Youth Foundation

By Paul Wysard

Let us suppose we lived in a baseball world more dreamy and visionary than those of Fantasy and Hot Stove Leagues.  In this special sphere, one could build a franchise of young stars which would vitually guarantee almost a generation of post-season play, years of an attractive and successful club in the home ballpark.  Let us also assume the wherewithal existed to pay salaries which would blunt the impacts of free agencies and luxury taxes.  Who would you choose for your team in these circumstances?

Following is the core of a franchise consisting of players 23 or younger who have already made their mark in the Majors and who promise exceptional futures:

Run Producer/All-purpose Hitter -- This has to be the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, 22.  In his first three seasons (and this current one is not yet finished), Pujols has averaged over .320, with more than 30 homeruns, 125 RBI,  115 runs scored, and 190 hits.  We have to go back almost 65 years to find anyone with an early record like this.  There were two such players and their names were Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.  Although the dream team would probably use him in the outfield, the young star also plays at first and third.                                                                      

Run Producer/Power Hitter --  What better choice than the Rangers' Mark Teixeira, 21?  At the end of the first week in September, he had lifted his average to .257 to go with 22 homers and 72 RBI.  He hasn't played every day, but seems to be now, so we can expect all those numbers to rise.  Observers have been "oohing and aahing" about him for the past couple of years, and those noises appear to be accurately directed.  He fits in best at first, but has also played third and the outfield

Speedster  --  For the top of the batting order, Corey Patterson of the Cubs, 23, would have been a fine choice three or four months ago, but he has been hurt for the season and hasn't shown all he might possibly do.  So we'll go with Carl Crawford, 21, of Tampa Bay.  He leads the Leagues with 47 steals and his theft percentage is high. One media outlet has said he is not yet an "effective" player, but he is hitting in the .280s, (.393 in September) and is one reason why Lou Piniella's club has been giving some of the contenders a hard time lately.  But if you would pick Patterson instead, you would get no argument from this corner.

Shortstop -- Every strong franchise needs a leader and special player at this post. Jose Reyes, 19, played well for the Mets before becoming another injury victim and he would be the favorite of the New York media, but the selection here would be Angel Berroa of Kansas City.  This 22-year-old fields the position with quality and does many of the little but important things correctly.  He is at .287 as this is written, shows power with 16 homers, and should finish the season in double digits in steals.

Right-handed Starter -- The Cubs' Mark Prior, 23, is the clear and obvious choice, but beyond the 15-5 record, the low ERA, and the 200 strikeouts, what impresses one most involves mechanics.  The smooth, consistent delivery, launched by long and large legs and leg action, catapults the ball at the batter with varying speeds and movements to numerous locations.  The exceptional flow and coordination lessen the chances for both short- and long-term injury.  If you haven't seen him pitch,  you ought to do so.

Left-handed Starter --  We'd probably have to call a big committee meeting on this one.  There is the flashy Dontrelle Willis, 20, down in Florida, 12-6, 3.43, whose last outing surely caused a sigh of relief from the Marlins and their fans.  After going 11-2 following a May call-up, the herky-jerky southpaw hit a wall for a while, but his first September start was strong in an important game.  If we want our turnstiles to click, Willis is the man.  Fans respond to him as he is somewhat of a reincarnation of Detroit's Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, who dazzled onlookers with his antics a quarter-of-a-century ago.  But Willis, besides entertaining, must also win.  We must see what the rest of his season holds, because we are looking as well at the Cubs Carlos Zambrano, 21, who is currently 12-9 and 2.88 with 2 shutouts this year.  If Willis reminds one of Fidrych, Zambrano won't bring back style memories of Spahn, but he is a relentless hurler whom position folks like to play behind.

There are several other young pitchers out there who may be favorites of some of those who read this.  Not all can be included in this core of a dream team, but honorable mention does go to Brandon Webb of Arizona and Giant Jerome Williams.  

Catcher --  We would need one, but see no young studs in the mold of Bench, Carter, or Pudge Rodriguez.  Backstops who excel early are among the rarest of players, but perhaps readers have seen one.  Any recommendations?