Top 25 MLB players under 25

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Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor throws to first base against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Francisco Lindor

SS, Cleveland Indians

Birthday: November 14, 1993 (Age: 23)
Career Statistics: .306/.356/.454, 27 HR, 129 RBI, 149 R, 31 SB, 10.3 WAR
2016 Statistics: .301/.358/.435, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 99 R, 19 SB, 5.7 WAR
2016 AL All-Star, Gold Glove

Correa’s countryman Francisco Lindor finished second to Correa in the 2015 Rookie of the Year vote, and also handled the shortstop duties for Puerto Rico in the WBC. The pair nearly led the team to a title.

Lindor is one of several exciting young shortstops in the majors, and makes a strong case as the most well-rounded. As Chad Young of FanGraphs describes him, Lindor is an artist in the field:

"Francisco Lindor is an artist, doing things with a mitt that Shakespeare did with a pen, that Rembrandt did with a brush, that Yo-Yo Ma does with a cello. He moves around the SS position with grace and beauty, turning routine grounders into outs and should-be-hits into moments of brilliance that bring nothing by joy (unless you are the guy who smoked that should-be-hit and now has to walk back to the dugout). What turned this precocious artist into a star, though, is that his bat has grown alongside his glove."

In his first full season in the majors in 2016, Lindor earned a Gold Glove and All-Star selection and finished ninth in the AL MVP voting while leading the Cleveland Indians to Game 7 of the World Series. He has hit over .300 in both big league seasons, has flashed both pop (27 career homers) as a switch hitter, and speed (31 career steals).

Just 23 years old entering 2017, Lindor and Correa – and the next guy on the list – give Major League Baseball the best trio of young shortstops since A-Rod, Jeter and Nomar. Maybe better.

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