MLB's 25 Best Players 25 Years Old or Younger

Major League Baseball has never been more loaded with young superstars. Players with less than or equal to 25 years of life experience have taken charge of the sport.

Although they prefer to liken themselves to MLB's elite, regardless of age, we'll take this opportunity to compare these emerging/established individuals to one another in a top-25 slideshow.

Our objective is to determine who's best right now based on game footage and advanced stats rather than future potential.

Nearly 300 players born after this date in 1987 have represented an MLB team on the field this season. Each of them received some consideration.

All stats provided by FanGraphs unless otherwise noted and have been updated through the games of Aug. 12.

Notable 26-Year-Olds

If there's an outstanding young player with MLB experience absent from the following list, it's because he already celebrated his 26th birthday.

For the first time in his major league career, Buster Posey is healthy down the stretch for a San Francisco Giants team that is not going to win the World Series.

However, the mediocrity of his teammates hasn't affected his performance. He's once again thriving in each of the triple-slash categories, as well as OPS+.

Arguably baseball's most underrated power source, Jay Bruce has maintained a slugging percentage above .500 for the second straight summer (albeit at the expense of his strikeout rate). Bruce also possesses one of baseball's best outfield arms.

Jason Kipnis has absolutely annihilated the rest of the league since a shaky month of April. His 36-game on-base streak earlier this year was one of the longest by any player in 2013, and without Kipnis, the Cleveland Indians probably wouldn't have a pulse in the American League Wild Card race.

Center fielders Austin Jackson (Detroit Tigers) and Desmond Jennings (Tampa Bay Rays) make huge impacts with their gloves and agility. Their plate discipline and respectable power also help tremendously.

Yu Darvish became the first pitcher this season to exceed 200 strikeouts. He has allowed barely a baserunner per inning despite making the majority of his starts in hitter-friendly Arlington, Texas.

Limited major league experience isn't hindering the right-hander, who's right alongside Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez and Hiroki Kuroda in the AL Cy Young Award discussion.

Honorable Mentions

Eric Hosmer and Anthony Rizzo have already established themselves as everyday first basemen. At this point, unfortunately, they aren't getting on base as frequently as they should be.

Both have been incredibly streaky at the plate. Hosmer is performing better this season, but he lacks Rizzo's extra-base potential and defensive steadiness.

The future also seems bright for late-inning relievers Aroldis Chapman and Trevor Rosenthal. Both love firing their fastballs, which is not surprising considering the extraordinary velocity they generate.

The knock against Chapman is his bloated walk rate so far in 2013 and reliance on fly balls, while Rosenthal has been surrendering hits with surprisingly frequency.

A trio of Atlanta Braves pitchers just barely missed the cut: Luis Avilan, Mike Minor and Julio Teheran.

Avilan's superb results as a setup guy are misleading due to a microscopic BABIP and high strand rate. As an extreme fly-ball pitcher, Minor is reaping the benefits of an athletic defensive outfield and wouldn't be seen as a rotation leader on other teams. A dark horse for National League Rookie of the Year, Teheran has lasted at least five innings in every start this summer. His mediocrity against left-handed batters, meanwhile, is a glaring concern.

Although dominant, some youngsters simply don't have enough major league performances to be adequately evaluated. This includes batters with fewer than 200 plate appearances—Brad Miller and Wil Myers, for example—and starting pitchers below 100 total innings at the highest level, like Tony Cingrani, Gerrit Cole, Jarred Cosart and Zack Wheeler.

Jeff Locke, Jarrod Parker and Jacob Turner don't have the necessary strikeout ability to consistently escape from jams. They'll often waste pitches trying to induce swings-and-misses, only to find themselves removed from games prematurely.

Infielders Jose Altuve and Jose Iglesias have already secured everyday jobs. It's encouraging to see them demonstrate their great contact skills, but neither have been particularly disciplined or powerful at the plate. At least we can trust them to make an impact with their legs and glove, respectively.

