The Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees swapped Michael Pineda and Jesus Montero Friday night, in a trade that boiled down to a trade of two organizations’ most polished future stars.
It all began with a tweet, from Jerry Crasnick of ESPN: “The #Mariners are moving closer to a trade for a young impact hitter, two baseball sources confirmed.”
The details swirled forth relatively quickly from there, but for a few minutes, that left interested parties wondering: To whom could such a tweet refer? Who, in the game today, constitutes a “young impact hitter”?
Every source one would consult on the issue might give a different answer, of course, but it seemed safe to assume that player would have some MLB experience, however small an amount, and obviously, that his ceiling would be as a top- or middle-of-the-order batter.
Not that many such guys exist, of course; that’s what makes Seattle’s acquisition of Montero special. Of those who are out there, though, here are the 20 best “young impact hitters” in baseball today.