The MLB season will see several young players blossom into stars.
Young players will cause below-average teams to look forward to their futures and make veterans expendable on current contenders.
These four players will stand above the rest of baseball’s blue-chip talents:
Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals
Hosmer will eventually be the best first baseman in baseball. That will not happen this year, but he will show he is destined for stardom.
Hosmer hits for average and power. He shows great patience at the place and will continue to develop as he sees more pitches.
Defensively, Hosmer is elite. He has excellent range and instincts.
The Royals have one of the best young crops of players in baseball. Hosmer is the centerpiece and should be coveted by fantasy baseball owners.
He will eventually hit between 30 and 40 home runs and knock in 100 runs while hitting above .300.
Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Jennings will make Rays fans forget Carl Crawford sooner rather than later.
Jennings has incredible speed and a solid all-around game at the dish. He lacks huge power but sprays the ball to all fields. His best asset is his speed because of his gap power.
Crawford is a bigger name at this point, but Jennings is cut from the same cloth. He will lead the Rays for years to come.
Fantasy owners will love Jennings’ speed. He will swipe at least 40 bases a year.
If Jennings develops more power, he will be a can’t-miss fantasy player. His speed and contact combination will make owners drool either way.
Matt Moore, P, Tampa Bay Rays
Moore will win a Cy Young in his career. He is among the premier left-handers in baseball, and he is just a rookie.
Moore’s power stuff from the left side is unparalleled. He throws in the high-90s and has a sharp, biting slider. If he develops his changeup, he will be unhittable.
The Rays boast one of the best young pitching staffs in the game today. Moore will be the staff ace once he polishes his dominant repertoire.
Moore became a pitcher instead of just a thrower over the course of his minor league career.
Fantasy owners need to jump on Moore now. He is a dream scenario for anyone controlling a keeper league team.
Dustin Ackley, 2B, Seattle Mariners
Ackley has excellent bat control and makes great contact at the plate because of it. The Mariners will be very happy with what he becomes and so will fantasy owners.
Defensively, Ackley is still developing his handle as a second baseman. He may never be an elite defensive player, but he will hit well enough to make fans forget any shortcomings.
Ackley just flat-out understands how to hit. He squares up the ball and can hit to any part of the field.
He has enough speed to hurt teams on balls in the gap, but not enough to steal a ton of bases.
Fantasy owners can expect Ackley to hit well over. 300, with 15-20 home runs. He will be a very capable option at the top of the Mariners’ order for a long time.
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