50 years ago, another Crew kid debuted -- and he ended up a Hall of Famer

MILWAUKEE -- Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Robin Yount’s Major League debut. “The Kid” was 18 years old with all of 64 Minor League games on his resume.

Was he ready?

“Ready for the big leagues?” Yount said in a recent telephone conversation. “Hell no.”

Then he thought about the question a moment longer.

“Let me put it this way: I was ready to play for the Milwaukee Brewers at that time because there were no expectations at that stage of Brewers history to have any success or to win,” Yount said. “In those days, you could throw an 18-year-old kid out there and see what happens.”

The Brewers are in a different place today, coming off five postseason appearances in the past six years. They went into this year, however, with as much youth as they’ve had in years, led by 20-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio, who last week became the fifth-youngest position player in MLB’s divisional era (since 1969) to start an Opening Day game. Two of the other spots on that list belong to Yount, who started Opening Days in both 1974 and ‘75 before turning 20.

Yount, now 68, can’t believe that list is so short.

“I think you should check your math,” he said.

It’s true. The only other position players since 1969 to start on Opening Day who were younger than Chourio were Ken Griffey Jr. in 1989 and Adrián Beltré in 1999.

In the long run, was that early start the right thing for Yount’s development?

“Yes, absolutely,” said Yount. “I was getting Major League training three or four years before I actually should have been there. That was a huge benefit for me. Because regardless of whether you’re ready to play in the Major Leagues, there is something to say about experiencing the lifestyle, learning the travel and the cities and the press and having to play at that level every single day. There’s a learning curve even if your skills are there, so I was getting that part of it as I was learning to play up to that level.

“It was a huge benefit. It fast-forwarded my career.”

It happened fast. Just like Chourio, Yount didn’t get word he’d made the team until the waning days of Spring Training in 1974, less than a year after the Brewers picked him third overall in the ‘73 Draft. In Yount’s case, the news came from manager Del Crandall, who signaled for Yount to sit next to him on the team bus on the way to a road game.

Crandall instructed Yount to continue playing solid defense and don’t worry about hitting. Which surprised the kid, since he always considered himself a hitter first.

That wasn’t the only surprise.

“Every day surprised me,” Yount said. “I was surprised I was still there [in camp].”

What followed was a whirlwind. Yount and some other players lived in Milwaukee-area hotels early in the season, including at a Holiday Inn on Highway 100. Eventually he found an apartment with 20-year-old left-hander Kevin Kobel. Yount’s mentor in those early days was another pitcher, Ed Sprague, a fellow hunter and fisherman who was 10 years to the day older than Yount. They even married women with the same first name: Michelle.

Fifty years later, the memories of his debut against the Red Sox at County Stadium are a little foggy. Yount didn’t remember that he walked in his first Major League plate appearance, or that the pitcher he faced was three-time All-Star Luis Tiant. Yount didn’t remember that another three-time All-Star (Felipe Alou) replaced Yount as a pinch-hitter his third time up.

Yount did remember that his first big league hit came off the Orioles’ Dave McNally, but he’d forgotten that it took until his fifth game.

“I told you I wasn’t ready to play in the big leagues!” Yount said.

Chourio is off to a more productive start. In Brewers history, Chourio’s seven hits through five career games is second only to Paul Molitor (nine hits in 1978). In Wednesday’s loss to the Twins, Choruio became the youngest Brewers hitter to homer since Gary Sheffield in 1988.

Chourio said he’s felt confident from Day 1. That wouldn’t surprise Yount, who follows the Brewers from Arizona.

“You would think they might move guys along faster,” Yount said. “The intimidation factor with this generation doesn’t seem to come into play as much. I don’t know what that’s about. And I don’t just mean in baseball -- I think you see that across the board. Kids seem pretty confident in their ability across the board these days.”