Young MLB Stars in the Making Teams Cannot Afford to Block in 2015
It's a problem every MLB team would love to have: a young star in the making prepared to break out but (possibly) blocked in the short term.
Still, it can be a problem or, at least, a jaw-grinding conundrum.
Certainly, it's nice to have blue-chippers knocking on the door. But the "when" and "how" of their eventual ascent is frequently sticky, influenced by arbitration clocks, roster machinations and the simple, unavoidable question: Is he ready?
Let's examine five potential game-changers who deserve an Opening Day roster spot, or an honest chance to earn one.
We'll focus on players whose minor league stats suggest a high probability of MLB success—with the caveat that there's no such thing as a can't-miss prospect—and who are at least theoretically blocked at their projected position.
So these aren't necessarily the top prospects in baseball, or the most hopelessly blocked, but the kids who combine the most of both categories.
Finally, we'll asses how their respective clubs should handle this enviable "problem."
Kris Bryant
1 of 5
Team: Chicago Cubs
Age: 23
2014 stat line: (Double-A and Triple-A) .325 BA, .438 OBP, .661 SLG, 43 HR, 110 RBI
Since the Cubs selected him second overall in the 2013 draft, all Bryant has done is crush baseballs.
The 43 combined home runs he smacked last season grab the most attention, but the .428 OBP he posted during a meteoric two-season rise from rookie ball to Triple-A Iowa may be even greater cause for optimism.
There's been talk about Chicago opening the year without its third baseman of the future to avoid starting his arbitration clock.
That makes some sense, but not for a club looking to win now, as MLB.com's Phil Rogers argues:
"[Jon] Lester's six-year, $155 million deal drastically raised expectations, both long term and in 2015. After all, [president of baseball operations Theo] Epstein, a city boy, was so sold on having his old friend from Boston at the front of the Cubs' rotation that he said he was 'willing to be soaked in deer urine, if necessary' to sell the deal to Lester, who normally spends his offseasons hunting and fishing.
Compared to that, what's an earlier free-agent window and a slightly higher earnings trajectory for your best young player?
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The "best young player" bit is debatable. The Cubs have other phenoms in their loaded farm system, including shortstops Addison Russell and Javier Baez. But those two are blocked by 24-year-old three-time All-Star Starlin Castro, whereas Bryant's path to third base at Wrigley Field is mostly clear.
If only the Cubbies would clear it.
Corey Seager
2 of 5
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 20
2014 stat line: (Single-A+ and Double-A) .349 BA, .402 OBP, .602 SLG, 20 HR, 97 RBI
Seager is easily the most blocked player on this list and the least likely to land a starting gig on Opening Day 2015.
Still, the kid who earned top billing among Dodgers prospects, per Baseball Prospectus, can't be ignored.
Seager's natural position is shortstop, though his pop could also translate to third base. L.A. is currently set at both positions, with shortstop Jimmy Rollins coming over in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies and veteran Juan Uribe still holding down the hot corner.
Experience matters, especially for a team in win-now mode, as the Dodgers decidedly are. But if one or both of the Rollins-Uribe combo falters even a little, Los Angeles should roll out the red carpet for Seager sooner than later.
Joc Pederson
3 of 5
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 22
2014 stat line: (Triple-A) .303 BA, .435 OBP, .582 SLG, 33 HR, 30 SB
Speaking of the Dodgers, they've got another blue-chipper with an excellent shot at cracking the Opening Day roster.
After winning the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2014, Pederson was called up in the heat of a pennant race. He nabbed a few starts but ultimately hit just .143 in 18 games and was left off the Dodgers' National League Division Series squad.
Now, after L.A. traded away Matt Kemp to clear its outfield logjam, Pederson is in the mix for an everyday job.
As the Los Angeles Times' Steve Dilbeck postulates:
"The front office staff clearly want him to win a job, because if he doesn’t, they’re in something of a fix. They don’t want to sit a young player like that, and he really has nothing to prove back in the minors.
He’ll essentially have to beat out Andre Ethier—if Ethier’s not traded—for a starting spot. If you look at Ethier’s career-low numbers from last season, maybe you'd think that isn’t too tall an order. But if you look at Ethier’s career numbers and how much Pederson struggled in his short-lived time with the Dodgers, it’s hardly certain either.
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Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers' new president of baseball operations, cut his teeth with the small-market Tampa Bay Rays. So don't expect Ethier's contract or track record to impede Pederson, assuming the youngster holds his own in spring training.
In other words: If Pederson winds up getting blocked, he'll have no one to blame but himself.
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Mookie Betts
4 of 5
Team: Boston Red Sox
Age: 22
2014 stat line: (Double-A and Triple-A) .346 AVG, .431 OBP, .529 SLG, 11 HR, 33 SB
The Red Sox made ample noise this offseason, overhauling the starting rotation and inking Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to solidify the offense.
Boston's biggest upgrade, though, might have been under its nose all along.
Betts doesn't currently rank among the top three on the Red Sox's outfield depth chart, per MLB.com, though skipper John Farrell told ESPNBoston.com's Kyle Brasseur that Betts is "clearly a candidate" to hit leadoff in Beantown.
For now, center field at Fenway belongs to Cuban import Rusney Castillo, who has logged just 36 big league at-bats.
Meanwhile, Ramirez, an infielder for his entire nine-year MLB career, is penciled into left field. And Shane Victorino, who missed most of 2014 and ultimately underwent back surgery, is the projected starter in right.
"If you think there’s somebody better...be my guest," Victorino told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford in November.
Expect Betts, who has drawn comparisons to former Boston star Jacoby Ellsbury, to accept that challenge.
Noah Syndergaard
5 of 5
Team: New York Mets
Age: 22
2014 stat line: (Triple-A) 4.60 ERA, 1.481 WHIP, 133 IP, 145 SO, 9.8 SO/9
Syndergaard has been the subject of trade speculation all winter, including a long-whispered deal that would bring shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from Colorado to the Big Apple.
For now, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the two clubs are "far apart."
That's good news for Mets fans, who should be wary of the oft-injured Tulo and excited to see the hard-throwing Syndergaard in action.
On the other hand, a potential trade isn't the only thing standing between the young right-hander and his Mets debut.
New York's rotation is presently bursting at the seams, with reigning National League Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom joined by promising 24-year-old right-hander Zack Wheeler, plus a pair of 28-year-olds in left-hander Jon Niese and right-hander Dillon Gee.
Veteran Bartolo Colon rounds out the ostensible starting five, but things will get even more crowded when former ace Matt Harvey returns from Tommy John surgery, possibly as early as the April 13 home opener, per the New York Post's Kevin Kernan.
The best option would be for the Amazin's to trade an arm (or two) who isn't Syndergaard. Gee, Niese and Colon have been mentioned in various rumors, but with the glut of quality arms on the market, no deal appears imminent.
One way or another, New York needs to get Syndergaard on the Citi Field hill.
As with every other player on this list, the future is now—or at least very soon.
All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
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