Come To Think Of It: Young Players Mending MLB's Post-Steroid Reputation

Much has been said and written about the impact to Major League Baseball's brand reputation due to the number of its stars that have been implicated and/or busted for using performance-enhancing drugs.

And with good reason. Players like Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and Manny Ramirez have tarnished baseball and turned off both young and veteran baseball observers alike.

That is why it is so critical for the next generation, or the post-steroid iteration of players, to come along and do well while playing the game right, so that baseball can move forward and regain the trust of the American public.

Trust has to be earned, and it will take time. But there are several emerging young ballplayers who are doing their best to restore confidence in the game we love.

Are they clean? We don't know. But since perception is more important than reality in the world of sports—at least it seems that way—I'm willing to bet (oops, bad reference Pete Rose fans) that if baseball's young, up and coming stars can keep their names off of the rap sheet, baseball can begin to turn around its reputation.

While our eyes may never view the game as innocently again, I believe it is possible for us to start believing that the players we are watching are doing it the right way—the clean way—and doing it well.

We'll never know for sure, of course. And, we must learn from what has transpired, and part of that learning includes never being blind to obvious warning signs. Yet, in my humble opinion, that doesn't preclude baseball from being fun again.

We long for the day when contracts and PEDs take a back seat to the often graceful and amazing performance of the major league ballplayer.

Cheating in one form or another has always been part of the MLB landscape. Whether it was amphetamines ("greenies"), spitballs, sign stealing, or corked bats, to believe that the game of baseball was completely pure prior to the steroid era would be like believing in the Easter Bunny.

Now I know and appreciate the elevated severity of what has transpired in this era, especially since precious records have fallen to the dirty hands of scum like Barry Bonds.

But we can do one of two things. We can stay disgusted and leave the sport behind forever, like some did after the strike year (though I suspect they eventually came back).

Or, we can try and accept what has happened and look forward in a positive light. I will choose to do the latter.

It is with this hope in mind that I present this list of young players who may lead the way out of the abyss and back into our good graces.

All of these players are under the age of 26, none have been stained by steroids (yet), and I'm equally certain I have missed someone along the way. So, feel free to offer your own examples as well.

Nick Markakis and Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles

The O's, in fact, have several young players who are projecting a solid future, not only for the franchise, but for the sport as well.

Markakis, 25, is off to a strong start this season, with a line of.349/.429/.579. In 497 career games, Markakis is hitting .303.

Jones was the main acquisition by Baltimore in the Erik Bedard trade to Seattle. The smooth fielding centerfielder is tearing it up in only his second full season, hitting .363 with eight home runs.

And let's not forget that they have a young catcher waiting in the wings who you may have heard of. His name is Matt Wieters.

Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

Longoria is almost too good to be true. He not only has a chance to be a great player, he even has a famous name. While he may not look quite like his namesake, the lovely Eva Longoria, he plays baseball much better (fortunately for him).

The MLB Longoria bursted onto the scene as 2008's ROY. He has power, a selective eye at the plate, and he plays terrific defense at third base.

He is on pace to break Hack Wilson's all-time RBI record, with 45 RBI in 32 games. Oh yeah, and he's hitting .363 with 11 homers, by the way.

Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

Despite being only 24, Zimmerman is in his fourth full season in the bigs. While he's been good, he has never been quite as good as he has been this season.

The Nats third baseman is the hottest hitter in baseball right now, hitting .364 with eight homers and a ridiculous 30-game hitting streak.

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

H-Ram is only 25, but you tend to forget how young he is because he is so accomplished. Off to a great start this year, hitting .357, the shortstop has a .310/.381/.531 career line in his fourth full season.

Ramirez has also improved his defense at short, though he may someday end up in center field.

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

The 25-year-old Brewers outfielder is a hard hitting power presence in the Milwaukee lineup. He is hitting .342 with eight homers and a .457 OBP thus far this season. 

Braun has hit 30+ homers in each of his two previous seasons in the majors, with a .305 career batting average.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals

To say that this 25-year-old right-hander has had a great season so far would be a huge understatement.

He is 6-1 with an obscene 0.51 ERA. He has walked eight while striking out 59. His only loss came in a 1-0 game against the Angels, once again proving that won-loss record is not the best way to judge a pitcher's value.

True, his career numbers prior to this season have not been eye-opening, but he had a solid 3.47 ERA last season, setting the stage for a possible breakout year in 2009.

Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers

This 24 year-old righty is quietly having himself a terrific season so far. He's 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 2009 and is 40-20 in his career with a very solid 3.25 ERA.

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

The 24-year-old won the NL Cy Young award in 2008, posting an impressive 18-5 record with a 2.62 ERA and 265 K's in 227 innings pitched. Off to another solid start this year, he has an ERA of 3.25 in 64 career starts.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

The 25-year-old first baseman has quietly flown under the radar. But his .312/.386/.523 line in 204 career games speaks much louder.

Votto is off to a great start this year as well. He is hitting .374 with a .477 OBP.

Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

The diminutive second baseman won the AL MVP last season. In 359 career games, Pedroia has a .314/.373/.455 line.

David Wright and Jose Reyes, New York Mets

It's hard to believe that both Wright and Reyes are only 25, as both have accomplished so much in such a short period of time. The Mets leadoff hitter's OBP has been improving each year, and he has already stolen 300 bases in his career.

Meanwhile, David Wright has a career line of .317/.397/.504, with an OPS of .901.

Honorable mention: Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto, Reds; Yovani Gollardo, Milwaukee Brewers; Josh Johnson, Marlins; Matt Cain, Giants; Matt Garza, Rays; Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox; Justin Upton, Diamondbacks.