longest streaks in MLB history. Bench retired as a 14-time All-Star and two-time MVP, and he was a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee.

9. Ivan Rodriguez, 1992
Age: 20 years, 230 days
ASG stats: 0-for-2, 1 K

As a wildly convenient segue, Rodríguez also had a streak of 10 straight seasons as an All-Star selection and Gold Glove award winner, with that streak beginning in his second MLB season in 1992. “Pudge” finished his legendary 21-year career as a 14-time All-Star, 13-time Gold Glove recipient and seven-time Silver Slugger award winner, being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

10. Ken Griffey Jr., 1990
Age: 20 years, 231 days
ASG stats: 0-for-2, 1 BB

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but Griffey remarkably also had a streak of 10 straight seasons as an All-Star selection and Gold Glove award winner, with his streak beginning only two years before Iván Rodríguez’s did. “The Kid” wasn’t quite in peak form in 1990, hitting “only” 22 home runs, but by the end of his career, the 2016 Hall of Fame inductee had 630 home runs, which still stands as the seventh-most all-time.

11. Ed Kranepool, 1965
Age: 20 years, 247 days
ASG stats: Did not play

Kranepool, a first baseman, was an NL All-Star in his fourth MLB season at age 20, but it was unfortunately not a sign of things to come. In an 18-season MLB career, all with the Mets, that was his only All-Star year.

12. Mickey Mantle, 1952
Age: 20 years, 262 days
ASG stats: Did not play

Mantle showed flashes as a rookie in 1951, but the 1952 season was when he took the leap to stardom, putting up a .924 OPS and finishing third in AL MVP voting for a Yankees team that won the World Series. That set the tone for Mantle’s historic career, which he finished as a 20-time All-Star, seven-time World Series champion, three-time AL MVP, and a 1974 Hall of Fame inductee.

13. Fernando Valenzuela, 1981
Age: 20 years, 281 days
ASG stats: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R

When “Fernandomania” hit Los Angeles, it hit with a bang. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, the 20-year-old phenom led MLB in strikeouts (180) and shutouts (eight), earning NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honors in addition to a World Series title for the Dodgers. He never quite reached those heights again -- who could? -- but he still finished his career as a six-time All-Star and Dodgers icon.

14. Frank Robinson, 1956
Age: 20 years, 314 days
ASG stats: 0-for-2, 2 K

Robinson wasted no time establishing himself as a sensation in his debut season, hitting 38 home runs and taking home NL Rookie of the Year honors in addition to being an All-Star. Robinson’s stellar career was just getting started, as he went on to be a 14-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, along with being the only player ever to win both AL and NL MVP. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

15. Claudell Washington, 1975
Age: 20 years, 318 days
ASG stats: 1-for-1, 1 SB, 1 CS

Washington played sparingly for the 1974 World Series champion A’s team as a rookie, but he got a bigger role in 1975, hitting .308 and making the AL All-Star team. Washington earned one more All-Star berth nine years later with the Braves in 1984.

16-T. Mike Trout, 2012
Age: 20 years, 338 days
ASG stats: 1-for-1, 1 BB, 1 SB

Along with the aforementioned Harper, Trout was the other rookie to absolutely steal the show in 2012. Trout led MLB in runs (129) and steals (49), finishing second in AL MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera in his Triple Crown-winning season in a hotly debated race. Trout has done alright for himself in the time since, though, winning three AL MVP awards and being one of nine players to be voted as an All-Star starter 10 straight times.

16-T. Jason Heyward, 2010
Age: 20 years, 338 days
ASG stats: Did not play

A first-round pick by the Braves in 2007, Heyward lived up to the hype when he was called up to the bigs in 2010, putting up an .849 OPS and finishing second behind Buster Posey in a tight NL Rookie of the Year race. That’s been Heyward’s only career All-Star season up to this point, though he has won five Gold Glove awards.

18, Alex Rodriguez, 1996
Age: 20 years, 348 days
ASG stats: 0-for-1

After batting .225 across 65 games of spot duty from 1994-95, “A-Rod” showed the world the player he was capable of being in 1996. He hit 36 home runs with an MLB-best .358 batting average, coming in second place in a historically close AL MVP race behind Juan González. This kicked off a legendary career that included 10 Silver Slugger awards and 696 home runs, the fifth-most in MLB history.

19. José Fernández, 2013
Age: 20 years, 350 days
ASG stats: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 2 K

Fernández was an immediate star upon making his MLB debut in 2013, finishing the season with a 2.19 ERA, an MLB-best .182 batting average allowed, and an NL Rookie of the Year award. He struggled with injuries in 2014 and 2015, but he proceeded to make one more All-Star team in 2016, which was his final season before his tragic death in a boating accident in September of that year.

20. Vada Pinson, 1959
Age: 20 years, 357 days
ASG stats: No plate appearances (only appeared as a pinch runner)

After appearing in 27 games in 1958, Pinson broke out in 1959, leading MLB in runs (131) and doubles (47) while earning his first career All-Star nod. Pinson went on to finish his career as a four-time All-Star and 1961 NL Gold Glove award winner, along with being one of 23 players to have 250 home runs and 250 steals.