Youth movement: Youngsters dominate MLB’s most popular jerseys
The youth movement has taken over the game of baseball. Mike Trout and Bryce Harper continue to make waves at the plate, while Madison Bumgarner and Matt Harvey rack up accomplishments on the mound.
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On top of that, we’re currently experiencing the year of the prospect. A number of top prospects have already been called up this season, including Kris Bryant, Joey Gallo, Francisco Lindor and Byron Buxton.
All of that young talent injects quite a bit of excitement into the game. The future stars of tomorrow are playing today.
That hasn’t been lost on the fans.
As MLB PR would go on to note, six of the players on that list are age 26 or under.
Those players include Bumgarner, Bryant, Harper, Trout, Harvey and Anthony Rizzo.
If the list is expanded to the 20 most popular jerseys, more veterans appear. The list of 20 includes players from 12 different teams. The Giants lead the way with three of their players making the top-10. The Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Angels, Nationals and Red Sox all have two players in the top 20.
Here’s the full list:
1. Madison Bumgarner, Giants
2. Kris Bryant, Cubs
3. Buster Posey, Giants
4. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
5. Bryce Harper, Nationals
6. Hunter Pence, Giants
7. Mike Trout, Angels
8. Matt Harvey, Mets
9. David Ortiz, Red Sox
10. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
11. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
12. Yadier Molina, Cardinals
13. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
14. Felix Hernandez, Mariners
15. Todd Frazier, Reds
16. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
17. David Wright, Mets
18. Albert Pujols, Angels
19. Max Scherzer, Nationals
20. Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
For the first time in a long time, Derek Jeter is nowhere to be found on the most popular jerseys list. Given that Jeter was the face of the game when he played, his absence may signal that fans are ready for the next wave of studs.
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Trout has certainly done enough in his career to warrant praise, while Bumgarner dominated on a national level during the World Series last season. Harper has taken a big step forward this season, while Bryant has already shown his potential during his brief stint in the majors.
Losing Jeter could have been disastrous to MLB’s image. Instead, it appears the fans are more than willing to embrace the next batch of superstars. The game is rife with young talent right now. The fans have definitely taken notice.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
