‘Wednesday’s Word Association’ – When I Hear The Term “Phenom”, I Think Of…
From dictionary.com:
Word Association, Noun.
Definition – the connection and production of other words in response to a given word, done spontaneously as a game, creative technique, or in a psychiatric evaluation.
Ex: Dog –> Bark
‘Wednesday’s Word Association’ – When I Hear The Term “Phenom”, I Think Of…
The last post about the Giancarlo Stanton & Jose Fernandez card got me thinking about the great young stars in the league. And these guys have been called every name/term in the book.
One word that always sticks is ‘Phenom’.
So, tonight’s ‘Word Association Wednesday’ is When I Hear The Term “Phenom”, I Think Of…
And my answer is not the most obvious, but he certainly deserves the attention that the work ‘Phenom’ receives. I go with Stephen Strasburgh.
From a young age, Stras has been compared to all of the right-handed greats. Leading up to his drafting as the #1 MLB pick, he had all eyes on him. And as he dominated the college ranks, the number of fans grew immensely. And now, as one of the bright, young stars of the game, Stephen Strasburg is poised to elevate his game to the next level – to put himself on par with the best in the game. He is ready to transform into that ‘Phenom’.
So, When You Hear The Term “Release Date”, What Is The First Thing That You Think Of??
30-Year Old Cardboard 
Gotta agree with you, Stras. Was Mark Pryor thought of as a phenom?
Hackenbush- Prior may have carried that tag when he hit the league, but I don’t recall any hype about him prior to landing in the majors.
Every time I hear the word phenom in baseball, I think of the first player to whom I recall it being applied — Joltin’ Joe Charbonneau. Just like my Pavlovian response to “flash in the pan” is immediately “Clint Hurdle” for no good reason other than that being the first player I heard being called that.
TL- Very interesting choice!
First name that came to me was Brien Taylor. He was a HS phenom that was drafted by the Yankees and held out until he got a big signing bonus. And lucky he did because he never made it to the Majors
WrigleyRegular- Excellent choice! I recall that name very vividly.
The 210 lb. rookie version of Mark McGwire. Not the 250 lb. lumbering behemoth version, although I like that one too.
ID8JLB8666- He took the sport by storm in ’87 when he started crushing home runs left and right. Did he have a strong presence prior to that? When I thnk about that rookie class that came in with a story behind them already, I lean towards Gooden. I know Mac played in the Olymppics for Team USA, but I don’t recall there being a lot said about him until he took off in ’87. Am I wrong?
Going to go with Bryce Harper. You don’t have too many 15-16 year olds on the cover of S.I. with stories of him hitting home runs off the back wall of the Trop!
Matt- Excellent choice! He was #2 on my list. And amazingly, the reason you listed is just one of many pre-MLB stories about Harper that made him noteworthy well before he took his first big league swing.
i recall all the failures the Cubs have put that label on… Lance Dickson among the top of the list… I sure hope player development is better for the team overall than it used to be..
JT- We’ve all had our share of disappointments. But yes, the Cubs seem to stand out a bit more for some reason…