Video: Tony Conigliaro’s First Major-League Home Run
Despite what was clearly an impressive — and perhaps best ever all-around — age-19 season from Bryce Harper, it remains the case that no qualified teenage player since the beginning of the 20th century has produced an offensive line better relative to league average than noted Italian-American Tony Conigliaro did in 1964, when he posted a 137 wRC+ for the Boston Red Sox as a 19-year-old.
This video, narrated (I believe) by former Boston broadcaster Ken Coleman, depicts Conigliaro using the sort of powerful power for which Italian-Americans have become famous to hit his first major-league home run, which came in his first-ever plate appearance at Fenway Park. Italy, the end.
Carson Cistulli says terrible things at The New Enthusiast.
Italy.
FYI, the correct NotGraphs pronunciation of that word is “IT-LEE”.
You only get one first MLB plate appearance. Might as well make it count.
I would not have been able to guess that Harper just set a teenage record for steals. Runs maybe (98), but I sure thought some teen like Cesar Cedeno could have toped his 18 steals.
Claudell Washington. That is all.
Claudell stole a lot of bases in his age 20-21 season. But was only 6 for 14 on steals in his age 19-20 season.