Former top prospects Shelby Miller and Matt Moore can be outstanding on any given night, as evidenced by the complete-game shutouts each has thrown this year. However, they seldom get through seven innings due to maddening problems with pitch efficiency.

Domonic Brown, Starling Marte and Jean Segura rank among the most athletic players in the sport. Ultimately, though, it was impossible to justify their inclusion when several other 25-and-under players have significantly more experience and comparable success at their positions.

25. Patrick Corbin (Arizona Diamondbacks)

DOB: 7/19/1989

Career Stats: 263.1 IP, 3.25 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 179/57 K/BB, 4.7 fWAR

2013 Stats: 156.1 IP, 2.36 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 133/41 K/BB, 3.4 fWAR

Based solely of his results this season, you might think Patrick Corbin is underrated at the No. 25 spot.

However, all signs point to serious regression, if not later this summer, then certainly in 2014 and beyond. Bleacher Report's own Kerry Miller has the specifics about the Arizona Diamondbacks defense and how luck has been on Corbin's side.

Still, he's a nightmare for left-handed batters and would-be base stealers.

24. Jhoulys Chacin (Colorado Rockies)

DOB: 1/7/1988

Career Stats: 561.1 IP, 3.54 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 436/231 K/BB, 10.0 fWAR

2013 Stats: 150.0 IP, 3.18 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 90/40 K/BB, 3.9 fWAR

It's tough for Colorado Rockies pitchers to get respect, as the unforgiving altitude of Coors Field distorts their numbers.

Jhoulys Chacin has thrived in 2013, even as his fastball velocity and strikeout rate steadily decline. The right-hander overcomes the limitations of his stuff by attacking the strike zone early and often. He has pitched seven straight quality starts, including five consecutive outings of at least seven innings.

Chacin's success, unfortunately, is somewhat misleading. He's allowing only one home run per 30 innings this season, which obviously cannot be sustained, and his recent opponents have included the Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets and San Diego Padres.

23. Starlin Castro (Chicago Cubs)

DOB: 3/24/1990

Career Stats: 2,426 PA, .287/.325/.410, .320 wOBA, 34 HR, 65 SB, 8.1 fWAR

2013 Stats: 514 PA, .249/.285/.354, .282 wOBA, 7 HR, 8 SB, -0.2 fWAR

Starlin Castro had surreal success through age 22: 529 hits, a 105 OPS+ and two NL All-Star selections. That culminated in a $60 million contract extension, guaranteed through the end of the decade.

Understandably, the Chicago Cubs gave him the benefit of the doubt when six weeks of the 2013 season had passed and Castro was still sporting a sub-.300 on-base percentage.

His struggles persisted, however. The promotion of Junior Lake from Triple-A and activation of David DeJesus from the disabled list have since forced Castro lower down in the lineup.

22. Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)

DOB: 5/10/1990

Career Stats: 824 PA, .295/.325/.430, .326 wOBA, 18 HR, 5.4 fWAR

2013 Stats: 361 PA, .275/.307/.377, .299 wOBA, 4 HR, 1.6 fWAR

In terms of defensive prowess, Salvador Perez could be the best backstop in the American League. His 33.3 caught-stealing percentage in the majors supports that claim, as does the dramatic improvement in Kansas City Royals pitching in 2013, his first full season as the club's starter.

His batting has always shown promise, too. Perez posted a .834 OPS and .798 OPS in 2011 and 2012, respectively, only striking out about once every 10 plate appearances.

Leapfrogging some of his 25-and-under peers will hinge on the Venezuelan native breaking free from the first prolonged slump of his MLB career. He's slashing only .188/.250/.238 since July 8 with four extra-base hits.

21. Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers)

DOB: 8/26/1988

Career Stats: 3,110 PA, .272/.338/.345, .308 wOBA, 15 HR, 153 SB, fWAR

2013 Stats: 519 PA, .255/.316/.307, .281 wOBA, 1 HR, 30 SB, fWAR

Elvis Andrus' past production landed him in this top 25.

