September has traditionally been a time for MLB teams to expand rosters and call some prospects up once the minor league seasons have concluded to give them a taste of big league action. Expanded rosters have been around since 1910, when formal roster limits were imposed, but the rules allowed teams to increase their rosters in September. For several decades, that means teams could have up to 40 players on a roster. But some argued that expanded rosters caused teams to change strategies during the most important part of the schedule. In 2020 MLB reduced expanded rosters in September to just 28.
Still, the month provides an opportunity for prospects to make an impact on pennant races. Rookie Shane Spencer famously smacked eight home runs in September, hitting .421 for a Yankees team that would win a title in 1998. Here are some of the best performances by September callups who made their MLB debut that month.
Top prospects that lived up to the hype
Fred Lynn, Red Sox (1974)
Lynn was a college star at USC before the Red Sox drafted him in 1973. The next September, he was in the big leagues. He pinch-hit in his first few games before manager Darrell Johnson gave him his first start on September 15. Lynn homered in his first at-bat, then doubled. Johnson lifted Lynn late in his first two starts against tough southpaws, but let the young left-handed hitter play the entire game in his third start. Lynn went 4-for-5 and fell a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
“The way the fans love the kid, they’d have lynched me if I took him out,” remarked Johnson.
Lynn hit .419/.490/.698 in 15 games with the Red Sox, giving fans a preview of the performance he would put on next season when he won Rookie of the Year and AL MVP.
JD Drew, Cardinals (1998)
J.D. Drew was the second overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Phillies. But when they wouldn’t meet his bonus demands, he went back into the draft and was selected in the first round by the Cardinals the next year. By that September he was already in the big leagues making an immediate splash. While all eyes in St. Louis were on Mark McGwire as he chased the single-season home run record, J.D. Drew was making a mark by hitting for contact and power, using his speed, and flashing an impressive arm.
Drew had a multi-home run game in just his seventh game in the big leagues, then did it again less than a week later. In just 14 games, he hit .417/.463/.972 with five home runs.
“The main thing I’m impressed with is his composure,“ said McGwire. “It doesn’t look like anything bothers him.”
Josh Beckett, Marlins (2001)
Josh Beckett was considered by many to be the top pitching prospect in baseball before the 2001 season. He began the year in A-ball and dominated, then continued to excel at the Double-A level. The Marlins called up him when rosters expanded, and he made his debut at home against the Cubs. Beckett allowed just one hit in six innings of shutout ball, striking out five, including Sammy Sosa.
“He pitched great tonight,” said Cubs outfielder Rondell White. “Give him credit. I think he’ll be around for a while.”
Beckett would go five innings in each of his first four starts, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 24 in 24 innings, finishing with an ERA of 1.50. White’s prediction proved to be correct – Beckett would go on to help lead the Marlins to a title two years later before becoming an All-Star in Boston and winning three more rings.
Craig Wilson, White Sox (1998)
Sometimes hitters just go on an unexplainable tear. That happened to Craig Wilson when he was called up in 1998. Not to be confused with the Cardinals infielder of the early 90s or the Pirates outfielder of the 2000s, this Craig Wilson was a career minor league infielder 28-year-old who had a nice Triple-A season, but had never had true prospect status. He had a memorable MLB debut with a home and two doubles, and he never seemed to cool off. He collected hits in 12 of the 13 games he started, eight of them being multi-hit games. He showed surprising power, homering twice in a 17-16 win in Detroit
Overall he hit .468 (22-for-47) with three home runs, the highest single-season batting average in AL/NL history for anyone with at least 50 plate appearances. It proved to be fluky as he hit just .238 in 98 games the next year, but for one magical month, he was better than Ted Williams.
Mark Quinn, Royals (1999)
The Royals seemed to be building an impressive offense on the verge of the new millennium, with a lineup that featured Mike Sweeney, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, and Carlos Beltran. It looks like Mark Quinn might join that fearsome group after he hit .360 in Triple-A, then became just the third player in MLB history to homer twice in his MLB debut.
