So, I was talking with a friend and we were trying to pick out a team of guys to have and had to keep them for the next 7-10 years. This led me to thinking what the best team made up of anyone who was 26 or younger would be. So I will outline every position with who I feel is the best/has the best potential and is at most 26 years old.

Catcher: Carlos Santana

At only 25 years old, Santana might be the best catcher in the big leagues this year. He doesn’t hit for great average (.239 last year) but he hits for unprecedented power. Last year he only trailed Mike Napoli in home runs hit and also played 155 games (some at DH and 1B). With Mauer hurt, McCann older, and Posey coming off a broken leg, I believe Santana is an easy choice here

1B: Eric Hosmer

This guy has all the raw skills and it was really hard not to choose Freddie Freeman here, but I think Hosmer’s ceiling is higher than Freeman’s. In about 3/4 of a season Hosmer hit 19 home runs, batted .293 and had an OPS of .800. Freeman still strikes out alot, almost twice as much as Hosmer which also helps Hosmer’s case. Also, at just 22, Hosmer could become a future MVP for the Royals.

2B: Jason Kipnis

Kipnis only played 36 games for the Indians last year, but man was he impressive. The reason I chose Kipnis is because there were only 4 full time 2B under the age of 27 last year in MLB. It was a hard choice between Kipnis and Dustin Ackley who played almost half a season with the Mariners last year. Kipnis showed great power hitting as many home runs as Ackley in 1/3 of the games. He hit .272 and looks to have the “it” quality. Really both Kipnis and Ackley are great choices here. At only 24, Kipnis along with Asdrubal Cabrera look to be a deadly middle infield combo in the coming years

SS: Starlin Castro

Well since Tulowitzki just turned 27, I am going with Starlin Castro here. At only 21 years old Castro was probably the only bright spot for the Cubs last year. He is very fast and very flashy. He hit a modest 10 home runs but what is most impressive is that he accumulated 207 hits as a 21 year old. He also stole 22 bases and was an All Star. The only knocks on Castro are his lackadaisical attitude an the 56 errors he has had in his first 2 seasons. These 2 can easily be improved (its hard not to be lackadaisical playing for the Cubs) through some extra practice.

SideNote: It was hard not to take Asdrubal Cabrera here after the incredible season he had last year (age: 26) but this is the first time he has put up those number in 5 years, he needs to do it at least once more for me to be sold

3B: Evan Longoria

He is probably the best 3B in baseball (Bautista is an OF to me now) and at 26 he might be the easiest choice on this list. He has already anchored the Rays lineup for 4 years averaging 33/115. He is a 3 time All Star, 2 time Gold Glove, and won the Rookie of the Year at age 22. He makes big hits in big situations and is all around a great player.

LF: Carlos Gonzalez

At 26 CarGo has blossomed into a 5 tool player for the Rockies. In the past 2 years he has hit .317 averaging 30 homeruns, 104 rbi’s and 23 stolen bases. He has great speed which means his range is huge (he also can play some CF) and he has a plus arm having 12 OF assists last year. He was rewarded handsomely by signing a 7 year $80M deal. His only knock is that it seems like once a year he runs to hard into a wall and hurts himself and has to sit out for 20 games

CF: Andrew McCutchen

The Dread Pirate and some people call him his one of the brightest up-and-comers and definitely the brightest spot in the Pirates organization. At 25 he has shown to be a premier speed guy and plays incredible defense. In his 2nd full year last year he went 20/20. and had an OBP over .350. He may be one of the more underrated young players in the game and his services will definitely be sought after when he becomes a free agent in 4 years. Elite defensive and speed CF are a hot commodity and McCutchen exhibits all the right qualities.

RF: Mike Stanton

If you disagree with me on this one, then just go watch him in Batting Practice. Why this guy wasn’t in the home run derby last year is anybody’s guess because he would be my pick to win the next 10 derby’s. He has light tower power. The average distance of his 34 homeruns last year was over 400 feet. Some people say take Justin Upton here, but Stanton is 2 years younger, already has more home runs in a season than Upton, sports a higher OBP than Upton and is a better fielder (although both could still use some work). If I were the Marlins I would lock Stanton up for the next 7-10 years while you can still get him fairly cheap. This is the kind of guy you want batting 4th for a long time in your lineup. He has unprecedented power.

SP: Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, David Price, Matt Moore, Michael Pineda

I mean all the first two guys have done is win Cy Young’s before the age of 23 and the third guy just led his team to a World Series, so these guys are pretty good. Matt Moore dominated the Red Sox and Yankees at the end of the season and Pineda showed an uncanny ability to strike everybody out. All 5 of these guys are either current or future aces and all of them could win multiple Cy Young’s. Their is a bright future in pitching in Major League Baseball

Closer: Craig Kimbrel

All he did was lead the NL in saves as a 22 year old, set the Braves record for saves in a season, set the record for Rookie saves in a season and post a K/9IP of greater than 10. Yeah, he is a beast. There isn’t anyone I’d rather have on the mound come the 9th inning than this guy right now. Mo Rivera is on his way out and its time for Kimbrel to take over. With a fastball touching the upper 90s and a slider that moves 7 inches, all of his stuff is nasty. He faded down the stretch possibly due to a heavy workload but he won’t admit that. I know he will show back up this year and provide all of the excitement we need to finish games in the 9th inning.