If not for a sophomore slump back in 2010, this would be the weakest statistical season of his major league career. Andrus has not recorded more than five extra-base hits in any 2013 calendar month.

He compensates for a light bat with tons of productive outs, great baserunning and excellence in the field.

Andrus also deserves praise for his durability. The Venezuelan native has participated in 93.2 percent of Texas Rangers games since 2009. Among MLB shortstops, only Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox has him beat in that span.

20. Andrelton Simmons (Atlanta Braves)

DOB: 9/4/1989

Career Stats: 684 PA, .254/.298/.374, .294 wOBA, 14 HR, 6 SB, 5.2 fWAR

2013 Stats: 502 PA, .241/.285/.359, .283 wOBA, 11 HR, 5 SB, 2.9 fWAR

Every generation has an otherworldly defensive shortstop that makes this game look too easy.

The baseball gods gave us Luis Aparicio, then Dave Conception, followed by Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel. Now, it's Andrelton Simmons' time.

His ridiculous range and arm strength have put him on the verge of setting a new record for most defensive runs saved in a single season. Aside from making the jaw-dropping plays that his peers cannot, Simmons seldom screws up the routine ones (.986 career fielding percentage).

At first glance, he might appear to be a liability at the plate. In reality, he possesses slightly above-average power at short, not to mention excellent contact skills.

His chief weaknesses going forward include raw baserunning and impatience in the batter's box.

19. Kyle Seager (Seattle Mariners)

DOB: 11/3/1987

Career Stats: .270/.330/.434, .334 wOBA, 40 HR, 21 SB, 7.8 fWAR

2013 Stats: .290/.357/.472, .361 wOBA, 17 HR, 5 SB, 3.5 fWAR

The Seattle Mariners have been remarkably inept at signing amateur position players and developing them into stars. Kyle Seager is on track to be the first guy since Alex Rodriguez to meet those specifications.

From a slugging standpoint, he's been improving every summer. Seager's discipline is also trending in the right direction, as evidenced by his 2013 average of 4.00 pitches per plate appearance and low swinging strike percentage.

The 25-year-old won't make many flashy plays at the hot corner, but he's, overall, an adequate defender at the position.

18. Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers)

DOB: 9/30/1987

Career Stats: 205.1 IP, 2.15 ERA, FIP, 0.91 WHIP, 323/72 K/BB, fWAR

2013 Stats: 59.2 IP, 1.96 ERA, FIP, 0.82 WHIP, 87/9 K/BB, fWAR

It's no wonder that the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to convert Kenley Jansen to a reliever after five inconsistent seasons behind the plate. Nobody wants to stand in the batter's box as a 6'5", 260-pounder pounds you with mid-90s cutters.

Ascending to the mound expedited Jansen's journey to the big leagues, and he's been whiffing the world's best in droves since debuting for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010. His victims have labored for an anemic .160/.244/.252 batting line through 199 career appearances.

An irregular heartbeat nearly derailed his career, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com details:

"

His cardiologist recommended he undergo a procedure known as a catheter ablation. Jansen was ready to put the condition behind him. In October, he was anesthetized for three hours while a doctor threaded small, flexible tubes from veins in his groin to his heart, where he zapped the heart tissue that was triggering the irregular beats. Jansen spent two months in Los Angeles recovering, then a month in his native Curacao, and now he's under no restrictions...

"

Now Jansen can focus on inciting health scares in his overmatched opposition.

17. Justin Upton (Atlanta Braves)

DOB: 8/25/1987

Career Stats: 3.518 PA, .276/.356/.476, .360 wOBA, 130 HR, 87 SB, 18.3 fWAR

2013 Stats: 488 PA, .267/.355/.482, .362 wOBA, 22 HR, 7 SB, 2.8 fWAR

If it's not evident from the above numbers, Justin Upton has plateaued. The former No. 1 overall draft selection is about to graduate from this list while occupying a spot lower than the one he had a couple years ago.

