Baseball is skewing younger. As pitch velocity increases and rule changes place more value on defensive range and baserunning, teams are trusting young players more and getting more out of them.
The traditional bias against inexperience has been replaced with trust in fast-twitch athleticism and better competition below the major league level as preparation. Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana, 23, for instance, played just 135 minor league games after being drafted first overall two years ago out of Oregon State. In the minors the past two years he saw an average fastball velocity of 93.0 mph. In the majors, it’s only one tick above that, at 94 mph. He has flourished with a .841 OPS. Only three Cleveland U-25 rookies have ever posted an OPS that high, all at least 46 years ago: Joe Sewell (1921), Hal Trosky (1934) and “Super” Joe Charboneau (1980).
The trend toward U-25 players includes these facts:
- There are 42 qualified U-25 hitters for a second straight season, the most in back-to-back seasons since 1977–78.
- Among those U-25 qualified hitters this year, 29 have an OPS+ of at least 100, the most in any season in AL/NL history.
- The six teams who have given the most plate appearances to U-25 hitters include five teams with winning records (Nationals, Cardinals, White Sox, Guardians, Marlins) and one team just two games under .500 (Athletics). Basically, pick any surprise team this year and they’re getting it done by leaning into young hitters.
- For only the third time in the past 17 seasons, U-25 hitters are outperforming the major league average. Here is a chart that shows the year-by-year OPS of U-25 hitters relative to the league average since 2010:
U-25 OPS Relative to League Average
- It’s a similar story on the pitching side. Pitchers U-25 are outperforming the overall MLB ERA for the first time in any full season since 2013:
U-25 ERA Relative to League Average
On both sides of the ball, youth wins. With that trend in mind, imagine an All-Star Game in which it’s U-25 vs. The Rest of the Baseball World. New Guard vs. Old Guard. Generation Next vs. Generation Now. Youth vs. Experience. Just imagine the U-25 pitching staff. The over-25 crowd can’t match the power of Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, Cam Schlittler and Chase Burns.
For now, we can only imagine such a team. In the spirit of how the game is played today, here is your 25-and-under All-Star team:
Catcher: Drake Baldwin, Braves (Age 25)
In a shallow field at this position (Samuel Basallo, Carter Jensen, Dalton Rushing), Baldwin is a clear standout. The former high school hockey star has a quick, slashing stroke built to hit to all fields. Catchers typically need a few years to develop, but Baldwin looks like the rare plug-and-play star at the position. He could be only the fifth U-25 catcher in the past 50 years to post a 140 OPS+ in a qualified season, joining Mike Piazza, Joe Mauer, Alex Avila and Buster Posey.
First Base: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (23)
Since 1940, only four U-25 players reached base more times in their first 194 games than Kurtz’s 342 times on base: Ted Williams, Frank Thomas, Barney McCosky and Charlie Keller. Sure, the West Sacramento bandbox helps him (he slugs .629 there), but Kurtz’s power, discipline and the ability to move his contact point deep in the zone play anywhere at any age.
Second Base: JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals (23)
Flip a coin here between Wetherholt and Bazzana. Both are dynamic leadoff hitters with patience and pop. Give Wetherholt the edge with range on defense and an earlier start to the season.
Shortstop: Elly De La Cruz, Reds (24)
Sorry (deep breath), Kevin McGonigle, Zach Neto, Colson Montgomery, CJ Abrams, Masyn Wynn, Gunnar Henderson, Konnor Griffin and Colt Emerson. The position, the traditional spot where clubs are mostly likely to go young, is loaded. The game has never seen someone like Cruz, a 6-foot-6, switch-hitting middle infielder with power and elite speed. Only outfielder Eric Davis ever reached Cruz’s totals of 72 homers and 149 steals through four seasons—with Cruz still looking at half a season.
Third Base: Junior Caminero, Rays (22)
It still seems unfathomable that Cleveland would trade a teenager with elite bat speed after only 90 minor league games, none higher than A ball. (Such quick calls also saw Fernando Tatis Jr. and Yordan Alvarez traded.) In his first 278 games, Caminero smashed 50 doubles and 67 homers. Only six other U-25 players did that (including Tatis and Alvarez). Impressively, Caminero has decreased his chase rate each year, a sign of bigger things to come.
Outfield: James Wood, Nationals (23); Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (25); Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (24)
No room here for deserving players such as Julio Rodriguez, Jordan Walker, Riley Greene, Andy Pages, Jackson Chourio, Michael Harris II, Jac Caglionone, Sam Antonacci, Roman Anthony, Jackson Merrill and Braden Montgomery.
Wood’s easy, opposite-field power almost makes you forget about the swing-and-miss. Almost. But he is cutting down on his strikeouts and increasing his walk rate, a scary development for pitchers.
Carroll is an extra-base machine who’s playing in his fifth season while turning 26 in August. He has joined Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Medwick, Joe DiMaggio and Vada Pinson as the only U-25 players with 90 homers and 50 triples through five seasons.
Crow-Armstrong is an elite defender and baserunner with 30–40 home run power. If he can reduce his wildly high chase rate, which he is doing this year, he could be an even greater impact player.
Starting Pitchers: Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers (24); Cam Schlittler, Yankees (25); Paul Skenes, Pirates (24); Chase Burns, Reds (23); Nolan McLean, Mets (24)
Misiorowski, Skenes and Burns run 1-2-3 in strikeout rate this season. McLean comes in at No. 6 and Schlitter at No. 8. All of them have elite velocity and in McLean’s case he makes a baseball move in more and bigger ways than just about anyone else. But these guys are not just rear-back-and-fire young guns without command. These guys can pitch. Misiorowski and Schlittler are among the 10 best strike throwers in baseball.
Relief Pitchers: Grant Taylor, White Sox (24); Orion Kerkering, Phillies (25); Didier Fuentes, Braves (21)
Weirdly, no U-25 pitcher is on pace to get 10 saves. That would be the first time it happened since the save became an official statistic in 1969. It seems more of a quirk than a trend when it comes to trusting young arms late. No matter. These guys have closer’s stuff. Taylor throws a 98-mph fastball with elite extension and such a wicked, hard-diving curveball he has given up five hits on 178 of them. Kerkering dominates both lefties and righties with his fastball/sweeper combo. Fuentes, only 21, throws 97 with a splitter with elite horizontal movement.
