Harvey #17 in MLB 25 Under 25 Rankings by Keith Law

[metswon69]

Last season was a legendary season for Kimbrel but Rivera has had great success for a longer period of time.

I'll take an everyday player or starter over a reliever any day.

I still think he will have a better career than guys like Bumgarner, Freeman, Grandal, and Andrus.

It's an out of order list imo..

[MetsFanatic19]

No he hasn't. He needs more years of success.

Kimbrel is fantastic, but he's still just a reliever that pitches one inning a game. I think his ranking is a little generous to be honest.

He came up at a younger age than Mo and has been even better than he has at this point in his career. Nobody has been more dominant than him out of the pen. He most definitely deserves a comparison to Mariano right now.

A little generous? Some guys ahead of him have had very little ML success, he has been among th best at his position the last two years. I say he belongs near the top 10, if not in it.

[YoungStuna]

I still think he will have a better career than guys like Bumgarner, Freeman, Grandal, and Andrus.

It's an out of order list imo..

Closers are so overrated.

He is not more valuable than a 23 year old #2 starter or a 24 year old above average SS. Freeman is debatable, and I'd probably take Kimbrel there however.

[YoungStuna]

He came up at a younger age than Mo and has been even better than he has at this point in his career. Nobody has been more dominant than him out of the pen. He most definitely deserves a comparison to Mariano right now.

A little generous? Some guys ahead of him have had very little ML success, he has been among th best at his position the last two years. I say he belongs near the top 10, if not in it.

No, he is a relief pitcher so he's not more valuable than any of those guys.

There is a reason why they call relievers, "failed starters."

[metswon69]

Closers are so overrated.

He is not more valuable than a 23 year old #2 starter or a 24 year old above average SS. Freeman is debatable, and I'd probably take Kimbrel there however.

In most cases i would agree but not in the case of Kimbrel.

Closers of his ability and potential dominance don't come around often.

And i never said he would have the value of most of those players on that list, I still contend however he will have a better career than many of those guys on that said list.

[YoungStuna]

In most cases i would agree but not in the case of Kimbrel.

Closers of his ability and potential dominance don't come around often.

And i never said he would have the value of most of those players on that list, I still contend however he will have a better career than many of those guys on that said list.

It's not trying to suggest who's going to have the best career, it's a current ranking of players under 25.

[metswon69]

It's not trying to suggest who's going to have the best career, it's a current ranking of players under 25.

Part of ranking them to me at least is future projection and how great they eventually can become at their specific job.

I understand Kimbrel's role won't be as important as others but all he can do is be as dominant as he can be with what's put in front of him and so far he has.

[YoungStuna]

Even with a legendary season, his fWAR was only 3.6. Every player on that list is capable of more than that. 200 innings is more valuable than 65 innings, and an everyday player is also valuable.

[metswon69]

Even with a legendary season, his fWAR was only 3.6. Every player on that list is capable of more than that. 200 innings is more valuable than 65 innings, and an everyday player is also valuable.

fWAR and rWAR are not the end all be alls and you know that.

A guy who pitches 200 innings or a positional player that plays everyday of course will potentially have more value but to me doesn't indicate they are the better players.

[kyubi256]

I say Kimbrel should be higher... Maybe lower in the top 10 or somewhere in the top 15.

And Kershaw should be #1... I don't care how good guys think Harper and Heyward are, but no way Kershaw should be lower than them

[YoungStuna]

I am an ESPN insider and this what Keith had to say about how he determined his rankings:

To be clear: This is a ranking of how I would order these players if I were starting a franchise and would have them for the next several years, not just 2013.

In order to be eligible for this list, a player must be 24 years or younger as of today (i.e. been born on or after January 11, 1988), and must have already exhausted his rookie of the year eligibility. So players like Jurickson Profar and Dylan Bundy don't qualify -- they'll appear on my top 100 prospects rankings in early February -- while players like Mike Minor and Mat Latos just barely missed the age cutoff.

That is why Kershaw is not 1st. Also pitchers are always more risky than hitters due to injuries.

This is what he had to say about Matt Harvey:

Current: Harvey's first major-league start was among the most electric I've ever seen; for five innings he was throwing fire and brimstone with a vicious slider and a fastball up to 98 mph, which isn't to denigrate his curve or changeup. He wasn't that precise package every time out, and his command still isn't very consistent, but that's a four-pitch mix that would work in the top two slots of most big-league rotations, right on top if he throws more and better-quality strikes with it.

Future: His delivery is much cleaner today than it was when he was a third-round pick out of high school or a struggling reliever in the Cape Cod League before his junior year of college, so there's no physical reason he can't improve his command and control to at least solid-average. He's also shown the aptitude to make major adjustments to his delivery, which bodes well for his ability to refine his pitching plan and dial back a little to improve his location.

[Cosmic_Canon]

Stanton should at worst be #2, I understand Harper had a great season and projects to be a better player than Stanton, but Giancarlo is already a superstar in the game and is 4 year away from FA.

[YoungStuna]

Harper was the #1 pick and just had a very good season as a 19 year old.