I'm a lover of the game of baseball, and a fantasy draft enthusiast. All of this led to the idea of crafting a Major League Baseball team entirely out of players 23 years of age or younger. The team I constructed includes players only 23 or younger (to date). I used a mixture of stats (hard stats and sabermetrics) and the all important eye-test.
First off, we'll get to the position players. The majority of the players are right-handed, with the exception of the first basemen and two outfielders.
(Name/Age/Team/Handedness)
Designated Hitter:
Jesus Montero (22) Seattle Mariners (R)
Montero is off to a slow start in his first full year, but like the rest of these players he's very young and has an extremely high ceiling of potential. He has played a lot of DH, but can also play first base and catcher.
Catcher:
Salvador Perez (22) Kansas City Royals (R)
Wilin Rosario (23) Colorado Rockies (R)
Perez was injured prior to the start of the season, but he is no doubt a professional hitter. In limited time due to getting hurt, Perez has shown how good of a hitter he is. Even at the young age of 22, he is already one of the best offensive catchers in the league.
First Base:
Eric Hosmer (22) Kansas City Royals (L)
Freddie Freeman (22) Atlanta Braves (L)
Freeman's numbers are better than Hosmer's numbers so far this season, but I believe that Hosmer is the better player and he will turn it around this year. Both players are very well-rounded, but their offense is their meat and potatoes.
Second Base:
Brett Lawrie (22) Toronto Blue Jays (R)
The Jays struck gold when acquiring Lawrie from the Brewers, and although he is very hot-headed, there is no doubting his skills on the field. He can hit for average, and has some pop in his bat. Lawrie has played mostly 3B with Toronto, but he can also play other spots in the infield including second base.
Third Base:
Will Middlebrooks (23) Boston Red Sox (R)
Mike Moustakas (23) Kansas City Royals (R)
Moustakas has show spurts of how good he can be, but has been consistently inconsistent. Middlebrooks is among the leaders in almost every offensive category among rookies, and has a very respectable glove at the hot corner.
Shortstop:
Starlin Castro (22) Chicago Cubs (R)
Elvis Andrus (23) Texas Rangers (R)
Starlin Castro is an amazing talent, a career .300 hitter, and is arguably the best shortstop in baseball (top 3 in my opinion). Andrus is no slouch either, but when put on a team with Castro he'd have to be the second option.
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The outfield gets a little tricky. My heart wants me to start Jason Heyward, but his defense of late has been lackluster, and has been very inconsistent at the plate. However, he and Harper can be switched pretty easily at this point and time.
Left Field:
Bryce Harper (19) Washington Nationals (L)
Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)
Harper has tremendous arm strength, is hitting just under .300 since being called up to the big leagues and has an OBP of .372. At the incredibly young age of 19, you really can't ask much more than that. The power numbers will increase as he plays more.
Center Field:
Mike Trout (20) Los Angeles Angels (R)
Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)
Mike Trout has speed that is rarely possessed by anybody to play baseball. He can cover a lot of ground in the outfield, hit for average, steal bases, and has pop in his bat as well. If Trout can stay healthy he has the ability to be one of the most complete players to ever play.
Right Field:
Giancarlo Stanton (22) Miami Marlins (R)
Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)
Power. Stanton has a lot of it. He hits homeruns that only a few can even try to mimic. His average in 2012 is just under .300; if he can keep his average up, while still having the same power numbers, it could be very scary for opponents. He also has a canon in the outfield to go with the offense.
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Now for the pitching. There were two starting pitchers that got cut from the rotation and moved to the bullpen. Those two are Rick Porcello and Chris Sale. Porcello has struggled and would be the long relief option, while on the contrary, Chris Sale has been outstanding for the White Sox as a starter this year. Sale has great stuff and saw time in the pen before becoming a starter for the Sox this season. With lack of lefty options for the bullpen, Sale could bring a lot to this team in a set-up man role.
Starting Pitcher:
Stephen Strasburg (23) Washington Nationals (R)
Madison Bumgarner (22) San Francisco Giants (L)
Jarrod Parker (23) Oakland Athletics (R)
Matt Moore (22) Tampa Bay Rays (L)
Michael Pineda (23) New York Yankees (R)
For all of these pitchers the main key is staying healthy. Strasburg and Pineda have both already encountered major injuries. Strasburg has recovered and returned with great stuff, Pineda will try and do the same once he is healthy again.
Addison Reed (23) White Sox (R)
Relief Pitcher:
Rick Porcello (23) Detroit Tigers (R)
Julio Teheren (21) Atlanta Braves (R)
Drew Smyly (22) Tigers (L)
Kelvin Herrera (22) (R)
Chris Sale (23) White Sox (L)
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Lineup:
1. Mike Trout CF (R)
2. Starlin Castro SS (R)
3. Bryce Harper LF (L)
4. Giancarlo Stanton RF (R)
5. Jesus Montero DH (R)
6. Eric Hosmer 1B (L)
7. Will Middlebrooks 3B (R)
8. Salvador Perez C (R)
9. Brett Lawrie 2B (R)
SP: Stephen Stasburg (R)
With the lack of lefties Harper and Hosmer were split up to balance the lineup. The lineup has decent speed throughout, with a lot in the top. Lawrie at the bottom helps turn the lineup over well, an of course the power in the middle of the lineup.
For a team of players all 23 and younger, this would certainly be a team to be reckoned with.
Follow me on Twitter: @TheFutureIs_Now
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*Photo Credits: ESPN.com
Sources:
ESPN.com
FanGraphs.com
BaseballReference.com
MLB.com
Affiliates of MLB.com
Twitter.com
