The 4 Best M.L.B. Players Under 25

This year in baseball has seen many young players take massive steps towards becoming special players. Each of them have done so in their own way throughout the season.. So without further ado, here are the baseball’s 4 superstars that are under 25 years old.

1. Juan Soto
For nearly a decade, the Washington Nationals have had plenty players with lots of hype surrounding them. Players like Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, and Bryce Harper are having successful careers. Although Juan Soto has not yet played a full season, it seems like he may be even better. He put up extraordinary stats last year by hitting .292/.406/.517 along with 22 home runs, and 70 RBIs. This year he's hitting .285/.399/.522.  He will likely top his home run total and he already topped his RBI total. He has shown the ability to prevail in key situations. His impact on the team can't be ignored as the Nationals who looked like they were in for a long season by the time May ended, are now frontrunners for an N.L. Wild Card spot. What makes his success even more amazing, is that he's only 20 years old. So while some may say its too early in his career to call him a superstar, he will probably change your mind pretty soon.

2. Ronald Acuña Jr.
There are not many  players who get to enjoy great individual success as well as team success. But right now, Acuña Jr. seems to be one of those players. With his ability to do whatever he wants at home plate or on the bases, Acuña Jr. is one of baseball's most entertaining players. Last year, he batted .293/.366/.552. He also hit 26 home runs which included 5 consecutive gams where he hit a spectacular 6 home runs. More importantly, he helped the Atlanta Braves reach the playoffs for the first time in 4 years with 90 wins. After the season, he was awarded the N.L. Rookie of the Year. Four months later, he got paid big time with a 8 year contract worth $100 million. It was the largest contract for a player who hasn't played one year of major league baseball. So far this year he is living up to his contract in every way possible. The Braves are looking like they're going to repeat as division champs, his powerful hitting earned him a spot in the Home Run Derby, he started in the all star game, and there's a strong chance that he'll have at 40-40. (home runs and steals.) A generational player? A likely possibility if he keeps up his great play.

3. Gleyber Torres
The 2018 New York Yankees started the season with expectations of possibly winning a World Series. But those expectations were nowhere to be seen as they stumbled out the gate and were devastated by injuries. There had to be something that could spark the team. They found it in Gleyber Torres. When he was called up from the minor league last season, the 21 year old Torres helped the Yankees go on a big win streak that saw him make amazing plays at the plate and in the field. Throughout that span, it seemed like there was nothing that he couldn't do. If you needed a big play, he was going to step up. This resulted in his first all star game and a 100 win season. This season, as one of the only consistently healthy players, Torres helped the Yankees take off on a winning streak that put them atop the division only a month after it started. When they needed their starters to come back, Torres continued to come up big time with the Yankees. He was selected to his second all star game, set an M.L.B. record for the youngest player to have 7 multi home run games.  He also tied the record for the most home runs vs an opponent (13 against the Baltimore Orioles!  It looks like the Yankees will win the division and Torres is a major reason why.  It's only been 2 years, but Torres is already establishing himself as one of baseball's most reliable stars.

4. Cody Bellinger
There aren’t many players in baseball that are already good and still have to improve major areas of their game. Their drive is what separates the best from others. Twenty-four year old Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of them. He was really impressive as a rookie, hitting 39 home runs, won N.L. Rookie of the Year, and played a big part in leading the Dodgers to the World Series. Despite losing to the Houston Astros, Bellinger established himself as a major part of a Dodgers team that looked like a possible World Series Champion. In 2018, Bellinger’s stats dipped and the Dodgers were trounced by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. In the offseason, the Dodgers tried to keep star player Manny Machado by trading another star in Yasial Paige to the Cincinnati Reds to free cap space, but Machado left anyway. Burdened with a bigger role coming into 2019, Bellinger has been answering the challenge so far. With an offseason to work on his improving his swing, Bellinger is now doing whatever he wants at the plate. He is hitting .317/.416/.661 and has accounted for 42 home runs and 89 RBIs. He is probably going to win M.V.P. and is essential to the major success that the Dodgers are enjoying this season. 

Every year of baseball, fans look for the young players that are not only having one great season, but will be baseball’s top players for about the next decade or so. The focus of baseball’s current stars may be guys like Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Jose Altuvie amongst others, but these players will be the focus of baseball’s future.

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