Mark Teixiera. Miguel Cabrera. Jason Bay. These are just a few players that in recent years have been pegged as future stars and have come through on that promise in fine form. How does one spot these diamonds? Well, a lot of them aren?t really in the rough. Here?s my list of the best young players in the majors, with young defined as twenty-five and under with two or fewer seasons in the big leagues. C- Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins 2005: .294/.372/.411 2006 thus far: .306/.395/.361 Mauer has shown tremendous control of the strike zone for such a young player. A catcher with his profile is rare: a line-drive swing, great batting eye, a healthy dose of speed, and a cannon behind the plate. The only thing missing is power, but with such a sweet swing it?s sure to come. Barring injury (he?s extremely tall for a catcher ? 6?5 ? which bodes as a possible health risk) he?ll be battling Victor Martinez for the mantle of best catcher in the game for years to come; Joe has the tools to win this fight. Runners-up: Brian McCann, Ryan Doumit, Yadier Molina 1B- Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers 2005: .288/.306/.458 2006: .327/.400/.429 Fielder has been tearing up the minors since he was drafted, and is now ready to challenge his dad, Cecil, for the title of best player in his family. His power hasn?t translated to the majors so far in limited at-bats, but his .291/.388/.569 line in AAA last season tells you all you need to know about his potential. Prince is a hefty fellow, but for a guy of his girth he is fairly athletic. Given the outright starter?s job at first base for the Brewers this year after Lyle Overbay was traded to the Blue Jays, you know what he?ll do with it. Runners-up: Conor Jackson, Casey Kotchman, Mike Jacobs 2B- Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers 2005: .239/.333/.394 2006: .282/.391/.359 The Brewers are spoiled. With Fielder, Weeks, and a shortstop who will get a runner-up nod later, Milwaukee boasts arguably the best young infield in the majors. Rickie makes the list here based on his potent mix of budding power, plate discipline, and speed. Much like Fielder, he dominated AAA last season, but his power has yet to come up with him in his short stints. As his .655 SLG% in AAA will attest, the power will show itself eventually. His caveats are high strikeout totals and poor defense, but those will develop with age. He has the ability to be a top-5 second baseman, and that will happen sooner rather than later. Runners-up: Jorge Cantu, Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler 3B- David Wright, New York Mets 2005: .306/.388/.523 2006: .391/.417/.739 This almost the easiest decision I?ve ever had to make, wedged somewhere in between what to have for breakfast and whether or not to watch The OC (which is only slightly less painful than gouging my eyes out with a garden hoe). It?s hard to be an established major league star and qualify for this list, but Wright managed to pull it off. This could be because of his mind-boggling power. Possibly it?s due to his phenomenal plate discipline for a guy who?s twenty-three. Maybe the reason is his staggering defense. Whatever facet of his game you choose to adore, Mr. Wright is here, and he?s here to stay. Runners-up: Ryan Zimmerman, Edwin Encarnacion, Wilson Betemit SS- Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians 2005: .292/.366/.520 2006: .232/.267/.339 He broke out in 2005 in a big way, flashing power that he had shown in AAA in 2004. He hasn?t looked good so far in 2006, but it?s early, and history has shown us that Jhonny can tear the cover off the ball. His defense is equally spectacular, and while he has a long way to go to pick up the reputation with the glove that his predecessor ? Omar Vizquel ? had, he?s well on his way. The Indians will be riding Peralta and Victor Martinez to many division titles in the coming years. Note that the annoying extra consonant in his first name and the lure of having three Brewers on this list almost made me replace him, but he was just too damn good to allow me to do that. Runners-up: J.J. Hardy, Russ Adams, Hanley Ramirez OF- Jonny Gomes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2005: .282/.372/.534 2006: .300/.463/.675 Gomes acts as a case study for two things; firstly, how Jhonny Peralta should spell his name, and secondly, that strikeouts aren?t a bad thing as long as you have other skills to go along with them. Gomes has that and some. Prodigious power and a plus batting eye far outweigh the perceived downfalls of striking out. He?s been an underdog his entire life (it took him a few attempts before the Rays looked past the strikeouts and kept him in the bigs), and will probably be underrated for a long time because of his aforementioned tendency to swing and miss. With youngsters like Jeremy Hermida and Delmon Young yet to make a name for themselves, Gomes probably won?t stay at the top of this list for long; for now, though, he?s the best up-and-coming outfielder the majors has to offer. Runners-up: Grady Sizemore, Jeremy Hermida, Curtis Granderson Pitcher- Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners 2005: 84.1 IP/2.67 ERA/1.00 WHIP/77 K/23 BB/5 HR 2006: 9.2 IP/5.59 ERA/1.76 WHIP/8 K/8 BB/2 HR His control problems in his first two 2006 starts aside, King Felix is everything you look for in a pitcher: he strikes out hitters with aplomb, he barely walks anybody, and he keeps the ball in the park by inducing tons of ground balls. He can dial it up into the high 90s, has breaking pitches with ridiculous movement, and he throws a changeup that makes hitters beg for a slow and painful death. Did I mention that he?s 19? He?s been compared to LeBron James in what he could possibly mean to the game of baseball; the comparison?s apt. Runners-up: Francisco Liriano, Scott Kazmir, Matt Cain Darren Sharp can be reached for comment at [email protected] .