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Major League Baseball is a collection of players from all walks of life and all different paths. Some players are late bloomers, while others have played the game since they could pick up a baseball. For a few dozen players in MLB history, their first moment in the spotlight came well before they even reached high school.
A handful of notable MLB names from both the past and present got their start at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, the annual showcase that highlights the best youth teams in the world.
Playing in both the Little League World Series and in MLB requires a little bit of luck. The LLWS isn't necessarily a collection of the best players aged 10-12 in the world. Instead, it's a gathering of the best teams. Not every young star has the opportunity to play for a team talented enough to be one of the last standing in the world, but these players went above and beyond to get their teams into the spotlight.
The Sporting News ranks the top 13 MLB players who played in the Little League World Series.
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13. Jonathan Schoop (2003, 2004)
LLWS Result: Won LLWS championship with Curacao in 2004
LLWS performance: Jonathan Schoop and Curacao fell to Japan in the semifinals of the 2003 LLWS, but he was considered the best player on the team when it returned to Williamsport in 2004. After an unbeaten run in group play, Curacao narrowly defeated Taiwan in the quarterfinals before shutting out Mexico in the semifinals. Schoop and Curacao defeated a team from Thousand Oaks, Calif. 5-2 in the LLWS Final.
MLB accolades: 11 seasons; 2017 All-Star; .254 AVG; 174 home runs; .721 OPS; 19.0 bWAR
MLB career: Schoop broke through with the Orioles at the end of the 2013 season but didn't emerge as a plus hitter until 2015, when he hit .279 with 15 home runs in 86 games. An All-Star in 2017, Schoop recorded five 20-home run seasons and spent time with the Brewers, Twins and Tigers after a trade out of Baltimore in 2018.
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12. Jason Marquis (1991)
LLWS Result: Lost semifinals with New York, won third-place game
LLWS performance: The pride of Staten Island, Jason Marquis pitched in South Shore Little League's quarterfinal win over Ohio on his 13th birthday and threw a no-hitter in a 16-0 blowout of Canada in the third-place game two days later. Because he wasn't allowed to pitch on back-to-back days, Marquis didn't see the mound when Staten Island fell in a lopsided semifinal game against California.
MLB accolades: 15 seasons; 2006 World Series champion; 2009 All-Star; 318 starts; 124 wins; 4.61 ERA; 1,174 strikeouts
MLB career: Marquis was largely an innings eater for 15 seasons, posting a sub-4 ERA only twice in his career but helping push the Cardinals to the World Series in 2004 and earning his only All-Star selection with a 4.04 ERA over 33 starts in his only season with the Rockies. Marquis was a World Series champion with the Cardinals in 2006, though the campaign was his worst statistical full season and he did not pitch in the postseason.
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11. Jurickson Profar (2004, 2005)
LLWS Result: Won LLWS championship with Curacao in 2004
LLWS performance: The stars aligned for Curacao in 2004 when both Jurickson Profar and Jonathan Schoop crossed paths and led the team to a championship with wins over Taiwan, Mexico and California in the bracketed portion of the tournament. Profar hit a 2-run home run in Curacao's title game win over California. Profar was on the team again in 2005, but Curacao narrowly lost to Hawaii in the LLWS Final.
MLB accolades: 12 seasons; 2024 All-Star; .244 AVG; 116 home runs; .726 OPS; 949 hits (still active)
MLB career: Profar never quite lived up to the hype that came with him when he was the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, but he's carved out a fine career for himself that includes three 20-home run seasons and an All-Star appearance with the Padres in 2024. Profar signed with the Braves ahead of the 2025 season but was hit with an 80-game PED suspension shortly after Opening Day.
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10. Randal Grichuk (2003, 2004)
LLWS Result: Lost quarterfinals with Texas in 2003, lost semifinals in 2004
LLWS performance: Randal Grichuk made Little League World Series appearances with a team from Richmond, Texas, in both 2003 and 2004. Texas lost to Massachusetts in the quarterfinals of the 2003 LLWS, but Grichuk's team reached the semifinals and won the third-place game over Mexico the following year.
MLB accolades: 12 seasons; .251 AVG; 211 home runs; .766 OPS; 1,111 hits (still active)
MLB career: Grichuk was traded to the Cardinals for David Freese as a prospect in 2013 and broke through in St. Louis, starting a streak of four consecutive 20-home run seasons including 31 with the Blue Jays in 2019. Grichuk has spent time with six teams but hit the bulk of his home runs with St. Louis and Toronto.