“In a very short period,” said manager Tony Muser, “he’s been George Herman Ruth.”
Quinn would smack six home runs in just 17 games for the Royals, hitting .333/.385/.733 along the way. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting the next year, but his poor defense, lousy plate discipline, overconfidence, and a bizarre injury sustained from practicing kung-fu moves with his brother made his career as short as a Bruce Lee movie.
Daric Barton, Athletics (2007)
Barton was tearing up the Pacific League playoffs when the Athletics called him up in early September to audition at first base. It was a bit of a curious move as the Triple-A Sacramento club was playing for a title, and the A’s were having a losing season. Sure, a minor league affiliate serves the big league club, but the A’s already had Nick Swisher and Dan Johnson at first.
Still, Barton made the most of his opportunity. Four of his first five games were multi-hit games, including a three-hit performance against the Rangers that included his first big league homer. He would hit .347/.429/.639 in 18 games and earned the starting first base job the next season.
Marty Bystrom, Phillies (1980)
The 1980 Phillies began September tied for first in a three-way race with the Pirates and Expos. Bystrom was a 22-year-old right-hander who had a solid 3.66 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A, but down the stretch, he bested even future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.
In his first career start, Bystrom tossed a complete-game shutout against the Mets. He didn’t give up a run over the first 20 innings of his MLB career. He won all five of his starts and ended the month with a 1.50 ERA, earning National League Pitcher of the Month honors.
“I don’t guess it’s dawned on me what’s happening,” said the young rookie. “I’m just throwing real good pitches and staying ahead of the hitters. It may not look like it’s tougher than in the minors, but, believe me, it is much tougher.”
In August, Bystrom had been pitching in Oklahoma City. In October, he was starting Game 5 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. Bystrom would spend six years in the big leagues, but he never pitched as well as he did that first month.
David Nied, Braves (1992)
By 1992, the Braves had already become a pitching factory with John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Steve Avery in the rotation. David Nied came up in September and filled in when Glavine went down without missing a beat. He gave up just one run in seven innings to earn a win over the Mets in his debut, then picked up another win in three innings of relief in his next outing. He ended up pitching in six games, allowing just three runs in 23 innings for 1.17 ERA.
“I’m excited I’m getting these chances. I thought before that I may get just mop-up roles, but I’m starting to feel like I’m contributing.”
Baseball America ranked him as the #23 prospect in baseball, but the Braves didn’t have room to protect him from the expansion draft, opting to keep outfielder Deion Sanders instead. The Rockies made him the #1 pick, and he struggled to develop in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains.
Corey Seager, Dodgers (2015)
Seager was a former first-round pick and top-ten prospect in 2015. He put up solid, but not spectacular numbers at Triple-A, and at just 21, there were few expectations he would immediately hit at the big league level. But he enjoyed multi-hit games in each of his first two games, then went 4-for-4, falling a triple shy of the cycle, hitting his first MLB home run.
Seager was filling in for injured Jimmy Rollins, but when Rollins was healthy, it made for a bit of an awkward situation where the rookie was clearly outshining the veteran. Rollins, to his credit, was gracious when manager Don Mattingly went with Seager as his starter. The rookie ended up hitting .337/.425/.561 with four home runs in 27 games, and started the NLDS that fall.
Evan Carter, Rangers (2023)
Carter had just turned 21 years old when he was called up to make his MLB debut as the Rangers were in the heat of a pennant race. He homered four times in one week, as the Rangers won 8 of their final 12 games.
“He’s not in awe of anything. He’s got that no-fear attitude. He just has that freedom that makes him such a good player,” marveled manager Bruce Bochy.
Carter hit .306/.413/.645 with five home runs in 23 September games, then continued to rake in the post-season, batting .300/.417/.500 as the Rangers won their first championship.
Honorable mention: Steve Busby, Royals (1972); Tom Browning, Reds (1984); Kevin Seitzer, Royals (1986); Jack McDowell, White Sox (1987); Edgar Martinez, Mariners (1987); Eric Gagne, Dodgers (1999); Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals (2005); Hunter Brown, Astros (2022)
