Rookies to Watch in 2017

It’s finally that time of the year — baseball season. There’s a handful of rookies in both the American and National League that are sure to make an impact at the big league level in 2017. Let’s take a look at a few of these future stars.

Andrew Benintendi

The No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, Benintendi is an intriguing player who made his debut with the Red Sox in 2016 thanks to an August call up. The former first round pick can do it all. Benintendi hit .376 for the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2015, earning him college Player of the Year honors. Then he continued to rake at the plate in 2016, hitting .312 in the minors and receiving that big league call up in August. The 22-year-old hit .295 in 105 at bats in 2016, slugging two homers in the process. Benintendi has swung it well everywhere he’s been. He has a short and compact left-handed stroke and doesn’t try to do too much at the plate. He’s more of a single, doubles type of hitter but as he fills out more, I could see him hitting 15 to 20 homers per season in the MLB.

Benintendi plays a solid left field with good range and good speed with the ability to track down balls in the gaps. He started off the 2017 season with a bang, going deep in the Sox opener against the Pirates to secure a 5-3 victory. For the young Red Sox outfielder, his ability to swing the bat has landed him in the big leagues quicker than most. After all, he was only drafted in 2015 and he’s already in the starting nine on a major league roster. There’s no doubt the No. 1 prospect in baseball will be an impact player for the Red Sox both offensively and defensively.

Dansby Swanson

The No. 4 prospect in baseball and a former SEC rival to Benintendi in 2015 at Vanderbilt, Swanson went first overall to the D-backs in the 2015 draft but eventually was traded to the Atlanta Braves, where he now patrols shortstop at the newly built Sun Trust Park in Atlanta. Swanson is another five tool guy that has the ability to do everything on a baseball field. His defense really stands out at short, with the ability to make highlight reel plays on a daily basis. Swanson only registered 129 at bats in the big leagues last season, but succeeded, hitting .302 and playing flawless defense at short. But get this. When he came up in mid-August the Braves went on a fantastic run, winning 20 of their last 30 games. Swanson has amazing range and shows the ability to get to any ball in his vicinity. The 22-year-old has very soft hands and an absolute cannon for an arm.

His defense is amazing, yes. But his productivity at the plate is just as impressive. Just like Benintendi, Swanson has a very short and quick swing with a line drive approach. He gets on base and has shown the ability to hit for power in college and in the minors. Swanson gave fans a taste of the power he could bring in his brief stint in the majors in 2016. But for him, he’s more of a guy who hits hard ground balls and liners. He doesn’t get a ton of loft when he gets a ball on the barrel, but as he matures more I could see him hitting 20 dingers a season. For him, it’s not so much about the power outlet. He plays arguably the most important defensive position in the game, so as long as he keeps playing solid defense and producing at the plate by getting on base, he’ll be worth gold to the Braves. He’ll play a huge role in the development of this ball club, who has a lot to look forward to with many intriguing prospects in their system.

Tyler Glasnow

An imposing figure on the mound at 6'8", Glasnow is currently the No. 8 prospect in the game. He owns a career 2.03 ERA in the minors while striking out 11.6 per nine innings. Glasnow got called up in July of last season and compiled a 4.24 ERA in 23.1 IP for the Pirates. He’s earned the fifth spot in the rotation for Pittsburgh this year. Glasnow has an electric fastball/curveball combination that almost made him unhittable in his minor league career. A fifth round pick out of a Southern California High School in 2011, the 23-year-old has a career batting average against of .172. That’s the best minor league career batting average against for any minor league pitching prospect in the game.

Glasnow’s fastball typically sits in the 93-95 mph range but can reach the high 90’s when he rears back. Due to his large frame, his heater explodes on the hitter. The fastball has a little bit of natural cut at times but other than that, it's pretty straight. He throws a fairly hard change up in the high 80’s. It doesn’t have a ton of movement, just a good off speed pitch to compliment the fastball. Glasnow’s curveball is the real deal. It has amazing depth and bite, and complimented with the electric fastball, it makes him hard to square up. Glasnow needs to command the curveball a little more so that he can throw it for strikes in any count. He’s a very intriguing prospect and a physical presence on the mound. Once he really figures out his command and ability to throw all his pitches for strikes, there’s no doubt Glasnow can be one of the best arms in the game. He’ll be a solid arm in the rotation for the Pirates this year.

Yoan Moncada

Arguably the purest prospect in the game, Moncada can literally do everything well in the game of baseball. Acquired from the Red Sox in the trade that sent Chris Sale to Boston, Moncada came over to the White Sox in the offseason. The No. 1 tool evident in Moncada’s game — raw power. He’s a physical presence at 6'2", 205 pounds, built like a football player. He has easy power at the plate with a quick and short stroke. He only had 19 at bats in the majors last year, hitting only .211. But he didn’t really get a chance to find his groove. He has shown the ability to hit for average, hitting .287 in an 187 minor league game career to this point. Moncada has a simple left-handed swing with easy power to all fields.

The other loud tool that stands out is the speed. In that minor league span, Moncada has stolen 94 bases. The 21-year- old Cuban plays solid defense, but is very versatile. He can play anywhere on the field. Right now he is starting the season in AAA Charlotte because Chicago wants him to cut down the strikeout rate. But it will be sooner rather than later when he gets the call to the bigs. Blessed with the ability to hit for average and power and run the bases, Moncada has the chance to be one of the best players in the MLB within the next few years.

There’s more

That’s just a few of the exciting rookies that could be impact guys in the big leagues this year. Guys like Yankee outfielders Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier could be two players who take New York by storm this season. Then you have Albert Almora over in center field for the Cubbies, who is an exciting player both offensively and defensively for the defending World Series champions. Names like Hunter Renfroe, Josh Bell, and Ozzie Albies are all names fans should keep an eye out for as well.

Should be an exciting 2017 season for the boys of summer.