Baseball fans have been spoiled with a great crop of young talent that has flooded Major League Baseball the past few years. From Kris Bryant and Francisco Lindor showcasing their skills in this past World Series matchup to Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Gary Sanchez bursting onto the scene, the future looks very bright for MLB.
The light does not stop shining with the players mentioned above, as there are plenty of players in minor league organizations that fans should get excited about donning a MLB jersey in the next few years.
In honor of 2016 Bowman's Best release, here are a few players to keep in mind when opening packs:
1. Tyler O’Neill, OF, Seattle Mariners – The No. - ranked prospect in the Mariners organization, O’Neil has excelled at every level since being drafted in 2013. The 21-year-old continued his dominance in 2016 with Double-A Jackson Generals, mashing 24 home runs and driving in 102 runs with a .293/.374/.508 slash line in 130 games.
Tyler carried over his superb 2016 season into the Arizona Fall League where he was selected to represent the West Division in the Fall Stars League Game. Tyler also made AFL history at the Bowman Hitting Challenge, becoming the first player in the event's history to hit the final ball on a tee over the fence for a home run. While he will be spending time with the big league team in Spring Training, and could see a call-up to the majors in 2017, it will most likely not be until 2018 when O’Neill becomes a mainstay in the middle of the Seattle lineup.
Bowman's Best cards to collect: Bowman Choice Autographs, Stat Lines Insert and Autograph Parallel, Best of 2016 Autographs
2. Gleyber Torres, INF, New York Yankees – Torres, originally signed out of Venezuela by the Cubs and then shipped to the Yankees as part of the Aroldis Chapman trade, has not let his age deter him from finding success. Gleyber Torres was the youngest player in Arizona Fall League history to be named MVP at age 19, after leading the league with a .403 batting average and .513 on-base percentage. There is discussion as to what position he will eventually play, but there is no denying this young man will be to contributing at the major league level in a few short years.
Bowman's Best cards to collect: Prospects Insert, Baseball America Prospect Forecast Insert, and Autograph Parallel.
3. Zack Collins, C, Chicago White Sox – A first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Zack Collins was regarded as one of the best all-around hitters available in the draft. Collins spent 2016 with High-A Winston-Salem, and provided some power to the lineup during his short time with the team hitting six home runs in 36 games.
While seeing limited playing time in the Arizona Fall League this year, Collins still managed to display his power by hitting a pair of monster home runs in just 22 at-bats. The White Sox are hoping to keep him as a catcher, and if he can continue to take strides on improving his defense behind the plate while still showing great discipline and power as a hitter, Collins could be on a young talented Chicago team sooner rather than later. Collins is included in the Bowman’s Best Mirror Image insert with Buster Posey, which certainly is not a bad player to be compared to at this early stage of his professional career.
Bowman's Best cards to collect: Prospects Insert, Mirror Image Insert, Best of 2016 Autographs, First Impressions Autographs
4. Anderson Espinoza, RHP, San Diego Padres – Only 18 years old, Anderson Espinoza is one of the youngest rising prospects in baseball. Originally signed by the Red Sox but traded this past season in the Drew Pomeranz deal, Espinoza throws in the mid-90s with ease and has much more developed secondary pitches (curveball and changeup) than the typical teenage prospect.
Though his overall statistics may not blow collectors away, he did tally 100 strikeouts in 108 innings between Greenville and Fort Wayne at the Single-A level, something that is encouraging for the teenager. Now viewed as the Padres top prospect, Espinoza still has time to grow into a phenomenal starting pitcher for a MLB team by the end of the decade.
Bowman's Best cards to collect: Prospects Insert, Stat Lines Insert, 1996 Bowman’s Best Insert and Autograph, Baseball America Prospect Forecast Insert and Autograph Parallel, Best of 2016 Autographs, Bowman Choice Autograph
5. Sean Newcomb, LHP, Atlanta Braves – A Pitcher of the Year candidate in the Atlanta Braves organization in 2016, Newcomb, labeled as a big and physical pitcher, showed his power stuff by striking out 152 batters in just 140 innings with Double-A Mississippi Braves this season. Routinely hitting the mid-90s with his fastball and occasionally touching triple digits, Sean Newcomb keeps batters off-balance with a solid curve and changeup that continues to show improvement. The young lefty does have some control concerns, but should pop up on the major league scene at some point in 2017.
Bowman's Best cards to collect: Stat Lines Insert and Autograph Parallel, 1996 Bowman’s Best Insert and Autograph, Baseball America Prospect Forecast Insert and Autograph Parallel, Best of 2016 Autographs
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