In baseball, maybe more than any other sport, fans gravitate toward phenoms. The thought of a pitcher that can be the next Justin Verlander or outfielder that can match the swing and power of a young Ken Griffey, Jr. can almost be more tantalizing than watching a finished product through the latter stages of a career.
The world of social media, instant gratification and, in the minds of baseball executives, cost-controllable stars equal fan interest, victories and potential.
A phenom can be described as anyone who is outstandingly talented. In sports, we add an addendum to our phenom criteria: youth.
Sure, Ryan Braun and Robinson Cano are phenomenal baseball players. They’re also old news. We know how good they’ve been and that their next likely destination in Cooperstown. While fans yearn and search for the next big thing, a list has been compiled here.
While each team in the sport would love to possess four or five of these players, it’s more fun to imagine an entire roster of phenoms.
In searching through the respective rosters around baseball, two criteria for this team became clear: First, no phenom could be older than 24. Second, no player with more than two full seasons in the big leagues would be considered.
Imagine needing to win one game using only phenoms. What would the lineup card look like? Who would toe the hill? Who closes out the ninth inning?
Let’s take a look at MLB‘s All-Phenom Team.