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9. Charlie Hayes (1977)
LLWS Result: Lost quarterfinals with Mississippi
LLWS performance: Charlie Hayes and his team from Hattiesburg, Miss., reached Williamsport but fell to California in the Little League Series quarterfinals in 1977. The tournament was won by Taiwan.
MLB accolades: 14 seasons; 1996 World Series champion; .262 AVG; 144 home runs; 1,379 hits; .714 OPS; 10.5 bWAR
MLB career: Hayes debuted with the Giants in 1988, but he first caught on with the Phillies as their third baseman in 1990. Hayes enjoyed a career-year in the thin air of Colorado with the expansion Rockies in 1993, batting .305 with 25 home runs, and he returned to the Phillies, Yankees and Giants for second stints later in his career. Hayes won the 1996 World Series with the Yankees and is the father of current MLB third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes.
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8. Michael Conforto (2004)
LLWS Result: Lost in group play with Washington
LLWS performance: Michael Conforto and his team from Redmond, Wash., failed to advance past the group play stage of the 2004 Little League World Series, but he was one of seven future MLB players in the tournament alongside Jurickson Profar, Jonathan Schoop and Randal Grichuk. Conforto is one of three players to play in the Little League World Series, College World Series and MLB's World Series. Jason Varitek and Ed Vosberg are the others.
MLB accolades: 10 seasons; 2017 All-Star; 2015 NL champion; .246 AVG; 176 home runs; .789 OPS; 910 hits
MLB career: A first-round pick out of Oregon State in 2014, Conforto's call-up in 2015 helped lead a second-half surge for a Mets team that reached the World Series. Conforto was an All-Star in 2017 before his season was cut short by a freak shoulder injury, and he hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2019. More recently, Conforto has spent time with the Giants and Dodgers but struggled to play near the level he did early in his career.
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7. Jason Bay (1990)
LLWS Result: Lost semifinals with Canada
LLWS performance: Jason Bay helped lead Trail Little League from British Columbia, Canada, to the Little League World Series in 1990. Canada defeated Mexico in the quarterfinals before suffering a 20-1 loss to powerhouse Taiwan in the semifinals.
MLB accolades: 11 seasons; 3-time All-Star; 2004 NL Rookie of the Year; .266 AVG; 222 home runs; .841 OPS; 24.8 bWAR
MLB career: A 22nd-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2000, Bay was traded once as a prospect and again right after reaching the majors before breaking out and winning NL Rookie of the Year honors with the Pirates in 2004. Bay posted four 100-RBI seasons, hitting more than 30 home runs twice in Pittsburgh and twice more in Boston after a midseason trade. Bay finished seventh in AL MVP voting with the Red Sox in 2009, but his career unraveled after signing with the Mets following the season. Bay hit just .229 with a .688 OPS over the final four seasons of his career.
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6. Lance Lynn (1999)
LLWS Result: Lost in group play with Indiana
LLWS performance: Lance Lynn helped lead his team from Brownsburg, Ind., to the Little League World Series in 1999, but Indiana lost all three games in group play. Lynn gave up a walk-off grand slam in the first game, against a team that included future Cardinals teammate Colby Rasmus. Lynn later told The Indianapolis Star that the moment fueled him. "It's something that still sticks with me today, giving up a walk-off grand slam," he said. "But it also is something that helped me through my career."
MLB accolades: 13 seasons; 2011 World Series champion; 2-time All-Star; 340 starts; 143 wins; 3.74 ERA; 2,015 strikeouts; 30.8 bWAR
MLB career: Lynn pitched in relief as a rookie during the Cardinals' World Series run in 2011, but he became an All-Star starter in his first full season and posted a sub-3 ERA for St. Louis in 2014. Lynn successfully bounced back from Tommy John Surgery in 2017 and, after a rough stint between the Twins and Yankees, put together one of the best stretches of his career between 2019-21 with the Rangers and White Sox. Lynn earned his second and final All-Star selection with Chicago in 2021, posting a 2.69 ERA and finishing third in AL Cy Young voting.
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5. Todd Frazier (1998)
LLWS Result: Won Little League World Series with New Jersey
LLWS performance: Frazier is one of the more famous Little League World Series stars in the event's history, as he helped lead a team from Toms River, N.J., to a championship in 1998. After group play, New Jersey defeated North Carolina and Japan to capture the close-to-home title. Frazier shined in the title game, going 4-for-4 and picking up the win as a pitcher.
