MLB Outlook: 5 Young Sluggers Destined to Win a Home Run Derby

Nothing seems to excite baseball fans more than watching their favorite players crush balls into the seats. For that very reason, the annual Home Run Derby has become one of the most popular and anticipated spectacles of the MLB season.

It isn't just fans who love the derby, though. Players love it too. There's something about hoisting up that Derby trophy that tells the entire league that you mean business. 

Here are five young sluggers who could very well be filling up their mantles with Derby trophies in the years to come.

5) Jay Bruce

Age: 24

Career Home Runs: 89

Career Slugging Percentage: .477

Bruce can be a painfully streaky hitter at times, but no one can deny his raw power. The Cincinnati right fielder has hit at least 21 home runs in each of his four MLB seasons, and at such a young age it's scary to think about the numbers he could potentially put up in the years to come.

Don't be surprised if Bruce not only competes in, but wins one or two Home Run Derbies over the length of his baseball career.

4) Justin Upton

Age: 23

Career Home Runs: 81

Career Slugging Percentage: .487

Justin Upton doesn't hit home runs... he hits BOMBS. Arizona's leading man has ridiculous power and is developing into one of the most dangerous hitters in all of baseball. It seems it's only a matter of time until his services are requested for an upcoming Derby.

It was rumored that Milwaukee's Prince Fielder asked Upton to compete for the National League in 2011's contest, but that Upton turned down the offer. Still, something tells me he'll throw his hat in the ring one of these years, and he might just go home with some hardware.

3) Carlos Gonzalez

Age: 25

Career Home Runs: 66

Career Slugging Percentage: .513

If Carlos Gonzalez can keep himself healthy, he has absolutely unlimited potential. His 34 home runs last season turned some heads, but we're just a glimpse of the power capabilities he possesses.

"Car-Go" should continue to produce at a high level for several years, and given his knack for hitting the long ball, he could very well add "Home Run Derby Champion" to his resume.

2) Bryce Harper

Age: 18

Career Home Runs: N/A

Career Slugging Percentage: N/A

Bryce Harper is without a doubt the most hyped young hitting prospect that the sport of baseball has seen in years. While his cocky attitude has drawn the attention (and sometimes the criticism) of the media, so have his 500-foot home runs.

We've yet to see Harper in the Majors, but if the epic stories concerning this young star's potential have any truth to them, it's hard to believe that he won't be competing in (and possibly winning) a Home Run Derby sometime down the road.

1) Mike Stanton

Age: 21

Career Home Runs: 47

Career Slugging Percentage: .529

Florida's Mike Stanton swings the bat like the baseball coming toward the plate has personally wronged him in some way. At 21, the Marlins' right fielder possesses freakish power and is arguably one of the most electrifying sluggers in all of baseball.

Judging by the highlight-tape home runs he has notched over his young career, it's almost certain that Stanton will compete in several Derbies down the road. As far as I'm concerned, any Derby Stanton enters... Stanton will win.