BLS Roundtable: Which player age-22 and under would you start a team with?

(Getty Images) Bryce Harper’s emergence this season has been one of baseball’s biggest stories thus far. After a couple seasons, it appears Harper has finally turned into the superstar many expected.

Since Harper has been around for a while now, it’s easy to forget that he’s just 22-years-old. That’s right, Harper is younger than Mike Trout, Kris Bryant and Matt Harvey.

Few players are reach the majors at Harper’s age, let alone perform well, making Harper a major outlier. Most 22-year-olds have a ton of uncertainty, making it tough to know which ones will succeed in the bigs.

That’s precisely what we’ve asked our experts to do this week, though. If you could pick one player, age-22 or younger, to build a team around, who would you choose and why?

We’ll start with the most obvious answer …

BRYCE HARPER, OF, NATIONALS

Let’s just forget that Bryce Harper is something of a human version of Axe Body Spray and just talk baseball. Dude is really good. He may not be Mike Trout-good, but you could do a whole lot worse than building a team around him. He hits majestic homers, sure, but what I like most about Harper is that he plays hard, hustles and seems like a good teammate. And he’s accomplished a lot more before the age of 22 than your normal prospect. Please do keep in mind that even though we’ve seen so much of him, he is just 22 still. So if we’re talking 22-and-under talents, you guys take whoever else you want, I’m rolling with Harper all day. (Mike Oz)

BYRON BUXTON, OF, TWINS

A center fielder with great range and speed, a superb arm, and tremendous ability at the plate. What’s not to like? Minnesota Twins top prospect Byron Buxton still hasn’t played a game in the majors but when he does expect him to shine right away thanks to his five-tool skill set. While a slew of injuries (most notably a concussion) last season slowed his progress through the minors, he’s at Double-A now and after a slow start the results are starting to reflect the talent. Better yet, Buxton doesn’t turn 22 until December. Look for him to crack the Twins’ big league roster by 2016 at the latest and get ready for a show. (Israel Fehr)

MANNY MACHADO, 3B, ORIOLES

While Bryce Harper got all the attention when he went No. 1 in the 2010 draft, Manny Machado quietly went No. 3 and had an equally meteoric rise to the big leagues. Machado was called up in August 2012 and in his second career game hit two home runs. He was even better in his first full season at 20 years old when he slashed .283/.314/.432, led the league in doubles with 51 and was an All-Star and Gold Glover at third base. He already has postseason experience, to boot. He was limited to 82 games in 2014 due to a knee injury but appears to have returned to form. Assuming he’s healthy, Machado is exactly the type of five-tool player I want to build my team around. (Ian Denomme)

ADDISON RUSSELL, SS/2B, CUBS

If starting a team, the first thing I would look for is a young player who could contribute at an elite level both offensively and defensively at a premium position like shortstop. Looking around the landscape right now there are a couple guys that stand out. Houston Astros top prospect Carlos Correa would be one, but I’m an especially big fan of Chicago Cubs rookie Addison Russell.

Russell made his big-league debut a couple weeks ago and is currently playing second base for Chicago. Many scouts believe he’ll end up at third base down the road, but shortstop is going to be his position for a long time. Defensively, he can already match up with any of the game’s best in terms of range, instincts and a strong throwing arm.

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The exciting part? He’s a better hitter than fielder. He’s struggled to make contact out of the gate with a 44% K rate over his first 14 games, but he’s still hitting over .250 and has mixed in a 10-game hitting streak. In other words, when he adjusts and starts cutting down on the strikeouts, he’s going to be very dangerous. We’re talking about a high ceiling, with plenty of time to grow. (Mark Townsend)

CARLOS CORREA, SS, ASTROS

I admit, I’m going out on a limb here taking a guy who has barely played at Triple-A. I considered both Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts with this pick, and still think either of those guys could be a better choice. That said, I’m too intrigued by Correa’s skills to pass him up. Unlike Betts, Correa can play shortstop, and he’s likely to stay at the position longer than Bogaerts. On top of that, he’s made a complete mockery of minor-league pitching, hitting .317/.396/.494 over four seasons. At 20, he’s the youngest player on this list, and there’s plenty of risk with the selection. Still, everything about Correa’s game screams middle-of-the-order hitter who can also play up the middle. Those are the most important players on the field. You want to build around Carlos Correa. (Chris Cwik)

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