Top 25 MLB players under 25

12 of 25

Apr 4, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

14. Lance McCullers

SP, Houston Astros

Birthday: October 2, 1993 (Age: 23)
Career Statistics: 12-12, 3.22 ERA, 206.7 IP, 235 K, 1.326 WHIP, 4.0 WAR
2016 Statistics: 6-5, 3.22 ERA, 81.0 IP, 106 K, 1.543 WHIP, 1.7 WAR

There are few starting pitchers in the major leagues that have the raw talent Lance McCullers possesses. McCullers’ fastball sits at 93, and he has one of the best curveballs in the game. In fact, he struck out 150 hitters with his knuckle curve over the past two seasons, and hitters have just 50 hits in 334 at bats (a .150 batting average) against the pitch.

Because of his stuff, McCullers is a trendy pick to win the 2017 NL Cy Young Award, and as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs points out in a post on the topic:

"Among AL starters who have thrown at least 200 innings the last two years, McCuller’s 27% strikeout rate is tied (with Kluber) for fourth-best in the league, behind only Sale, Chris Archer, and Carlos Carrasco. Along with missing a lot of bats, he also has posted the league’s lowest home run rate during the last two years, as he’s a groundball pitcher who avoids balls in the air when batters do make contact against him."

Simply put, McCullers is a uniquely talented pitcher because he misses so many bats, but also induces groundballs often when hitters make contact. If those trends continue, and he comes close to putting together a dominant Cy-Young level season, he would shoot to the top this list next year.

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