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It may be only a few months into the baseball season, but some young players are already starting to become household names. Whether they play in the outfield, behind the plate, or on the mound they’re making an impact in their early careers.

Stephen Strasburg, the most hyped pitcher in recent memory, has played better than expected. In his major league debut, Strasburg tied the Nationals franchise by record fanning 14 batters in seven innings without walking a single batter. Now that’s how a way to start your career.

In only three starts, Strasburg has a 2-0 record with 32 K’s and a mere 5 walks. In 19.1 innings, he’s given up only 10 hits and has a 1.86 ERA.

Strasburg has already made a case to be an All-Star selection, and with stats like those how can you disagree. His fastball can clock at over 100 miles per hour and his curveball can drop eight inches at times. His circle change is also a deadly pitch that can reach 90 miles per hour. With pitches like that, it’s hard to image anyone can get a hit off this guy.

It’s obvious Strasburg has a bright future ahead of him, and I have a feeling we will see him become one of the most elite pitchers in the game. We can only image what’s to come from this 21-year-old phenom.

Jason Heyward, the Spring Training break-out right fielder, started his MLB career with a homer and hasn’t let up. He’s batting .263 with 11 homers and 44 RBI’s, not to mention coming through in a few crucial moments this season.
When runners are in scoring position with two outs, Heyward is batting .353 with 14 RBI’s off of 12 hits. Also, with the bases loaded Heyward is 4-12 with nine RBI’s. Can you say clutch?

26 of Heyward’s 62 hits have resulted in extra bases and you can tell the Braves are happy with his production. Heyward seems to be a future star in the MLB.

Florida’s recent call up Mike Stanton is already making an impact. The right fielder, like Heyward, has only played in ten games but contributed eight RBI’s off of nine hits.

Stanton has been clutch in his own way by hammering a grand slam already. He’s also had two stolen bases and has yet to be caught stealing. His career may have just begun, but Stanton is already showing promise.

The final rookie standout I’ll be writing about is San Francisco’s Buster Posey. When he made his 2010 debut on May 29th, he already showed he was a future standout.

His stats from his 2010 debut: four at-bats, three hits, and three RBI’s in a 12-1 win. The following day: five at-bats, three hits, two doubles, one RBI in a 6-5 win. A pretty good series from the Florida State alum.
Now, Posey’s average has dropped, but .310 is nothing to be upset about. In 19 games, he’s had seven RBI’s and a home-run with only six strikeouts. Posey’s natural position is catcher, but he’s played 17 games at first base with only two behind the plate. From day one he’s been a stud, and he hasn’t disappointed since.

As you can see, baseball has seen some amazing new talent this year even before the All-Star break. I can’t wait to see these players develop as they mature into stars. Hopefully the recent draftees can follow in their footsteps to make the MLB that much more exciting.

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