Before These Baseball Players Were All-Stars, They Had To Get Through High School

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Chipper Jones—Now

At 40 years old, Chipper Jones is on the upper end of the age curve for a baseball player. Jones announced that he will retire after the 2012 season after spending his entire Major League Baseball career with the Atlanta Braves. The former Floridian currently boasts a career batting average of .304 and was named to the National League All-Star team for the eighth time. Guess he's going out with a bang.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Al Bello/Getty Images

Curtis Granderson—Now

Curtis Granderson is considered one of the good guys in baseball, serving as an ambassador for MLB International and writing a children's book illustrated by public school students. This year his playing earned him a third trip to the All-Star Game, his second as a member of the New York Yankees. While he doesn't have a .300+ career batting average like Chipper Jones, Granderson is a member of the 20-20-20 club, meaning he managed to hit 20 doubles, triples, and home runs in the same season. Only six other players have ever done that.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Derek Jeter—Now

Derek Jeter might wear number 2, but to baseball fans, he's number one. Even die-hard Yankee haters have a tough time hating Jeter, who somehow always manages to say the right thing. He's also done, um, pretty well as a ball player, with a .313 career batting average as of this writing. Jeter is currently ranked 13 on the all-time hits list, hopping over Cal Ripken Jr., and this year marks his 13th All-Star Game. Wow. Derek Jeter is so awesome, he managed to make the number 13 lucky. That's practically a superpower.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Josh Hamilton—Now

Josh Hamilton gets tested for performance-enhancing drugs more than any other player, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, because of a past that includes a “debilitating plunge into the abyss of addiction—painkillers, recreational detritus, and booze.” (Purple prose alert!) This year, the 31-year-old who wears number 32 for the Texas Rangers is headed to the All-Star Game with more votes than anyone has ever received—11.1 million of them. Don't call it a comeback... actually, you can call it a comeback. Because it is.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Prince Fielder—Now

Prince Fielder is a heck of a hitter (get it?); he hit 50 home runs in the 2007 season. His father, Cecil Fielder, achieved the same feat many years earlier. (Father and son athletes! Yay!) In 2011, the younger Mr. Fielder was the MVP of the All-Star Game, a feat he will no doubt attempt to repeat when he returns this year.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Ryan Braun—Now

Ryan Braun is a member of the 30-30 club (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season), but also a member of a much more exclusive club—great Jewish athletes. Braun's nickname is “The Hebrew Hammer,” and while he isn't particularly religious, he considers himself “a role model for young Jewish kids.” The 28-year-old has played his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers and will make his fifth consecutive trip to the All-Star Game this season. Mazel tov.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, G Fiume/Getty Images

Bryce Harper—Now

Ready to feel old? Bryce Harper is 19. To be fair, 2012 is only his first year in the Major Leagues. He has, however, wasted no time and currently seems on his way to greatness. He even has his own catchphrase, “That's a clown question, bro,” which he quickly trademarked. Senator Harry Reid even used Harper's words to respond to a reporter. And how about this? After being hit by a pitch—on purpose—Harper got his revenge by stealing home. We think this kid has potential.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Buster Posey—Now

Buster Posey (real name Gerald—sorry, dude), made an immediate impact during his rookie year in 2010, helping the San Francisco Giants win the World Series for the first time in over 50 years and the team's first championship as residents of California. He is also wearing a tuxedo in his “then” photo. We hear the ladies like that kind of thing.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Leon Halip/Getty Images

CC Sabathia—Now

If CC Sabathia ever decides to stop playing baseball, he's one of the few who could consider a career in football, or perhaps pro wrestling. The 31-year-old Yankees pitcher is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs in at roughly 300 pounds, give or take a few boxes of Cap'n Crunch cereal. (Sabathia told the New York Daily News in 2011 that he dropped 25 pounds by cutting the Cap'n from his diet.) By the way, CC stands for Carsten Charles. Now ya know.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

David Wright—Now

If the New York Mets have a player that comes close to being their own version of Derek Jeter, David Wright is that guy. While he hasn't had Jeter's career (to be fair, no one has), he is younger and so far is doing quite well for himself. At the tender age of 29, he has a career batting average of .303 and is making his sixth trip to the All-Star Game this year.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Jonathan Papelbon—Now

Jonathan Papelbon was a big part of the Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series win. He also endeared himself to “Sawx” fans with his on-field dancing skills. No, really. See for yourself. It's a little strange, but hey, Boston fans deemed the dance to be wicked awesome. Papelbon is now with the Philadelphia Phillies and is headed to the All-Star Game for the fifth time.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Paul Konerko—Now

Paul Konerko bounced around a bit at the beginning of his Major League career, but it was all worth it when he signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1999. Konerko helped the team capture a World Series title in 2005, earning MVP honors for the 2005 ALCS. Here's a video of Konerko hitting a Grand Slam to help the White Sox win Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. The fans were happy, and it appears they still are—Konerko was voted into the All-Star Game for the sixth time.

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, G Fiume/Getty Images

Stephen Strasburg—Now

Stephen Strasburg made his Major League debut in 2010. That wasn't soon enough for Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski, who penned (okay, typed) a column titled, “What Took You So Long?” Strasburg didn't disappoint—he won the game and recorded a team-record 14 strikeouts. Thus began a career that seemed destined for greatness, until it was quickly cut short by an injury that eventually led to... Tommy John Surgery. (Cue theme from Dragnet.) This season, Strasburg is on the comeback trail; he was the first pitcher to record 100 strikeouts and is on his way to his very first All-Star Game.