If there is one thing that defines Major League Baseball in 2014, it is youth. All around the sport, teams are trying to build rosters through the draft and international market, and the number of long-term contracts for first- and second-year players keeps growing.
It's a great time to be a fan of player development, as players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman have all taken the league by storm in recent years. They have been joined this season by future stars like Xander Bogaerts, Yordano Ventura and Kolten Wong.
With youth being at the forefront of MLB, and with the season just getting underway, it's time to make our picks for the best of the best in the under-25 group that the sport has to offer.
The rules for the team are simple. To be eligible, a player had to be under 25 years old on Opening Day (March 31) and on the 25-man roster. There are many, many prospects who will eventually make it on this list, but for the purposes of this discussion, they don't interest us yet.
The roster consists of a full starting nine, including a designated hitter, five starting pitchers and one relief pitcher/closer. There are many choices for each position, so if a player from your team isn't on the roster, it doesn't mean we hate your favorite team/player.
Note: Stats courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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