Emma: Baseball's Rising Stars Bursting Onto The Scene
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ahead in the count with two strikes, Clayton Kershaw thought he had Kris Bryant on Monday night. The National League's reigning MVP, Kershaw came with the breaking ball high and away, looking for yet another strikeout for his remarkable résumé.
The Cubs' rookie sensation, Bryant went opposite field with that sweet swing, putting one into the Wrigley Field right-field bleachers. Kershaw had a look of amazement on his face.
Just a week prior, Kershaw came with the heat, low and in to Rangers rookie rising star Joey Gallo. Like Bryant, his longtime Las Vegas friend, the 21-year-old Gallo took Kershaw deep -- very deep, in fact, to the tune of 439 feet in Dodger Stadium. Kershaw returned to the dugout and slammed down his glove.
Baseball's youth movement is underway, with a remarkable class of talent.
"They're all obviously here for a reason," Kershaw said of the rookie stars.
Now, there are so many names to follow. The Cubs boast a bunch in Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler. The White Sox have Carlos Rodon. There's the Dodgers' Joc Pederson, the N.L. Rookie of the Year frontrunner, the Astros' Carlos Correa, and the Twins' Byron Buxton. And Gallo is hitting Texas-sized home runs for the Rangers.
It's a close group, too, with many of these guys maintaining contact throughout the season. They're all following along, tracking each other's success.
"As young guys, you kind of have to, just to see how they're doing," the 21-year-old Russell said. "It's always good to see the success that they have."
Pederson, the Dodgers' 23-year-old center fielder, leads all rookies with a Fangraphs WAR of 3.6. Oh, by the way, Bryce Nationals outfielder Harper leads the way with a ridiculous 5.1 WAR, and he's only 22, younger than Bryant and Pederson.
What makes this crop of young talent so thrilling is that baseball has been in need of new names. The sport has been cleansed from the dirty steroid era but has been lacking the intrigue in star power. Players like Bryant, Gallo and Buxton, among others, are must-watch television.
"They're capitalizing on this," six-time All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra said. "It's great. Guys have a lot of power, you see a lot of these young guys bringing up that power and swinging for the fences."
In a way, baseball's baby boom hasn't been unexpected. Harper was widely touted as a prospect, almost too much. Bryant and Gallo have been hyped for years. Russell is already drawing comparisons to Barry Larkin, and he only recently became able to drink alcohol.
"He has a ton of potential," Bryant said of Russell. "It's so cool to see that, because he's so young. He has so much ahead of him."
Last week, Kyle Schwarber spent six games with the Cubs and hit .364 with a home run and six RBIs. Bryant has seldom looked out of place at the plate, and the same can be said for the rest of this group
Somehow, baseball's most dominant pitcher the past three seasons has been victimized by this, too.
"They look very mature up there," Kershaw said. "It's kind of the new age, I guess. A lot of guys coming up have a really good idea of the strike zone."
But there's the secret. These prospects are identified so easily by scouts because information is readily available. Baseball no longer relies on hunches in scouting; sabermetrics are used to find talent. When these prospects rise to the big leagues, they're prepared with such extensive scouting reports on each pitcher. Bryant and Gallo weren't surprised with Kershaw's pitch selection, and they certainly weren't afraid to swing.
Additionally, training for young baseball players is so much more detailed. Bryant and Gallo learned hitting from Mike Bryant, Kris's father and a noted hitting instructor.
When top prospects arrive in the majors, they're more than ready to succeed. It's different from decades past. A man who sees it daily is Mark McGwire, the former superstar slugger who was once an up-and-coming prospect and is now the Dodgers' hitting coach.
"The kids are more talented today," McGwire said. "They're really in tune with their swings. Kids at an early age get hitting coaches, pitching coaches, and they really understand themselves."
Top prospects are coming up at a younger and younger age, because organizations are investing big money. According to Garciaparra, the expectations are higher than ever, because of the sky-high rookie salaries.
Hype hasn't exceeded the early returns of these rookies. Bryant and Pederson are battling it out for NL Rookie of the Year, and the arrival of Gallo, Buxton and Correa creates something fun to follow in the American League.
Baseball's next crop of rising stars has burst onto the scene.
"It's really something special," Gallo said.
And it's only just beginning.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
