Baseball's Next Generation

Baseball's Next Generation
Cody Goggin
9-3-13  7:18 pm

OWENSVILLE, MO-When you think about the history of baseball, you think of generations. The generation of Ruth, Gehrig, and Hornsby comes to mind for the 20’s and 30’s, while then other generations come into play such as Williams and DiMaggio, or Mantle, Aaron, and Mays, or even McGwire, Bonds, and Sosa*. The next generation of baseball has arrived. Many of the players making an impact now could be the future greats that are remembered forever. Maybe in 30 or 40 years they will be talking about the era of Trout, Strasburg, Harper, Harvey, Machado, and Bundy. 

            Mike Trout arrived in the major leagues early in 2012, and instantly rose to stardom. From making jumping, homerun-saving catches to swiping bases, to hitting long home runs, Trout does it all. He is easily one of the most exciting and most popular players in the game right now. After winning Rookie of the Year in his first season for the Los Angeles Angels, it will be interesting to see what Trout can do in the future, especially since he is only 22 years old and will likely have another 15 years or more in the league to chase down some of the greats.

            Bryce Harper’s story is very comparable to Trout’s. Both players were called up at about the same time last season and they were both Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues last season. Both players also have very similar playing styles as well and both play the outfield. These two players could be the next Mantle and Mays with the comparisons between them and the rivalry that could develop between them in the future.

            Harper’s teammate on the Washington Nationals is starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Drafted with the number one pick in the draft the year before Harper, Strasburg had high expectations to live up to.  Strasburg has had some arm issues in his professional career, but he has now overcome them and shown that he will be the pitcher of the future for the Nats. Strasburg is the kind of pitcher that could become the horse of the staff with his nasty breaking balls and overpower fastball. This is one pitcher that will likely win a Cy Young award or two before it is all said and done.

            Matt Harvey is the other promising pitcher in the league right now. He also just happens to be the cross-division rival of Strasburg and the Nationals. However, in the current day, Harvey’s New York Mets are not relevant and likely will not be for the next couple of years. Harvey pitched well enough in the first part of this season to start the All-Star Game, and was receiving Cy Young consideration in his first full season! Harvey has hit a bit of a setback though as of late as he has suffered a partially torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his elbow and is out for at least all of this season, and if it requires surgery then he will also miss the whole 2014 season. This may hurt Harvey’s future, but he could also come back stronger than ever.

            The future of the Baltimore Orioles seems to be safe since it will be in the hands of Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy. Almost every baseball fan must have heard of Machado by now, however, not everyone has heard of Bundy. Machado is actually a shortstop, but he has been filling Baltimore’s hole at third base in 2013, his first full season. Machado has been impressive at the hot corner with both his bat and his glove by leading the American League in doubles so far this year, and also showing shades of Brooks Robinson on defense. Machado is a safe backbone to any franchise. Dylan Bundy is the only player I have on this list that has not yet played a game in the majors. This is because he had to have arm surgery this season and will be out most of this season and next, however, before this year he was the top-rated pitching prospect and was supposed to be the future ace of the Orioles’ staff. I think Bundy could still be this dominant force in the future, whether it’s in 2015, or in the years beyond.

            These are just a few of the many players that are in their early 20’s and will likely be around and dominant for the next decade or two. This could be a group of players to go down in history, but these players could also be disappointments or hit snags in their careers. But looking at who is in the MLB now and who is one their way, I think it is safe to say that Baseball is in good hands for the years to come.