Upton's power is back after a summer-long hiatus, and he continues to add value as a baserunner. Now in his seventh (!) season in the majors, the outfielder doesn't whiff quite as often as he used to.

With the exception of his wonderful 2011 campaign, Upton has been maddeningly inconsistent. When locked in, he's arguably the best position player in the National League, but we've only seen that version of him in brief spurts.

16. Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)

DOB: 9/12/1989

Career Stats: 1,733 PA, .279/.353/.457, .351 wOBA, 57 HR, 9 SB, 5.2 fWAR

2013 Stats: 454 PA, .310/.390/.478, .379 wOBA, 14 HR, 1 SB, 2.9 fWAR

The 23-year-old hasn't yet demonstrated power comparable to Paul Goldschmidt or other elite first basemen, but because of his other skills, Freddie Freeman rivals most of them in overall value.

Unlike several of the more highly paid regulars on the Atlanta Braves, he has respectable contact skills. Freeman improves his plate discipline and WAR on an annual basis.

While Andrelton Simmons undoubtedly makes his defensive duties easier, there's plenty of pizazz in his receiving and footwork. Courtesy of MLB.com, feast your eyes on a flexible stretch and a fancy-schmancy pick.

15. Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals)

DOB: 10/16/1992

Career Stats: 928 PA, .267/.347/.487, .360 wOBA, 39 HR, 24 SB, 6.5 fWAR

2013 Stats: 331 PA, .262/.359/.507, .373 wOBA, 17 HR, 6 SB, 2.0 fWAR

As previously mentioned, these rankings couldn't care less about the "ceilings" of these young players or who they might become with a few years of hard work and some lucky breaks. Otherwise, we'd have Bryce Harper fighting for the top spot.

The plain truth is that the Washington Nationals centerpiece amassed more long balls in the 2013 Home Run Derby than he has in any professional season. Top prospect recognition and NL Rookie of the Year honors don't hide his alarming platoon splits (.660 OPS in 303 PA vs. LHP).

Harper was realizing his MVP potential heading into Memorial Day, but he subsequently landed on the disabled list with knee bursitis. Since returning, he has only batted .235/.327/.417.

All his misadventures involving outfield walls suggest that the former catcher still has room to improve defensively.

14. Jose Fernandez (Miami Marlins)

DOB: 7/31/1992

Career Stats: 132.2 IP, 2.58 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 143/47 K/BB, 3.0 fWAR

2013 Stats: 132.2 IP, 2.58 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 143/47 K/BB, 3.0 fWAR

Nobody doubted that Jose Fernandez could excel at the major league level. He entered 2013 as a consensus top-10 prospect nationwide.

Even so, skipping both Double-A and Triple-A competition is virtually unheard in the sport these days. There was supposed to be a considerable adjustment period—at least a year or two—bridging his debut and eventual emergence as a Cy Young Award contender.

Meanwhile, his pitching has been speaking for itself, something along the lines of, "Nah, I'm ready for my close-up."

This is only his third professional season (minors included), so the Miami Marlins expect to shut him down in early September and take off the training wheels in 2014.

Judging by recent performance, however, there isn't any indication of fatigue. Fernandez has four double-digit strikeout games since the beginning of June, a .468 OPS against and a surreal 1.79 earned-run average in that span.

13. Craig Kimbrel (Atlanta Braves)

DOB: 5/28/1988

Career Stats: 205.2 IP, 1.40 ERA, 1.41 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, 355/79 K/BB, 8.4 fWAR

2013 Stats: 45.1 IP, 1.19 ERA, 2.05 FIP, 0.95 WHIP, 72/17 K/BB, 1.5 fWAR

Per FanGraphs, Craig Kimbrel has far and away the best WAR of any reliever since 2011. During the past two seasons, while the Atlanta Braves have been carefully monitoring his workload, his dominance has rivaled that of any individual to ever pitch exclusively out of the bullpen.

Kimbrel's career strikeout rate is easily the highest in baseball history (min. 200 IP), according to Baseball-Reference.com. Unlike most flame-throwers, the Alabama native doesn't rely on fly balls when his opposition actually makes contact.

