Baseball's Best Young Hitters
From Jose Reyes to Prince Fielder, Baseball Has Great Young Hitters
In Major League Baseball's 25-and-under category, these youthful hitters rule.
The past few years have seen an influx of great young hitters in Major League Baseball. In the 2006 season, seven players under the age of 25 finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting in both leagues. This season, youngsters are among the top five in home runs, stolen bases, batting average, RBI and runs scored in both leagues. Here are the top 10 young hitters in Major League Baseball.
1. Jose Reyes, New York Mets (23). Although Reyes and his left-side-of-the-infield tag team partner David Wright have not yet reached the heights of their cross-town rivals Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, they are still two of the best in baseball. Last season, Reyes showed his incredible range as a player, hitting for average and power, stealing bases, and playing a deadly shortstop. This year, Jose is batting .318, and he is on pace for 215 hits, 42 doubles, 24 triples, 90 stolen bases and 126 runs scored.
2. David Wright, New York Mets (23). He started this season a little bit slowly, but he's been coming around lately, raising his average to .277 and hitting 8 homers with 28 RBI. Met fans are hoping Wright can duplicate his 2006 numbers, which were .311 BA, 26 HR and 116 RBI.
3. J.J. Hardy. Milwaukee Brewers (24). Although he had a nice 2006 season, no one expected Hardy to become the hitting stud that he's been in 2007. With just 1/3 of the season gone, Hardy already has 16 home runs and 47 RBI to go along with his .297 batting average. He and his young teammate Prince Fielder form the best under-25 tandem outside of Shea Stadium.
4. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (23). Father could hit, son can hit. That may be the best way to sum up the Fielder family as potentially one of the best father and son combinations in baseball history. Fielder and Hardy have led the Brewers to a surprising 32-25 record and a 6.5 game lead in the NL Central. Prince is batting .290 with a Major League best 20 home runs and 47 RBI.
5. Miguel Cabrera, Florida Marlins (24). With three straight seasons of more than 25 home runs and 110 RBI, it's easy to forget just how young Miguel Carbrera is. The three time All-Star just turned 24 on April 18, 2007, but he has already won a World Series, made three All-Star teams, batted .311 and hit over 100 home runs in his brief career.
6. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins (23). Ramirez won the 2006 National League Rookie of the Year, and this season, he has taken it up a notch, hitting .314 and leading the league in runs scored with 49. A speedster (16 swipes) with power (8 HR), Ramirez is threatening Jose Reyes for best leadoff hitter alive.
7. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees (24). His swing and hitting approach are often compared to seven-time batting champion Rod Carew. Last year, Cano hit like the Hall of Famer, finishing third in the American League in hitting with a .342 batting average.
8. B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (22). Tampa Bay Devil Rays fans usually don't have much to feel optimistic about. Despite having a series of a good young players come through their ranks in the past five years (Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Jonny Gomes), the team continues to reside in the basement of the AL East. B.J. Upton may be the guy to change all that. In his first full season as a Major Leaguer, B.J. is hitting .311 with 8 home runs, 29 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
9. Grady Sizemore, Cleveland indians (24). Another of the great new leadoff hitters, Sizemore had a 2006 season that was (almost) reminiscent of Rickey Henderson in his prime. The Indians' centerfielder hit .290 with 28 home runs, 76 RBI and 22 stolen bases. He also led the league in runs scored with 134, in doubles with 53 and in extra-base hits with 92. This season, Sizemore is on pace to hit 30 home runs, steal 50 bases, and score close to 150 runs. Outstanding.
10. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (24). When the Twins selected Mauer, a high school catcher, with the first overall pick of the 2001 Amateur Draft, they were heavily criticized by baseball brain trusts all over the country. Five years later, the haters were forced to eat their words when Mauer won the AL batting title over the Yankees' Derek Jeter and Robby Cano by hitting .347. In his brief career, Mauer has proven to be a great hitter, averaging .323 with 14 homers and 82 RBI. This season, Mauer was off to another great start, batting .353 before he went down with a strained quadriceps.
Beware baseball, the young marauders are here, and it looks like they want to do some damage before they are finished.
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