Today is April 26th also known as Aaron Judge's birthday. You probably already know this because MLB and Topps are making sure you do by flooding your twitter feed or internet browser with all sorts of highlights about Aaron Judge on his special day. But if you ask me, turning 26 isn't all that great for Judge. He's only played 1 full season yet is past the years where he'd be considered a young superstar. Don't get me wrong, he's still an incredible athlete, but considering many articles about young MLB superstars focus on players 25 and younger, Judge is officially out of that discussion.
Because today is Judge's birthday, I decided to begin my list of the top 10 players 25 and younger. He won't be able to be included on this list since that he is now 26, so I won't have to hear it from some Yankees fan that I put him below Bryce Harper or Manny Machado.
I'll announce players 10-6 during today's post and I'll finish up the list with spots 5-1 tomorrow. Every age is done as of today so as long as the player is 25 or younger right now, they're eligible to make the list.
#10 Andrew Benintendi
If I had done this post a day ago, Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi would've had to be left off the list in order for Aaron Judge to be included. Now, the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up has a spot of his own, and rightfully so after hitting a respectable .290 with 20 homers and 90 RBI last season. Benny isn't hitting that well to start the 2018 season, but he has driven in 13 runs so there's something to be said for that. Better yet, he's still just 23 and won't be turning 24 until July which means he's still young enough to improve in certain categories for the rest of his career.
#9 Cody Bellinger
Like Benintendi, Cody Bellinger's #1 area for improvement would have to be his batting average. If Bellinger can bring it up to around .280 and maintain the power-hitting he showed last season, then Bellinger could find his name on a plaque in Cooperstown in around 20-25 years. The 2017 NL Rookie of the Year went back and forth with Aaron Judge last season to see who the best rookie was. Judge's contact hitting is quite better than Cody's at this particular moment, but Bellinger also understands what he needs to do in order to hit well and hit the ball hard. His sophomore season will truly be a test of his skills. Can he rise to the occasion, or will he join the long list of players who had a couple of good seasons, but nothing more?
#8 Gary Sanchez
Gary Sanchez has barely had 750 at-bats yet has already hit 58 home runs and 150 RBI while maintaining a .275 average despite some hitting struggles to start the 2018 season. If those stats don't scream "slugger" and "incredible hitter" than I don't know what do, and I don't even like the Yankees at all. Sanchez has established himself as one of baseball's most talented catchers and has done a very good job behind the plate for the Yankees since being called up in 2016. The Yankees have him bat cleanup quite regularly as well, a testament to his ability considering Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge are also in that lineup. He's quite a talented player and is definitely a part of the Yankees' future. But, a major issue with catchers is staying healthy, so we'll have to wait and see.
#7 Luis Severino
At just 24 years of age, Luis Severino is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and has only intensified the Red Sox vs Yankees rivalry thanks to his numerous pitcher's duals with Red Sox ace Chris Sale. He struggled heavily throughout the 2016 season, but had a bounce-back year last year, even making the All-Star game and finishing 3rd in the AL Cy Young voting. Severino also looks poised for another good year in 2018 which is good news for the Yankees. I think even they are aware that no matter how much power you have, pitching is absolutely necessary and Severino is their guy.
#6 Francisco Lindor
Lindor officially became a power-hitter in 2017 by blasting 33 homers which are more than he had in 2015 and 2016 combined. He took a slight dip in batting average but improved in nearly every other category including doubles, RBI, SLG percentage, and OPS. He's become a magnificent defensive player and also is a fantastic base-runner despite not stealing bases all too often. Unfortunately, other shortstops like Carlos Correa and Corey Seager narrowly beat out Lindor to sneak into the top 5. But if Francisco has the MVP caliber season in 2018 that I know he can have, he'll easily beat out one (or both) of them on this list.
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