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July 6, 2015There has been increased attention paid upon the youthful stars dominating the current MLB season, and such dominance could be seen in the 2015 MLB All Star starting rosters. A mere five of the 17 selected starters for the 2015 game were above the age of 29. And, one of those selections was the AL designated hitter Nelson Cruz. Baseball players have been promoted at younger ages and have been providing more overall value than in previous seasons.
Such value has also led to renewed talk of Scott Boras, MLBPA, baseball prospects and the unfairness of the MLB arbitration system. Most of the national discussions centered around Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs1 , but Cleveland Indian fans have gotten into the discussion as our team was either being cautious with the development of Francisco Lindor, or intelligently handling his service time2 .
Top 5 prospects of MLB at beginning of 20153
- Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
- Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
- Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
- Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Indians
- Addison Russell, SS-2B, Chicago Cubs
As noted, those are potentially the beginning of the next wave of players that will be dominating the future of MLB. Kris Bryant (.279/.383/.485 12 HR, 49 RBI, 141 OPS+) and Carlos Correa (.315/.339/.593, 155 OPS+) have certainly lived up to their offensive hype early in their MLB careers. Whereas Addison Russell (.229/.294/.361, 1 SB in 4 attempts, 83 OPS+), Byron Buxton (.189/.231/.270, 38 OPS+), and Francisco Lindor (.203/.241/.257, 39 OPS+) have struggled at the plate, while each demonstrating some positive signs defensively (and note, it is early with a small sample size offensively).
However, there are also a whole bunch of exciting young stars in MLB playing now. Some are players most people know. Some are players that do not get noticed as much (yet). So, here is a quick guide to some of the young budding stars throughout MLB.
Some ground rules
- No pitchers (focusing on the position players)
- 27 years or younger
- No Cleveland Indians (focusing on the rest of MLB)
Established elite stars
- Mike Trout, OF, Anaheim Angels
- Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Miami Marlins
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Goldschmidt is the name that likely sticks out on this list, but the 2013 NL MVP runner-up (along with Gold Glove and Silver Slugger recipient at 1B) put up nearly identical rate statistics in 2014 while missing some time due to injury, while he has re-inserted himself into the 2015 NL MVP discussion. Mike Trout has finished in the top two of the AL MVP race in each of his three seasons. And, Giancarlo Stanton has been the NL premier power threat and managed to finish second in the 2014 NL MVP race despite missing September with a broken face, and now missing more time with a broken hamate bone.
Established controversial elite stars
- Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals
Both of these players entered MLB with a huge amount of buzz. Bryce Harper was the first overall pick of the 2010 MLB Amateur draft and is one of the rare prospects to complete their rookie year at the age of 19. Yasiel Puig was a Cuban defector who immediately made the nightly highlight reels for his entertaining plays on offense (bat-flipping) and defense (baiting runners to test the limits of his rocket arm to second base or home plate). But, both players also have as many critics as fans. Harper’s “bro” persona is much like Nick Swisher and has a similar love-him or leave-him fandom. Puig’s antics have had many traditionalists in a huff, while endearing himself to many younger fans who love to see his energy.
Stars without as great of name recognition but who deserve to be in the established group
- Anthony Rendon, 3B, Washington Nationals
- Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros
- Manny Machado, 3B, Baltimore Orioles
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs
These players are the under-rated young stars for various reasons. The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs have been so bad for so long now that their few good players have not gotten their proper recognition. Jose Altuve made some national headlines for leading the AL in hits, batting average, and stolen bases in 2014, but he is still a relatively unrecognized name in baseball considering that he is a Silver Slugger recipient and multiple time allstar. Despite Jason Kipnis getting snubbed, it was actually a bit refreshing to see fans recognize his status by voting him into the All Star game as a starter.
Anthony Rizzo is well-known amongst fantasy baseball players for his incredible 2014 season (OPS+ 152 with 32 HRs), but still does not seem to get the credit he has earned as one of the premier sluggers in MLB. Marte and Rendon have run into the issue of being over-shadowed by bigger stars on their own team. For Rendon, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, and Max Scherzer hog the headlines in the District of Columbia despite Rendon being such a valuable player (6.5 bWAR in 2014).
Stars who are easy to forget they are still young
- Jason Heyward, OF, Saint Louis Cardinals
- Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves
- Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs
Yes, the first two players were on the Atlanta Braves last year, but it really feels like they have been in MLB for quite some time already4 . And each of these players made their debut in 2010. If I would have made this list last year, then another 2014 Brave would have made the list with Justin Upton who debuted in 2007. It still surprises me that the Braves traded away Heyward who is a multiple Gold Glove winner with legitimate power even if he struggled with his power last season as he is young enough to be part of their current rebuild. Castro has made multiple allstar games, but it seems as if many fans do not give him the proper credit for being the scarce commodity of a decent defensive shortstop with a plus bat.
Defensively elite stars who could be more
- Andrelton Simmons, SS, Atlanta Braves
- Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals
- Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals
- Kyle Seager, 3B, Seattle Mariners
- Starling Marte, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Each of these players have had streaks that have made them look capable at the plate, but they are all consistently good on defense. Simmons, Hosmer and Perez have won two Gold Gloves a piece, while Seager won his first last season. If any of these players can find similar consistency batting, then their teams are going to be ecstatic with them. For instance, a big part of Kansas City’s surprise 2014 AL pennant run was that Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer were both hitting the ball well. And, the Royals have begun 2015 well with no small part due to Perez continuing to hit for power (13 home runs) and Hosmer continuing to provide value at the plate (.287/.354/.437, 118 OPS+). Starling Marte runs into a problem in Pittsburgh where despite his consistently good numbers and defense, they still lag behind Andrew McCutchen. But, he has consistently put up OPS+ in the 118 to 128 range during his career. A slight increase in productivity could prove highlight his defensive prowess even more (as his near catch of the Brandon Moss home run over the weekend demonstrated).
