The most hyped MLB debuts of all time

Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, Acuna hit .325-21-82 with 44 steals between three minor league levels in 2017 at age 19 and also hit .325-7-16 in only 23 games in the Arizona Fall League. He was one of the best players in spring training this year, hitting .432-4-11 with four steals in 16 games, but was still optioned to the minors as the Braves try to delay his service time. Braves fans are counting down the days until his arrival.

Falling to the Cubs at No. 2 in the 2013 draft out of the University of San Diego, Bryant tore up the minors but had his arrival delayed in 2015 as the team was mindful of his service time. Ranked as the No. 1 prospect by Baseball America in 2015, Bryant proved worth the wait, winning NL Rookie of the Year and then NL MVP the following season.

Considered the most talented Japanese pitcher to ever come to the U.S., Darvish signed with Texas in 2012 for $56 million after the Nippon-Ham Fighters also got a posting fee of more than $51 million from the Rangers. The 25-year-old proceeded to finish third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Mike Trout and Yoenis Cespedes, going 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 29 starts. After getting traded to the Dodgers last season, Darvish signed with the Cubs this offseason.

The Indians signed Feller in 1936, and he appeared in Cleveland soon after at age 17. His ability at such a young age was legendary, and he backed it up by leading the league in wins, complete games, innings and strikeouts by his fourth season at age 20. Feller went on to become one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history with eight All-Star appearances, 266 wins and 3.25 ERA in 18 seasons with the Indians.

Gooden was selected fifth overall in the 1982 MLB Draft out of high school in Tampa Bay and made the jump from Single-A to the majors at the beginning of the 1984 season at age 19. He proceeded to win Rookie of the Year, placed second in the Cy Young voting in his first season and won the Cy Young Award the following year, leading the league in strikeouts in both of his first two seasons. Gooden managed a long 16-year career, but early-career overuse and off-field issues limited him.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1987 draft, Griffey Jr. backed up the hype in his first two professional seasons before breaking camp with the Mariners in 1989 as a 19-year-old. He hit .264-16-61 with 16 steals in his rookie season, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting, and became an All-Star and Gold Glove winner the following year. He also got the opportunity to play with his father during that season. Griffey Jr. retired as one of the best players of his era, with 630 career home runs, 10 Gold Gloves and an MVP Award before being enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Harper made the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 16 as the next great MLB player. He went first overall in the MLB draft one year later and certainly backed up the hype with his arrival to the majors in 2012 at age 19. Harper hit .270-22-59, winning NL Rookie of the Year, and won NL MVP just three years later. He's set to become a free agent following the 2018 season, and it's anticipated that he will receive a record-breaking contract.

Hernandez defected from Cuba at age 20 in 1995 and found himself in the majors just one year later with the Marlins. His arrival was much anticipated given the large Cuban population in Miami, and he became a key part of the Marlins' 1997 World Series team, winning series MVP. Hernandez's half-brother, Orlando, defected two years later to join him in the majors. Hernandez played 17 years in the majors, making two All-Star appearances.

Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball in 2010 by Baseball America in a class that included Giancarlo Stanton and Freddie Freeman, Heyward broke camp with the Braves in 2010 after tearing up the minors the previous two seasons. Gifted offensively and defensively, Heyward made the NL All-Star team and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting at age 20. He's won five Golden Gloves over the last six seasons but has also been a bust two years into his eight-year, $184 contract that he signed with the Cubs in 2016.

Irabu was a star pitcher in Japan and sold to the Padres in 1997. He refused to play in San Diego and was eventually traded to the Yankees and signed for $12.8 million over four years. Despite the hoopla, Irabu struggled in his major league arrival after time in the minors and never matched expectations, peaking in 1998 by going 13-9 with a 4.06 ERA in 173 innings. Former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner criticized his weight, and Irabu was eventually traded to Montreal after the 1999 season. He went back to Japan following the 2002 season after posting a 5.15 ERA over 514 major league innings.

Arguably the greatest athlete of his generation, Jackson opted to play baseball after refusing to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he was drafted first overall in the 1986 NFL Draft. The Royals got a steal when they took Jackson in the fourth round of the MLB Draft that same year, and he surprised many by playing baseball. The former Auburn football and baseball star appeared in the majors during his first pro season and eventually became a legendary two-sport running back and outfielder before a severe hip injury halted his NFL career and severely limited his baseball ability. Jackson hit 20-plus home runs four times with the Royals, making one All-Star appearance.

Considered a top prospect, Mantle made the Yankees out of spring training in 1951 and was given the No. 6 jersey, signifying that he'd be one of the team's next stars. He had an up-and-down rookie campaign but manged to hit .267-13-65 in 96 games at age 19 before a breakout sophomore season in which he had a league-best .924 OPS and finished third in the MVP voting. Mantle would go on to become one of the best players in MLB history, winning seven World Series, three MVP Awards and hitting 536 career home runs.

A star power hitter in Japan, Matsui opted to come to the U.S. after hitting 50 home runs for the Yomiuri Giants in 2002 at age 28. He signed with the Yankees and made the All-Star team in his rookie campaign, finishing his first year hitting .287-16-106. He would have his best offensive season the following year, hitting .298-31-108 with a .912 OPS. Known as "Godzilla," one of the highlights of Matsui's career was winning the 2009 World Series MVP.

