Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals Series Will Showcase MLB's Future

Like pretty much every other Boston sports fan, I am hoping that the Celtics can finish off the Miami Heat tonight in Game 6 so that nothing will distract me from the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals game on Saturday night.

Think about it, Will Middlebrooks playing in the same game as Bryce Harper..

If that isn't appointment viewing, I'm not sure what is.

This season, Middlebrooks has proven himself worthy of being the American League Rookie of the Year, while Bryce Harper has shown that he is not all hype, he is substance and raw talent.

So far, Middlebrooks has played in 27 games for the Red Sox. In that time, he has batted .321 with a .345 OBP, .557 SLG for an impressive .902 OPS.

In 106 at-bats, he has 34 hits, 13 of which for extra bases with 22 RBI and 14 runs scored.

To put things in perspective, Middlebrooks has the best batting average on the Red Sox for any player who has appeared in 25 games or more. He is fifth on the team in home runs with six, having played half as many games as the team leader, David Ortiz, with 13 in 56 games.

His OPS places him third on the team behind Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

As for Bryce Harper, the 19-year-old has played in 34 games for the Nationals.

In that time, he has put together a .285/.369/.515/.885 batting line with 37 hits, 16 of which for extra bases. Harper has 14 RBI and has scored 23 runs.

Respectively, Harper owns the second-best batting average on the Nationals. He is fourth on the team in RBI and tied for third in home runs.

This injection of youth is just what Major League Baseball needs. This Saturday, fans in Boston and Washington will be treated to some of the best youngsters in the game.