Is this a golden era for young talent in MLB?
It’s easy to get carried away and to exaggerate things in the present; a new big thing today always seems bigger than what came yesterday because you’re living the excitement in the here and now. Comparing different eras is also difficult.
What is true is that there’s never been a time when baseball fans across North America and the rest of the world knew so much about the talent coming through the amateur draft and working their way through the Minors. There are lots of people writing and talking on the internet about prospects and that feeds the hype machine in building up anticipation for debuts.
To claim that we’ve never had so many good young players coming into the game as we have had over the past few years is probably an exaggeration, yet we definitely have a greater appreciation of it.
The fact that there was so much hype around Kris Bryant’s (delayed) MLB debut earlier this season is exactly what the sport needs to build up stars for the future and this week is proving to be a real headline-grabber too.
It was always marked down in the calendar that this would be ‘prospect week’ thanks to the amateur draft taking place on Monday.
Having Carlos Correra, the number one pick from the 2012 draft, make his Major League debut on the same day for the Houston Astros gave everyone else more reason to be excited about what their team’s top selections from the draft could well turn into a few years down the line.
The announcement that the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins will be promoting their top prospects, shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Byron Buxton respectively, for the MLB debuts on Sunday has now added to the excitement.
Whether this is a golden era or not is something that can only be established years from now when we know quite what all this young potential actually turned into, and to put it all into some historical context.
For now, let’s just revel in the excitement and enjoy seeing how all these young players make their way in the game.