The Decade of Diaper Dandies

For perspective on just how fat with young talent Major League Baseball is today, may we present to you one Dansby Swanson.

Arizona selected the Vanderbilt shortstop with the first pick of the 2015 draft. Swanson has done nothing to undermine that status during his brief stint in the Minors. Atlanta was over the moon about snagging him in a deal for Shelby Miller this past off-season and he is expected to anchor the Braves' infield into the 2020s.

Dansby Swanson is just the 69th best Major League prospect under 25 according to Baseball Prospectus.

That's no knock on Swanson. BP thinks the world of him. It's just that there are 68 other guys whose early profile suggests even more potential than him.

Take Twins shortstop Francisco Lindor. At age 21 he produced 3.3 wins in 99 games in 2015 while impressing with the leather. And he's just the 14th best prospect in MLB.

Or consider Addison Russell at #20. The Cubs rookie shortstop supplanted Starlin Castro last year and produced about two wins, or what an average starter contributes.  But not an average 21-year-old starter. In most years, Russell might have contended for the Rookie of the Year award. He didn't get even a single third place vote. And there are 19 prospects under 25 deemed better than him.

Kevin Kiermaier earned five wins for the Rays last season, mostly with his all-world glove. Now in his third stint through the league, his exploits with the leather in center field make him a Web Gem hog and the subject of Sports Illustrated features. And BP rates 55 young prospects ahead of him.

Trevor Rosenthal's not shedding any tears for Kiermaier. He's saved 93 games the last two spins around the sun, but because he's the ripe old age of 25, he's rated just 87th.

Consider that every one of these guys is already in the Majors. Almost all of the best under-25 prospects have already debuted in the Bigs, and most of them have drained their rookie status.

Consider also that this doesn't account for the phenoms at the top. Describing MIke Trout and Bryce Harper at this point amounts to gilding a lily, but the next group of players include Carlos Correa, a shortstop who smacked 22 dingers as an age-20 rookie; Manny Machado, already an 18-win third baseman; Gerrit Cole, the ace of the Pirates staff; Jose Fernandez, a Rookie of the Year who's back strong from TJ surgery; Nolan Arenado, a slick-fielding cornerman who led the Majors in 2015 with 42 home runs; and other young stars including Corey Seager, Mookie Betts, Xander Boegarts, Kris Bryant, Jose Altuve, Miguel Sano, Noah Syndergaard, Anthony Rendon and Yasiel Puig. What a haul.

That grouping could contain half a dozen Hall of Famers when it's all over but the shouting. But you won't hear the shouting for a long time because they're all younger than my marriage.

So here's the takeaway: forget all the bellyaching you hear about the game. It's a great time to be a baseball fan.

Why Some Folks Love the Indians

Stop me if you've heard this before: the Cleveland Native Americans' bandwagon is loading up fast. The teepee is full and Chief Wahoo's entourage is growing. With the Tigers down, the Twins falling back to earth, the White Sox in need of darning even before the season starts and apprehension about the Royals' staying power, many a quipster, seamhead and hot-taker is hot-taking the Indians to win the Central.

The Land of Cleve finished 81-80 with a late surge last season, a punchless stars-and-scrubs lineup bolstered by good pitching and defense. Their top slugger (Carlos Santana) bopped 19 homers and the best player (rookie Francisco Lindor, pictured here)) got into just 99 games.

That would seem like a good baseline for improvement the following year, especially as several of the better everyday players still live on the south side of 30.

What They Got and What They Ain't Got
What's so alluring about the Indians is that last year's carryover -- power arms in the rotation, a solid bullpen, young studs dotted throughout the lineup and rotation, and good defense around the horn -- are scarce commodities. What they lacked last year -- any hint of a third baseman, two-thirds of an outfield, an occasional long ball -- are relatively easy to replace.

So after losing super-utility knife Ryan Rayburn to the Rockies, Cleveland brought in Mike Napoli to split 1B/DH duties with Santana; twinkle-toes Juan Uribe to bring some semblance of Major League stability to the hot corner; and outfielders Rajai Davis and Marlon Byrd to solidify the green space. Together that group should supply some added power as well.

The Indians will count on former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber to once again anchor the starting five, with flamethrowers Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin filling out the staff. Tribe hurlers produced the highest average velocity in the sport last year, which comes in handy especially during those cold autumn evenings of October.

Seen It Before
Okay, fine. But Murphy and his law lie in wait for this outfit. Perennial All-Star Michael Brantley, (right) the only outfielder worth keeping last year, is out for months following shoulder surgery. The pitching crew isn't exactly Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz-Avery, particularly at the back end. And the bench goes just a couple deep before injury ravages this team's chances.

The Indians are intriguing for sure. Baseball Prospectus rates them the best team in the American League, based on middling hitting, excellent pitching and the second best defense (behind Tampa Bay) in the league. And if they start the season with that kind of fire, there might be a big bat in the trading deadline mix. But lots of teams are intriguing and could win the pennant with a few positive "what ifs."

So, as always, we'll see. In baseball, at least, the long regular season matters.