Baseball fans can take solace in the fact that the future of baseball is in good hands. In an era with the black cloud of PEDs and steroids looming over it, the future looks more than bright. This past season we saw what many say was the greatest rookie class of all time, and it will just keep getting better. With the increasing importance of building from within, teams look to harness young players with infinite potential and turn them into stars. Look at Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Jurickson Profar, Chris Sale, Brandon Crawford, Yu Darvish, Yoenis Cespedes, and Wade Miley, too name a few, and you will see just how dominant these players already are at this young stage of their career. While these players are those currently taking the league by storm, there will be an influx of young players next season that will have an even greater impact. Here are a few names to watch out for next season.
Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman (Baltimore Orioles)—The two top prospects on the Orioles will form the best 1-2 punch at the top of a rotation in baseball within the next 5 years. Both former first round picks look to be the game changing type of talent that the Orioles hoped for when they drafted them. Couple these two with Manny Machado, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis, and the Orioles look like they may be back to their winning ways for many years to come.
Will Myers and Bubba Starling (Kansas City Royals)—Both of these young guns are phenomenal 5 tool outfielders. Bubba Starling has to be considered one of the best pure athletes in baseball as he was a prolific two-sport athlete in high school and turned down the opportunity to be the starting QB at Nebraska. Bubba will play center field and picking up the slack in right will be the beastly Will Myers, one of the best young hitters in the game. The Royals are still a few pieces away from being a contender but these two make the future bright for KC fans.
Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon (Pittsburgh Pirates)—Anytime a team can build their starting rotation around a number one overall pick and a number two overall pick it’s hard to not get excited. Cole and Taillon are the real deal and likely are the missing pieces from a Pirates team that is on the precipice of contention, now it is just a matter of patience.
Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins)—The second overall pick in the 2012 draft possesses all the tools to be the next great center fielder in the Major Leagues. He is still only 18 and has a few years of minor league ahead of him before he reaches the show, but if he can harness all of his talents then Byron Buxton will quickly take over as the face of the Twins once Mauer is gone.
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