Since 2015, Topps has been producing the Future Stars insert set in the Topps Chrome set to include about 20 players on the brink of becoming the next big thing in baseball. However, as Wrigley Wax pointed out earlier today, the players chosen for the insert set don't always reflect the "future" in Future Stars.
Apparently, there's now a base form of the Future Stars inserts in this year's Series 2 which will likely draw my attention. Therefore, inspired by Wrigley Wax's post and the new Series 2 Future Stars insert, I thought I'd go over what Future Stars cards I have from the last 3 years, beginning with 2015. The criteria will be based on the accuracy in both the term future and the word star according to the time the set came out as well as present day if that makes sense.
Starting with the first card shown, Javier Baez is an interesting player. Topps certainly overhyped Baez in 2015 and has continued to list him as a future star for years. With that being said, Baez played well, albeit briefly, in the 2015 season. He's improved year by year ever since 2015 which is a very promising sign, including hitting .273 in both 2016 and 2017. He's on pace to pass his career-highs in both home runs and RBI this season, so I guess Topps was right when they first declared Baez a future star 3 years ago. After that, they just didn't stop.
I can see how it made sense at the time, but I don't think anyone is rushing to call Jorge Soler a star in today's MLB. Even dating back to 2015, Soler was very injury prone and is currently on the DL with a foot injury despite playing solid baseball thus far for the Royals. Soler, like Baez, was up and coming in 2016. However, while Baez seems to keep on improving, Soler regressed big time in 2016 and 2017, and only 324 at-bats to prove himself in those 2 seasons. Like I said, he's been solid this season for the Royals and I truly hope that continues. After all, Topps wouldn't just call him a future star for no reason.
The only 2016 Future Star I have is of Red Sox catcher and utility player Blake Swihart who, unfortunately, appears to be in the same boat as Jorge Soler. However, Swihart's injuries have been even more limiting than Soler's. Swihart had just 5 at-bats last season and just 62 the year before. He was pretty good in his limiting playing time in 2015, hence why Topps declared him a future star the year after. The good news is Swihart already has the exact same number of at-bats this year as he did in 2016 and 2017 combined and as a Red Sox fan, I really hope he'll be able to live up to Topps' expectations in 2016.
As we move on to 2017 Topps Chrome Future Stars, we see a guy who was already a future star in his first full MLB season back in 2016. Unfortunately for Seager and Dodgers fans everywhere, he's out for the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. However, his performance in 2016 and again in 2017 merits the term star despite him only playing 2 full seasons. He combined to hit 48 dingers and 149 RBI in those 2 seasons combined and is expected to come back strong next season. Even though going into 2017, Seager was already a star, Topps was still right about him, and I can't wait to see what he does next year.
Michael Fulmer and Corey Seager are the only award-winners on this list as they took him their respective league Rookie of the Year awards in 2016. As of right now, Fulmer, along with Nick Castellanos, are the only bright spots for the Detroit Tigers' future. He may be struggling so far in 2018, but his respectable 3.83 ERA last season and stellar 3.06 earned run average in 2016 speak volumes about Fulmer's ability. He also has a steady strikeout rate and has fanned an average of 7 batters per 9 innings in his relatively short career thus far. He may not be a star now, but a few less runs given up and a few more strikeouts per game and he definitely could be.
If Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, Steven Matz, and Noah Syndergaard were all healthy and playing the best they could at the same time, the Mets would have a very good chance at being World Series Champions. However, there always seems to be at least 1 pitcher that's struggling on this team at any given time, hence why Harvey was traded to the Reds. Syndergaard is only 25 years old and has yet to truly struggle throughout a single season which can't be said for any other Mets pitcher. He should definitely be an All-Star in 2018 after missing out last season due to injury. This is, out of all the ones I've shown so far, the most perfect one. Sure, he had 2 full seasons behind him when this card came out, but there were people skeptical of his injury as well as if he would stay consistent and stellar and so far, he's done just that.
Well....they didn't say how far into the future or if by stars they meant falling stars? Gregory Polanco is another person who has had the future stars label for 3 years and he has shown weeks of being a star, but unfortunately his consistency never lasts more than about 10 game stretches.
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