Kuzul

The 2005 MLB Draft, perhaps the deepest and most talented draft pools of the current generation of players, has certainly not disappointed through five years, the milestone in which critical statements can be made about draft selections.

Yet, it wasn’t all about success. Many picks were marred with injury and failure from the get-go, as there were maybe as many good picks as there were busts.

In this slide-show. I will describe the careers of each draft pick thus far in their careers, grade each selection, and provide you with the player the team would probably have drafted if they were given the knowledge of how the player performed up to this point.

Let us begin with number one pick Justin Upton.

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As a fan of the New York Yankees, an American League East team, it is easy to forget about the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The last time the two faced each other was back in 2007, at the old Yankee Stadium.

Looking at the bigger picture, the D-backs pose no real threat to the Yankees, whose hopes are to repeat as World Series Champions.

Even last night’s win against the Yankees does not change this fact for Arizona.

The D-backs are currently in last place in the NL West with a 27-43 record. It is not entirely finished, but the chances of the D-backs making the postseason are pretty grim. Still, Arizona has a budding, talented ballclub with an average age of 27.

The D-backs possess one player in particular that could potentially become the best player in baseball. If this player’s progress continues, he could be one of greatest ever.

He is only 23 years old but is already in his fourth season in the majors. He has a brother who is 25 and plays for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Do you know who I am talking about?

If you guessed D-backs right fielder Justin Upton, you would be correct.

Any true baseball fan has heard of the Upton brothers.

Justin and his brother B.J. are both ridiculously talented. They are the first pair of brothers who have been drafted first and second in the first round of their respective drafts.

The obvious difference between the Upton boys is that Justin has filled out more, making him more powerful than his older brother. His biggest downfall is at the plate. Justin lacks consistency, as it is either feast or famine—he already has 92 strikeouts in 2010.

Regardless, this kid is as natural a baseball player as Robinson Cano. Remember, Cano used to swing at everything and could not hit with runners in scoring position to save his life.

Now look at Cano, the leading hitter in the majors, with talks of a batting title and MVP Award swirling everywhere. Fans have to be patient with Upton because the hints of greatness make his future surreal. It was the same with Cano.

Watching Upton hit against the Yankees last night made me drool. Then the dreams of how beneficial this kid would be in pinstripes were dancing in my head.

In 2010, Upton has 10 doubles, two triples, 13 home-runs, 38 RBIs and 30 walks. Upton is fast on the bases, as he already stolen 11 this season.

His .256 batting average is a refection of the 92 strikeouts. Looking back at 2009, Upton racked up 137 strikeouts, making this clearly the main problem.

Last night, Upton feasted on the World Champion Yankees, hitting two home runs with four RBIs. It was an absolute delight to watch, as Arizona games are rarely nationally televised and non-Diamondbacks fans do not care that much.

My guess is that baseball fans are witnessing rarefied air, as Upton continues to expand into a mega-star right before our eyes.

On the Yankee side, A.J. Burnett was a problem once again, Teixeira was broken, and once again Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher saved the team from total embarrassment.

The Yankees should not have lost this game, as first place will be gone so fast because not only the Rays, but the Red Sox, too, are ready to pounce.

Andy Pettitte will do his job, as he has all season, but the Yankee hitters have to drive in runs to win. Pettitte deserves it after his last start, which he should have won easily but lost due to cold bats.

Yankee fans deserve first place for longer than 48 hours, thank you.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Every so often, you hear people of influence connected to or interested in Major League Baseball fuss about how the black American baseball player is disappearing from the diamond.

Various reasons are given—the game’s simply not cool, it doesn’t translate to the urban setting, MLB doesn’t do a good job of reaching out to the black community, etc.

In my opinion, one of the biggest—if not most popular—reasons for the disparity in racial demographics between the Majors and the other big two American sports is the money.

More precisely, it’s the speed with which a prospect can cash in on his talent.

There is a general understanding that the riches come quicker in the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. It may be true that the average career is longer in professional baseball, but patience and forethought have never been the calling cards of youth.

Consequently, the lure of the pro contract is much stronger and the image of the pot of gold more tangible in basketball and football.

In truth, the Show will always feature a longer trek to the Promised Land. It will never be able to compete with the NBA’s stable of teenage millionaires and the NFL will remain a greener league because virtually all of its players enter before the age of 23.

However, there’s a fresh breath of air blowing through baseball these days. The last couple of years have seen an influx of super-young, super-talented ballplayers who’ve made an impact right away.

As this collection of pulse-racing ability will attest, the path to the big leagues is getting shorter for the truly elite blue-chippers. Understand, these aren’t guys with a shot at being just average or even good.

This is a list of 15 superstars in the making who will ring in 2011 shy of their 24th birthdays.

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