Several years ago, I was at the winter meetings interviewing Davey Johnson, then manager of the Washington Nationals. Bryce Harper had just finished his first season in the minors, hitting .318 at Class A and .256 in 37 games at Double-A. He had turned 19 that offseason.
Asked about Harper, Johnson said, "This kid is ready for the majors." He went on to explain how back in 1984 as manager of the Mets, he had lobbied for teenager Dwight Gooden to make the club, jumping from Class A.