I typically update my ranking of the top MLB players under age 25 once a year, but with playoff rosters loaded with young talent, the past two seasons I've produced a special, shorter edition (2018 | 2017) highlighting the top young players on postseason teams. And I'm doing so again for another youth-infused postseason field.
I use seasonal ages here, so to be included, a player had to be 24 or younger on July 1.
1. Cody Bellinger, OF/1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (age: 24)
I didn't see this coming -- and I was very high on Bellinger as a prospect, ranking him in my top five overall in his last year of eligibility. What I didn't expect was for Bellinger to become a high-contact hitter. I figured we'd get walks, homers, strikeouts, elite defense at first or very good defense in center, but yeah, strikeouts. He has cut his strikeout rate nearly in half from 2017 to 2019. He also has gone from being a near-automatic out against left-handed pitchers (a .226/.306/.376 line in 2018) to being very solid versus lefties (.280/.386/.596 this year). One wonders if the 2018 World Series would have played out differently if this year's version of Bellinger had been in that Dodgers lineup.
2. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves (21)
Atlanta supposedly wouldn't part with Acuna last year in a trade for Christian Yelich, and even though Yelich has turned into a power-hitting superstar, general manager Alex Anthopoulos has to feel good about the decision. Acuna, the No. 1 prospect going into 2018, already has produced 9.3 fWAR in 267 career games, is taking over center field (as he should) in Atlanta and has become more disciplined at the plate in just his second year in the majors.
3. Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros (25 -- turned 25 in September, so this is his age-24 season)
Correa should be at the top of this list, shouldn't he? A former No. 1 overall pick, a previous top-three overall prospect, a player who had back-to-back 6 WAR seasons before he turned 24 ... but he can't seem to stay healthy, and his health is a question mark entering the postseason.
4. Gleyber Torres, 2B/SS, New York Yankees (22)
The power output has surprised me, although with the MLB baseball flying the way it does, I suppose I should be surprised by any good hitter who didn't hit 20-plus homers this year. Torres hits for average and hard, line-drive contact; he understands the strike zone; and he even acquitted himself well while filling in at shortstop for Didi Gregorius. I think there's more upside in his OBP, and I won't be shocked at all if he grows into a hitter who draws 75 walks a year -- and still does all the things he does now.
5. Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals (20)
This is an entirely arbitrary endpoint, but I just find it fun to look at: After May 17, Soto had 87 walks and only 91 strikeouts (not to mention a 1.003 OPS) in 514 plate appearances. In 266 career games, he has a .403 OBP, and I think he actually is getting better.
6. Walker Buehler, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (25 -- turned 25 in July, so this is his age-24 season)
I don't think Buehler is any sort of secret after last October, but his combination of control with three above-average to plus pitches is just not fair. If he can sustain a full starter's workload, he is going to win a Cy Young Award at some point.
7. Jack Flaherty, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (23)
Flaherty was the best pitcher in the National League in the second half, with a 0.91 ERA (best in the majors), 2.22 FIP (a mere 10th of a run behind Jacob deGrom) and a 4.1 fWAR. He gave up a lot less hard contact, keeping the ball in the park far more; he threw more strikes; and he kept hitters from pulling the ball against him. If he isn't really an ace -- the .206 second-half BABIP isn't very sustainable -- he is at worst a good No. 2 for several years to come.
8. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves (22)
The talk around Albies entering the season centered on the overly team-friendly contract he signed. But we should be talking more about how much he has improved at the plate -- working the count more, swinging less at pitches in the zone he can't drive and making more contact when he does expand the zone. And he still is only 22.
9. Mike Soroka, RHP, Atlanta Braves (21)
He has a filthy two-seamer to get ground balls, and the life on that pitch makes his slider even tougher on right-handers. He has had some health issues, missing time in 2017 and 2018 because of shoulder soreness, but he made 29 starts for Atlanta this year, with a 2.68 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
10. Austin Meadows, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (24)
One of the players who went back to Tampa Bay in the Chris Archer trade, Meadows got off to a huge start this year and seemed to finally be tapping into his strength and size for power, after a couple of years of injuries and tweaking a swing that cut off that power and often put the ball on the ground. While the Meadows we saw in April and May (.354/.431/.673, 12 HRs) was unsustainable, his midseason sag went too far in the other direction and he finished strong (.378/.472/.744, 9 HRs in September).