Baseball's Best Outfielders for 2011 - Top OF Younger than 25

Since we are combining all three outfield positions, we are going to have quite a few candidates vying for top spot. Out of all the positions proudly displaying young talent, the outfield positions probably garner the most attention. With a plethora of young stars including Jason Heyward of the Braves, Jay Bruce of the Reds, Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates and many more, the outfield has plenty of speed, power, and razzle-dazzle to keep you glued to your TV set.

It is going to be near impossible to pick just one from this young group of superstars, but I believe that Jason Heyward down in Atlanta has the most upside. He is the youngest player on the short list at age 21, and although I rarely watch baseball games to see an individual player, I’ll admit that I tuned in for the sole purpose of seeing this kid play. He has poise beyond his years, and if he can avoid the sophomore slump, could be in the running for some hardware this coming season. Like I said, it’s hard to pick just one from this talent pool, but because of his extra young age and outstanding 2010, he is my pick for best young center fielder. Here are the other candidates and their resume’s, you can come to your own conclusion.

2010 Stats for Outfielders Under Age 26

Player	Team	AB	Age	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Colby Rasmus	STL	464	24	85	128	23	66	12	0.276	0.361	0.498	0.859
Jason Heyward	ATL	520	21	83	144	18	72	11	0.277	0.393	0.456	0.849
Jay Bruce	CIN	509	23	80	143	25	70	5	0.281	0.353	0.493	0.846
Delmon Young	MIN	570	25	77	170	21	112	5	0.298	0.333	0.493	0.826
Andrew McCutchen	PIT	570	24	94	163	16	56	33	0.286	0.365	0.449	0.814
Justin Upton	ARI	495	23	73	135	17	69	18	0.273	0.356	0.442	0.799
Adam Jones	BAL	581	25	76	165	19	69	7	0.284	0.325	0.442	0.767