11/30/07

Good Young Players of '07

This is a little exercise I thought of after reading tons of comments from young fans making fun of mets fans for one of their best prospects, Lastings Milledge getting traded for two thirty-ish year old players.  I wondered, how many guys are out there under the age of 25 getting at least 100 at bats and providing at least an average offensive season measured by ops+.  With the help of baseball-reference.com I went through major league rosters and took note of players that fit the following criteria:

  1. Under 25
  2. OPS+ of 100 or greater
  3. At least 100 major league at bats.
So here's the list:
  1. Mark Reynolds Diamondbacks 3B
  2. Brian McCann Braves C
  3. Jeff Francoeur Braves RF
  4. Yunel Escobar Braves SS
  5. Nick Markakis Orioles RF
  6. Dustin Pedroia Red Sox 2B
  7. Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox CF
  8. Josh Fields White Sox 3B/LF
  9. Edwin Encarnacion Reds 3B
  10. Grady Sizemore Indians CF
  11. Franklin Gutierrez Indians RF
  12. Asdrubal Cabrera Indians 2B
  13. Troy Tulowitzki Rockies SS
  14. Miguel Cabrera Marlins 3B
  15. Hanley Ramirez Marlins SS
  16. Jeremy Hermida Marlins RF
  17. Hunter Pence Astros CF
  18. Billy Butler Royals 1B/DH
  19. James Loney Dodgers 1B
  20. Matt Kemp Dodgers RF
  21. Russell Martin Dodgers C
  22. Casey Kotchman Angels 1B
  23. Howie Kendrick Angels 2B
  24. Kendry Morales Angels 1B
  25. Prince Fielder Brewers 1B
  26. Rickie Weeks Brewers 2B
  27. Ryan Braun Brewers 3B
  28. J.J. Hardy Brewers SS
  29. Joe Mauer Twins C
  30. David Wright Mets 3B
  31. Jose Reyes Mets SS
  32. Ruben Gotay Mets 2B
  33. Lastings Milledge Mets--Now on the Nationals RF
  34. Robinson Cano Yankees 2B
  35. Travis Buck Athletics RF
  36. B.J. Upton Rays CF/2B
  37. Ryan Zimmerman Nationals 3B
I didn't think the list would be so long.  It points out some things everyone already knows, that the brewers, mets, braves, and marlins have a lot of young, very talented players.  I would have guessed the rays would have had at least 2 guys that fit my criteria.  Kind of a surprise that a team like the pirates isn't even represented.

Position breakdown:
26 infielders
5 first basemen
6 second basemen
7 third baseman
5 shortstops
3 catchers
11 outfielders
4 Center fielders
7 Corners
O.K., I'm going cross-eyed.  I'm going to break them down by age later.

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