He has mastered his role at the precious age of 25. The only reason the right-hander fails to crack the top 10 is simply because pitching so few innings limits the impact he can make over the course of a summer.

12. Mat Latos (Cincinnati Reds)

DOB: 12/9/1987

Career Stats: 793.0 IP, 3.34 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.17 WHIP, 752/245 K/BB, 13.8 fWAR

2013 Stats: 154.0 IP, 3.04 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 154/46 K/BB, 3.6 fWAR

Very few teams would continue to cruise toward a postseason berth without their ace like the Cincinnati Reds have this season. Then again, only a handful of them have a No. 2 starter who rivals Mat Latos.

Among pitchers under the age of 26, only Clayton Kershaw and the eternally ordinary Rick Porcello have more career innings pitched in the majors. In that subgroup, Latos ranks second to Kershaw in career wins above replacement.

Despite some bad luck on balls in play, the tattooed right-hander has enjoyed an excellent 2013. That's because—according to FanGraphs—he's causing more swings-and-misses than ever before and tempting batters to chase offerings outside the strike zone.

The biggest knock against Latos is his inconsistency from game to game. He too frequently fails to provide length.

11. Jason Heyward (Atlanta Braves)

DOB: 8/9/1989

Career Stats: 2,105 PA, .259/.351/.439, .347 wOBA, 69 HR, 43 SB, 15.7 fWAR

2013 Stats: 375 PA, .250/.349/.401, .334 wOBA, 10 HR, 2 SB, 2.7 fWAR

This hasn't quite been the breakout, MVP-caliber season some were expecting from Jason Heyward. A .520 OPS in April and appendectomy-related absence eliminated that possibility early on.

Since the All-Star break, however, he's been in superstar form. Only Juan Lagares has generated a higher WAR in that span among 25-and-under NL position players, according to FanGraphs.

The 24-year-old already owns one Gold Glove and seems to be a lock for the hardware again in 2013. Baserunners respect his arm and batters mutter curses under their breath all too frequently when Heyward trolls them with his athleticism. He can do it in the clutch, as this robbery in the 2012 NL Wild Card Game attests (courtesy of MLB.com).

8/25/1987

10. Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins)

DOB: 11/8/1989

Career Stats: 1,821 PA, .265/.350/.534, .377 wOBA, 106 HR, 17 SB, 12.7 fWAR

2013 Stats: 323 PA, .238/.353/.443, .351 wOBA, 13 HR, 1 SB, 1.5 fWAR

Upon returning from knee surgery last August, Giancarlo Stanton became "the man" in the middle of the Miami Marlins lineup. Hanley Ramirez had been traded and Logan Morrison suffered his own injury, so opposing pitchers knew who to focus on.

The then-22-year-old excelled down the stretch, slashing .299/.356/.701 and clobbering 18 home runs in only 43 games. That torrid quarter-season left no doubt about who possessed the best raw power in baseball.

Miami's roster is more barren than ever in 2013, and Stanton hasn't been nearly as productive. He's seeing fewer hittable pitches and struggling to lay off of them. August, in particular, is not unfolding as planned: .363 OPS, no home runs, 16 strikeouts in 39 at-bats.

Even so, we can't ignore the fact that Stanton has slugged at a historically excellent pace for a player so young.

9. Manny Machado (Baltimore Orioles)

DOB: 7/6/1992

Career Stats: 736 PA, .286/.316/.448, .331 wOBA, 17 HR, 8 SB, 6.2 fWAR

2013 Stats: 534 PA, .295/.324/.450, .337 wOBA, 10 HR, 6 SB, 4.9 fWAR

Manny Machado's durability is the stuff of legend.

The former top prospect played every single inning—regular season and postseason—for the 2012 Baltimore Orioles following his call-up in August. His consecutive games streak has continued into this summer, keeping him in contention with Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout for the 2013 lead in hits and plate appearances.