MLB accolades: 11 seasons; 2-time All-Star; .241 AVG; 218 home runs; 1,059 hits; .763 OPS; Home Run Derby winner (2015)
MLB career: Frazier was a two-time All-Star with the Reds, hitting 35 home runs in 2015 and following it up with a career-high 40 home runs with the White Sox in 2016. Frazier is one of three players to win the Home Run Derby in his home stadium, doing so in Cincinnati in 2015, and he recorded four seasons of at least 25 home runs in a career that also included stops with the Yankees, Mets, Rangers and Pirates.
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4. Cody Bellinger (2007)
LLWS Result: Lost in quarterfinals with Arizona
LLWS performance: Cody Bellinger, the son of former MLB utility man Clay Bellinger, helped lead a team from Chandler, Ariz. through the group stage and into the quarterfinals of the 2007 Little League World Series before losing to the eventual champions from Georgia. Bellinger's run included a game in which he went 3-for-3 with a home run, and he later called the LLWS the "most fun I had playing baseball."
MLB accolades: 9 seasons; 2020 World Series champion; 2019 NL MVP; 2017 NL Rookie of the Year; 2-time All-Star; .260 AVG; 216 home runs; 1,055 hits; .818 OPS (still active)
MLB career: Bellinger burst onto the scene with the Dodgers in 2017, setting a then-record for home runs by an NL rookie with 39, and he would win NL MVP honors in 2019 after hitting 47 home runs with a 1.035 OPS. A World Series champion with the Dodgers during the shortened 2020 season, Bellinger struggled to hit for contact in his final two seasons in L.A. but he has experienced a career resurgence with the Cubs and Yankees even if he hasn't matched his 2019 production.
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3. Jason Varitek (1984)
LLWS Result: Lost LLWS Final with Florida
LLWS performance: Before Jason Varitek became a champion in Boston, he helped lead a team from Altamonte, Fla., to the Little League World Series Final. Florida defeated California and Indiana before falling to South Korea in the title game. Varitek is one of three players to play in the Little League World Series, College World Series and MLB's World Series. Michael Conforto and Ed Vosberg are the others.
MLB accolades: 15 seasons; 2-time World Series champion; 3-time All-Star; .256 AVG; 193 home runs; 1,307 hits; .776 OPS; 24.2 bWAR
MLB career: Varitek spent his entire 15-year MLB career with the Red Sox, emerging as a full-time catcher in 1999 with 20 home runs and remaining Boston's primary catcher for more than a decade. While known well for his brawl with Alex Rodriguez, Varitek went down in Red Sox history as a player who helped break the curse and win the World Series in 2004 (and 2007).
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2. Boog Powell (1954)
LLWS Result: Lost quarterfinals with Florida
LLWS performance: Boog Powell was one of the earliest players to complete the path from Little League World Series to MLB star, but his stay in Williamsport was brief. His team from Lakeland, Fla., was shut out 16-0 by New York in the quarterfinals, quickly putting an end to the future MVP's championship hopes.
MLB accolades: 17 seasons; 2-time World Series champion; 1970 AL MVP; 4-time All-Star; .266 AVG; 339 home runs; 1,776 hits; .822 OPS
MLB career: Powell debuted in the majors only seven years after playing in the Little League World Series, and he steadily improved until he posted a stellar 1.005 OPS with the Orioles in 1964. Powell led Baltimore to World Series wins in 1966 and 1970, also earning AL MVP honors in 1970, and he finished his career with 339 home runs.
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1. Gary Sheffield (1980)
LLWS Result: Lost LLWS Final with Florida
LLWS performance: Gary Sheffield and future MLB outfielder Derek Bell were two of the stars on a team from Tampa, Fla., that came within a run of winning the Little League World Series in 1980. Florida put up a fight against a Taiwan team that won its first two elimination games by a combined score of 29-0, falling 4-3.
MLB accolades: 22 seasons; 1997 World Series champion; 9-time All-Star; .292 AVG; 509 home runs; 2,689 hits; .907 OPS; 1992 NL batting title; 60.5 WAR
MLB career: Sheffield fell short of the Hall of Fame due to defensive concerns and steroid speculation, but he was one of baseball's best power hitters for much of his career. Sheffield hit 509 home runs, hitting at least 30 home runs in eight seasons and batting .300 in nine different seasons. A World Series champion with the Marlins in 1997, Sheffield spent time with eight different teams but produced at just about every stop.
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