The new ERA of MLB-first cut...

Note: This piece will be featured in the next Hooters magazine, but my editors requested I change a few of the players which I have no problem doing. Just know these are the first players that came to mind...


James Earl Jones as Terence Mann in Field of Dreams once told Ray Kinsella “the one constant through all the years has been baseball.” For years fathers took their sons to diamonds across the country to enjoy nine innings of a game born in America and that was considered part of the very fabric of this country. Apple pie, country music and baseball, that pretty much summed up America for years. Recently though Major League Baseball has been trying to turn the page on the late ‘90s and early ‘00s due to performance-enhancing scandal after scandal. Fans’ memories of Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are tainted with images of syringes instead of home runs. Cherished records have fallen to “cheaters,” and for many people this rule bending was enough to turn away from the sport.
Fret not.
A new generation of players is now stepping to the forefront. This generation will be relied upon to “make up” for the previous generation’s shortcomings. Much like Luke Skywalker brought balance to the force that his father Anakin aka Darth Vader had disrupted, this new collection of players is sure to reintroduce baseball back to America as the “National Past Time.” These ten players and one special manager are truly the future of the game and will raise the bar for the next generation to follow in their footsteps. These ten will give hope to the cynics and restore the game’s place in modern day Americana.

Catcher Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles. A three-time All American at Georgia Tech, Wieters was drafted fifth overall by the Orioles in the 2007 draft and just last season put up possibly the greatest minor league season ever for a catcher. The former Yellow Jacket slugged .600 while hitting .355 and knocking 27 home runs and 91 RBI. Baseball America named him the 2008 Minor League player of the year. Though he will begin the season in the Orioles farm system, he is sure to be raking in Camden Yards by August.

1B Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds. Reds fans should have known they had something special when Votto crushed a home run in just his second major league at-bat in 2006. During his rookie year of 2007, Votto tallied 84 RBI and broke Hall of Famer Frank Robinson’s Reds rookie record for runs driven in, and Votto finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Reds fans have a special player on their hands that should be crushing balls out of the Great American Ballpark for years.

2B Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox. Some might argue that Pedroia has already made it and isn’t a “future” star, but the diminutive second baseman is beginning only his third full season in the majors in 2009. His first year saw him capture Rookie of the Year honors as well as a World Series Title, and in year number two, he made the all-star team, won the Silver Slugger award and earned AL MVP honors. He can also flash the leather as he took home the Gold Glove in ’08.

SS Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox. The No.1 prospect in the Chicago White Sox farm system played on three University of Georgia baseball teams and took two of them to the College World Series. Following a season where he was a Golden Spikes finalist, Beckham was the 8th overall pick in the 2008 draft and has moved quickly through the White Sox farm system. Gordon has power, as evidenced by his NCAA-leading 26 home runs in 2008.

3B Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays. The 2008 midseason callup announced his presence to the world by going deep his first two trips to the plate in the 2008 postseason. Longoria was a big reason for Tampa Bay’s turnaround from worst to World Series and was named Rookie of the Year in the American League. Longoria crushed 27 home runs and that number should climb with a full season in Tampa.

LF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers. How does a budding superstar follow up a huge rookie year where Rookie of the Year hardware is handed out? By claiming a Silver Slugger award and leading his team to the playoffs. In just a short time, Braun has driven in 203 runs and knocked 71 home runs. With the two pitching aces now gone, Braun will have to mash even more homers to get this team back the playoffs, but he certainly has the skills to do just that.

CF Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins. The Florida Marlins scouting has been called the best in the game so when Cameron Maybin was targeted by the staff, people should have known Maybin was the next big thing. Maybin was the centerpiece of the trade for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, and if last season’s final month of the season was any indication, the scouts were right once again. Maybin was 9-11 out of the shoot and finished .481 in limited action.

RF Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles. If all Nick Markakis did was flash the leather, he could survive in the majors for a long time. Markakis led the league with 17 assists in 2008. However Markakis can also swing the bat. Last season the right fielder scored 106 runs and batted .306 while still tagging 20 home runs (he hit 23 in 2007). The 7th overall pick in 2003 is starting to blossom and could turn the AL East into a four-team race.

P Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves. No pitcher had ever won the MVP of the Arizona Fall League until Tommy Hanson traveled west. Hanson, who last season dominated both Class A and AA and threw a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts, was able to parlay his success from Arizona over to Florida for Braves spring training camp. Hanson registered 99 mph on the radar gun while also showing a devastating curveball and a fantastic slider that had his manager likening him to John Smoltz. Quite a comparison!

Manager Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. He may wear glasses, but so did Clark Kent. And neither Superman nor Lou Piniella ever took the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series like Joe Maddon did last season. The 2008 AL Manager of the Year took the Rays from two straight fifth place finishes in the AL East to the AL East division title and the pennant. The Rays seem set up for a decade’s worth of postseason appearances and with Maddon steering the ship, the next run could end up with a title.