From watching him shine at third base on a daily basis, you'd never guess that he spent less than one percent of his minor league career at the position.

We're all guilty of getting a bit carried away with Machado during this season's first half, as he batted comfortably above .300 and seemed to be in legitimate pursuit of the doubles record. Even as the 21-year-old has fallen back to earth, his production still compares favorably to most others at the hot corner.

Until he shifts over to shortstop, however, and replicates his production at a position with lesser offensive expectations, it's premature to dub Machado a dominant player.

8. Yasiel Puig (Los Angeles Dodgers)

DOB: 12/7/1990

Career Stats: 262 PA, .371/.435/.591, .436 wOBA, 11 HR, 7 SB, 3.0 fWAR

2013 Stats: 262 PA, .371/.435/.591, .436 wOBA, 11 HR, 7 SB, 3.0 fWAR

This Cuba phenom is the leading reason why the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves amid the greatest hot streak in the modern era of the franchise.

Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, Yasiel Puig is only human, and humans don't maintain a .469 BABIP, regardless of bat speed and athleticism. Although the law of averages will eventually limit his value at the plate, there's still the potential for Puig to contribute more with the glove and on the basepaths...as soon as he learns to make safer decisions.

The one legitimate concern about his present and future is a lack of plate discipline. Puig has drawn only 17 unintentional walks through 61 career games while seeing a lower percentage of strikes than the average hitter does.

It would be wrong to rank him any higher when he's so reluctant to work the count.

7. Paul Goldschmidt (Arizona Diamondbacks)

DOB: 9/10/1987

Career Stats: 1,270 PA, .284/.367/.507, .375 wOBA, 55 HR, 35 SB, 8.1 fWAR

2013 Stats: 506 PA, .294/.388/.539, .396 wOBA, 27 HR, 13 SB, 4.7 fWAR

Paul Goldschmidt just barely fits into our criteria with only a few weeks remaining until his 26th birthday.

The Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star leads the National League in total bases this season as well as runs batted in. He's very sure-handed at first base and shockingly effective as a baserunner.

Although Goldschmidt's strikeout rate is worse than the league average, he isn't overwhelmed in two-strike counts or high-leverage situations.

During a season in which the Senior Circuit lacks strong MVP candidates, he could fight for the hardware down the stretch.

6. Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco Giants)

DOB: 8/1/1989

Career Stats: 688.0 IP, 3.10 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, 628/169 K/BB, 11.8 fWAR

2013 Stats: 154.0 IP, 2.75 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 0.98 WHIP, 150/45 K/BB, 2.7 fWAR

Madison Bumgarner sneaks under the radar thanks to high-profile rotation mates like Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum.

In reality, he's been the brightest star on the San Francisco Giants pitching staff during a failed season.

The large southpaw has averaged more than six and one-third innings per start since arriving in the majors, including nearly seven innings per outing this summer. Those worried that he may only be a by-product of AT&T Park need only study his home/road splits, which have been virtually identical in two of his three full seasons.

Moreover, the North Carolina native finds an extra gear on the biggest stage. In two career World Series starts, Bumgarner has totaled 15 scoreless innings while surrendering only five total hits.

5. Stephen Strasburg (Washington Nationals)

DOB: 7/20/1988

Career Stats: 397.2 IP, 2.90 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 466/110 K/BB, 10.4 fWAR

2013 Stats: 146.1 IP, 2.83 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 153/43 K/BB, 2.8 fWAR

Click back to the previous slide, then return here.

Yeah, Madison Bumgarner and Stephen Strasburg have eerily similar MLB stats, particularly in 2013. One significant difference, of course, is that the Washington Nationals play in a relatively neutral ballpark. Adjusted earned-run average takes that into consideration, hence Strasburg's 135 ERA+ since debuting three years ago.

Since undergoing Tommy John surgery, the former No. 1 overall draft selection has experienced a slight drop in velocity. There's still plenty of separation between his fastball and changeup to generate swings-and-misses. The freakish depth of his curveball and his impeccable command of it make life even more difficult for the opposition.