Also, Salvador Perez has been so intimidating as he wins home plate collisions that he has even induced runners to avoid him entirely (Victor Martinez).
Budding stars who are becoming established this season
- Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox
- George Springer, OF, Houston Astros
- Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies
Nolan Arenado is on an absolute tear to start the 2015 season with .316 Isolated Power5 . However, he has also continued to demonstrate a lack of patience at the plate ( 4% BB% ), which pitchers may adjust towards6 . Betts and Springer both had initial break-out performances similar to that of Myers in 2012. The question for them now is if they can demonstrate similar abilities their second year in MLB. Thus far, the answer has been a resounding yes.
Should we just call him a star already?
- Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Much like Yasiel Puig, Bryce Harper, and Kris Byrant, Joc Pederson has burst onto the MLB scene and dominated from the start of his career. His power potential (.270 IS with 20 HRs in 274 AB), while being exceptionally patient at the plate (29.1% BB) has made him appear to be a steady veteran star already.
A bunch of other players who could become stars
- Wil Myers, OF, San Diego Padres
- A.J. Pollock, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Matt Adams, 1B, Saint Louis Cardinals
- Kevin Keirmaier, 1B, Houston Astros
- J.D. Martinez, OF, Detroit Tigers
- Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants
- Jon Singleton, 1B, Houston Astros
- Jose Iglesias, SS, Detroit Tigers
- Christian Yelich, OF, Miami Marlins
- Billy Hamilton, OF, Cincinnati Reds
- Gregory Polanco, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Derek Norris, C, San Diego Padres
- Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Miami Marlins
- Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
- Danny Santana, OF, Minnesota Twins
- Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
- Marcell Ozuna, OF, Miami Marlins
- Rougned Odor, 2B, Texas Rangers
Any of the players in this grouping could become the next rising star. They each have the talent to be capable of it as well as the opportunity for playing time with their team. However, they each also have demonstrated a few more flaws than the players in the other groups making their case a little less likely.
Wil Myers is a great example for every player on this list to study. He burst into MLB in 2012 winning the ROY award despite only playing in 88 games, but he struggled to follow up that season in 2013 when he struggled with injuries. However, for those willing to work, talent often shines through as Wil Myers is showing some early indicators that he is regaining his 2012 form in San Diego.
Perhaps Derek Norris can shed his defense-only reputation and become one of the growing contingent of power hitting catchers that he has flashed the potential of becoming the past two seasons in limited duty. Or, maybe Billy Hamilton will discover ways to get on base more often so that he can utilize his elite speed.
In any case, these are players worth watching to see where they go the next few seasons as they mature and possibly trade targets for the Indians should their current teams get impatient (as Tampa did with Wil Myers last season).
Best nickname for a young player who will likely never be a star
- Alexi Amarista, Utility, San Diego Padres
The little ninja is not quite good enough offensively or defensively to be considered a star, but he is fun to watch and, at 5-6 and 160 pounds, he is one of the smallest players in MLB.
Your favorite position player under the age of 27 who is not mentioned
We have a comment section for a reason. Please let me know who else I should be paying attention to this season. Thank you.
- 9HRs in 36AB in Spring Training, but not called up until April 17 [↩]
- He was brought up on June 14 just after the Super-2 arbitration deadline [↩]
- The link shows an update that removes Bryant and Russell as prospects due to service time rendered since April. [↩]
- And, I probably should have added Justin Upton to the mix too. [↩]
- 24 home runs in just 304 at bats [↩]
- In 2014, Danny Santana was great despite a lack of patience, but he has struggled thus far in 2015 with a mere 49 OPS+ [↩]
11 Comments
I know Jose Abreu is just above your age cutoff (he is 28), he has been in the league for such a short time I would call him a young star. Also, its interesting that the Indians do not have a single player named on this list… Hopefully Lindor can change our luck!
Some ground rules
**No pitchers (focusing on the position players)
**27 years or younger
**No Cleveland Indians (focusing on the rest of MLB)
Once upon a time, I traded Chris Sale straight-up for Paul Goldschmidt in a fantasy baseball league where there is no term limit on keepers. It was and is AWESOME.
I’d put Steven Sousa into the “could become a star” category.
Lindor was in that top 5? I don’t know about that but I’m glad he’s up and contributing.
Goldie is a beast but I wouldn’t be upset still having Sale either.
Yessir, he was. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=lindor000fra
#4 mlb.com (what I referenced above)
#4 Baseball Prospectus
#9 Baseball America
I still disagree but okay.
Yeah yeah I read ’em now, but even if you could include and Indians player who would make it? Maybe Yan? Definitely no one else. I merely stated this to show how poor the Tribe has been at developing young impact position players in the past few years when compared to the rest of the league. Great article overall!
Thank you.
Yes, the Indians have not developed young players all that well in the past. I do think it is changing, but it will be hard to gauge until guys like Urshela, Lindor, and others behind them have a chance to settle in at MLB.
Oh, and Roberto Perez might very well make that last long list as well. 108 OPS+ with good overall defense from a catcher. Poor start to this year, but he’s come on strong.
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