At some point in nearly everyone's childhood, they decide they want to follow in a family member's footsteps. For some, it's their mother or father. For others, it’s a brother or sister. And while many ultimately choose another path, some stick with it and follow through on that initial decision.
That includes the relatives of professional athletes, who do so knowing they won't be viewed the same way their peers are; they're entering a playing field tilted in everyone else's favor.
“People have certain expectations just because of your last name," Notre Dame outfielder Torii Hunter Jr., son of the recently retired five-time All-Star of the same name, told Bleacher Report's Seth Gruen. "You just learn to shake those expectations and play the game you know how to play and just not let it affect you."
While Hunter Jr. and his fellow legacy picks in this year's MLB draft do their best to blaze their own paths, the name on the back of their uniform most certainly had an effect on the teams that selected them.
In some situations, it’s the deciding factor. When the scouting reports are close and the front office is torn about who to select, taking a chance on the son of a Hall of Fame player, like Craig Biggio's son, Notre Dame second baseman Cavan, is more appealing than picking someone without big league bloodlines.
“The name can only take you so far,” Cavan told Gruen. “It’s going to catch people’s eye. But at the end of the day, if you can play, you can play.”
Name recognition wasn't enough for every legacy prospect to get drafted, as Brandon Grudzielanek, Jake Matheny, Darien McLemore and Jaren Shelby can attest. But for those who did get picked, what are the odds we'll see them in the majors? Let's take a look.
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