Strasburg helped himself with the bat in 2012, as evidenced by his .759 OPS in 53 plate appearances (won NL Silver Slugger). Unfortunately, we haven't seen any of that this season.

Fragility will continue to be a concern until he makes it through a year completely injury-free.

4. Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox)

DOB: 3/30/1989

Career Stats: 444.2 IP, 2.83 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 470/123 K/BB, 10.8 fWAR

2013 Stats: 158.1 IP, 2.73 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 167/35 K/BB, 4.2 fWAR

In his first season as an MLB starter, Chris Sale finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting. He recorded exactly a strikeout per inning and seldom failed to turn in a quality start.

Much to the chagrin of his competition, the southpaw has pitched even better in his age-24 campaign.

Adding weight to his wiry frame, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, has helped Sale maintain great velocity. He's throwing a much higher percentage of first-pitch strikes, which means fewer wasted pitches and a better chance to stay on the mound into the later innings. His 2013 total of four complete games, for example, is tied with Adam Wainwright for the MLB lead.

Sale's low arm angle and generally violent delivery leave him susceptible to significant injury, but that can't be held against him until something actually snaps.

He would be getting well-deserved international respect if the Chicago White Sox provided not-so-pitiful run support.

3. Matt Harvey (New York Mets)

DOB: 3/27/1989

Career Stats: 219.0 IP, 2.26 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 0.94 WHIP, 248/55 K/BB, 6.7 fWAR

2013 Stats: 159.2 IP, 2.09 ERA, 1.99 FIP, 0.86 WHIP, 178/29 K/BB, 5.6 fWAR

Somebody with four plus pitches and command of them all will thrive at any level of competition.

There are precious few examples of such individuals, Matt Harvey being one of them.

Opponents bat below .200 against each of his offerings. That includes a measly .189 versus his fastball, which has reached triple digits at times this summer. Through 33 career starts, Harvey has never been removed before completing at least five innings, and on all but one of those occasions, he totaled more strikeouts than walks.

The right-hander is legitimately contending for the National League Cy Young Award in his first full major league season.

2. Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers)

DOB: 3/19/1988

Career Stats: 1126.1 IP, 2.64 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 1,148/380 K/BB, 26.8 fWAR

2013 Stats: 182.1 IP, 1.88 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 0.87 WHIP, 174/39 K/BB, 5.0 fWAR

It's lonely being Clayton Kershaw. Pitching so much at the major league level with such quality distinguishes him from the rest of his generation (and the previous few).

Walter Johnson—arguably the best pitcher ever—and Hal Newhouser, a two-time league MVP, join Kershaw in meeting the following criteria: 1,000 strikeouts and 140 ERA+ through age 25.

Baseball-Reference.com gives us another way to gauge his brilliance. In 57 of 174 career starts (nearly a third of them), the sensational southpaw has lasted at least seven innings while allowing less than two earned runs.

He's simply the best in baseball, and in the coming months, the Los Angeles Dodgers will acknowledge that with a record-shattering contract extension.

1. Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)

DOB: 8/7/1991

Career Stats: 1,308 PA, .316/.398/.547, .403 wOBA, 55 HR, 79 SB, 18.5 fWAR

2013 Stats: 534 PA, .330/.425/.570, .424 wOBA, 20 HR, 26 SB, 7.8 fWAR

Mike Trout isn't the only guy ever to spend consecutive seasons as baseball's best player. The ridiculous twist is that these have been his first two seasons in the major leagues.

Trout gets on base as much as anybody and effortlessly steals his way into scoring position; he's the best right-handed power threat this side of Miguel Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton, as well as an elite defensive outfielder. And dating back to 2012, he has started 244 of the past 247 Los Angeles Angels games.

Per Baseball-Reference.com, Trout's current on-base streak is among the longest of the post-Barry Bonds era.

Enjoy every moment of it. This kind of sustained awesomeness—considering his age and the presumed absence of performance-enhancing drugs—is completely unprecedented.

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