Top 10 Players 25 and Under Part 2

Yesterday, I began the first of 2 posts in which I talked about the top 10 players ages 25 and under. I discussed 10-6 yesterday, which means it's time for me to talk about players at spots 5-1 today.

I chose the age 25 because of how talented all these players have already become despite not even reaching the age considered "prime" quite yet. In today's game, players are becoming stars way faster than they did in the past. These guys are emerging as prospects younger, making All-Star appearances at a younger age, and are becoming the best of the best on their teams and at their positions with a solid 10-15 years left in each of their careers if all goes well.

The players I chose to make the top five have appeared in a combined 13 All-Star games. Again, all before any of these guys have turned 26 years old. Now, to finish up the list, here are my top 5 players in baseball ages 25 and under.

#5 Corey Seager

Seager came out swinging during his rookie season back in 2016, and his bat has never quite settled down since then. The 2016 NL Rookie of the Year was elected to the All-Star team and named a Silver Slugger in each of his first 2 seasons. He even finished in the top 3 of the 2016 NL MVP voting, trailing only Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Unbeknownst to me until I checked just now, Seager is celebrating his 24th birthday today just as Aaron Judge celebrated his 26th yesterday. He's been in the league for 2 full years now and in my opinion, is getting ready to make another push at the MVP award this year.

#4 Carlos Correa

Other than the fact that Correa has played 1 season more than Seager, these 2 are not too different. They're both key franchise pieces who have been bringing power at shortstop, they are both Rookie o the Year award winners, and they both faced off in the Fall Classic last year. However, it was Correa helping to lead the Astros to victory in the World Series that convinced me to put him higher than Seager on the list. Nevertheless, these 2 are very evenly matched and are both superstar players as well as 2 of the best shortstops of the game. Therefore, I'm definitely expecting to see these 2 go back and forth for years to become baseball's best 5-tool player.

#3 Mookie Betts

As much as I wanted to put Mookie higher on the list, he simply does not have the experience that my top 2 picks have. But for the years that Betts has been around, he has established himself as a possible top 10 or even one of the top 5 players in baseball, he just hasn't played enough to move higher up on this list. Mookie has proven time and time again that he is the definition of a multi-tool player. He can power-hit, contact-hit, he has speed, he's an exceptional fielder, and he's incredibly versatile in terms of where he can bat in the lineup, though the Sox seem content with him leading off, and I absolutely agree with that. There's a reason Buck Showalter called him the "best right fielder I've ever seen," a true testament to the unbelievable talent Mookie possesses.

#2 Manny Machado

I'm not exactly sure who I would call the best defensive player in baseball, but I do know the Manny Machado would have to be in the discussion and would likely end up in the top 3. His superb defense has been compared to Brooks Robinson and not just because he too is an Orioles 3rd baseman. Over the last 3 years, Manny has crushed over 30 home runs in each season while (mostly) maintaining an exceptional batting average in each of those years. He'll be playing even harder this season, because he will become a free-agent once the year is over, and if he continues to impress people with his defensive and offensive abilities, his contract size could rival the contract the player at #1 is expected to get.

#1 Bryce Harper

I had to check multiple sources to confirm that Bryce Harper is still, in fact, only 25 years old. He's been playing since 2012 and has 6 full seasons under his belt with his age-25 and most important year being 2018. The 2015 NL MVP winner has been one of the faces of baseball (along with Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw) since he came up back in 2012 and just like Machado, he will be a free-agent after this year. I personally wouldn't give Harper a massive contract due to his less than spectacular seasons (case and point, 2016), but I know there will be many teams in the Harper sweepstakes. Still, he's one of baseball's best, whether we like it or not, and he certainly deserves the #1 spot.