Dice-K and his vaunted "gyroball" came to Boston in 2007 on a six-year, $52 million contract after he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in four straight seasons for the Seibu Lions in Japan. Matsuzaka won 15 games with a 4.40 ERA in 32 starts in his rookie season and improved to 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA during his second season in Boston. The rest of his career was plagued by injuries, including four more seasons in Boston and two years with the Mets.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the O's out of LSU in 1989, McDonald joined the majors shortly after he was selected. He split time between the minors and majors in 1990, but the Golden Spikes Award winner gave Baltimore fans reason to be enthused when he posted a 2.43 ERA in 118.2 innings in the majors. He won at least 12 games four times in his career, but his last major league season came in 1997 with Milwaukee due to shoulder problems.

Considered to be the Japanese version of Babe Ruth as a top hitter and pitcher in Japan, Ohtani was the star of the 2018 offseason. He ended up signing with the Angels and is expected to pitch in the starting rotation and spend some time as a DH during his off days. He's set quite a bar for himself with his success in Japan, peaking in 2016 by hitting .322-22-67 in 382 plate appearances and going 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA in 140 innings.

Prior was considered one of the surest things for stardom ever after his amazing junior season at USC in 2001, in which he went 15-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 202/18 K/BB in 138.2 innings. He was subsequently drafted second overall by the Cubs that same year. Prior arrived in the majors in 2002 to post a 3.32 ERA in 19 starts, and the following year he finished third in the NL Cy Young voting after going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA and 245 strikeouts in 211.1 innings. Unfortunately, Prior would only pitch in the majors for three more seasons and never reach 200 innings again as shoulder issues ended his career early.

Arguably the most important athlete in American history, Robinson broke the color barrier with his MLB arrival in 1947 as a Brooklyn Dodger. He won Rookie of the Year after hitting .297-12-48 with a league-leading 29 steals and won MVP two years later. Robinson spent 10 seasons in the majors, finishing his career as a six-time All-Star and a Hall of Famer.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 draft out of high school in Miami, A-Rod showed once-in-a-generation talent as an amateur and didn't waste any time raking against professional pitching. He made his debut in July of the 1994 season at age 18 and also shared time between Triple-A and the majors the following year. It wasn't until 1996 that Rodriguez stayed in the majors for good, winning the batting title after hitting .358 and finishing second in the AL MVP vote with a 1.045 OPS.  Rodriguez would go on to become the best player in the game, winning three MVP Awards and finishing with 3,115 hits and 696 home runs over his 22-year career. Unfortunately, Rodriguez might be locked out of the Hall of Fame due to his connection to PEDs.

MLB prospect aficionados took notice of Strasburg and his 100 mph fastball at San Diego State, pitching for coach Tony Gwynn. He was a dominant starter in his sophomore and junior seasons and a shoo-in to go first overall to the Nationals in the 2009 draft. He arrived at the majors in June 2010 and was as advertised, posting a 2.91 ERA in 12 starts during his rookie season. Sports Illustrated called Strasburg's debut "the most hyped pitching debut the game has ever seen." Since then, Strasburg has struggled with arm injuries but is 84-45 with a 3.07 ERA in 184 career starts with the Nationals.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 draft out of high school, Strawberry showed prodigious power as an amateur and into his pro career when he hit 34 home runs at Double-A in 1982. He was called up in early May of the following season and won the NL Rookie of the Year after hitting 26 home runs. He would make the next eight All-Star teams, but injuries and personal issues limited him by the time he turned 30.

Compared to Johnny Damon after hitting .353 in nine seasons for the Orix Blue Wave, Suzuki was posted following the 2000 season. The Mariners won his rights with a $13 million bid and signed Ichiro to a three-year, $14 million contract. He proceeded to become the first Japanese star position player, winning the AL Rookie of the Year, MVP and a batting title en route to a historic 116-win regular season for the Mariners. Ichiro would make 10 straight All-Star appearances with the M's, winning a Gold Glove in each season, and lead the AL in hits seven times. Even after arriving in the majors at age 27, Ichiro has reached 3,000 hits and continues to act as a reserve in his 40s.

Tanaka was posted by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2014 after posting a sub-2.00 ERA as a starting pitcher in three consecutive seasons. The Yankees won his rights and signed Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million contract. He backed up the hype by going 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA in 20 starts during his rookie season, and he's now 52-28 with a 3.56 ERA in 105 starts over his first four MLB seasons.

The 25th pick in the 2009 draft out of high school in New Jersey, Trout's high batting average and athleticism quickly started to draw comparisons to Mickey Mantle. He made his MLB debut two years later and became an instant star during his official rookie season in 2012. Trout won AL Rookie of the Year and was second in the MVP voting after hitting .326-30-83 with 49 steals in 2012. He's become baseball's best player, winning two MVP Awards and finishing top four in the MVP voting in six straight seasons.

L.A. had "Fernandomania" with Valenzuela's arrival to the majors as a reliever in 1980 at age 19 after he dominated at Double-A with his signature windup and screwball. He was the Dodgers' Opening Day starter the following season, his official rookie campaign. Valenzuela won both the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year, going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA in 192.1 innings. He would throw at least 251 innings in each of the next six seasons and make six straight All-Star appearances.