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Age isn't everything, but when you are talking about prospects, it means an awful lot. A 23-year-old tearing up the Midwest League isn't nearly as impressive as an 18-year-old who's managing to survive in the same league. With that in mind, here's a look at the 10 youngest players in each full-season league at the beginning of the season. In compiling this list, it's notable how few non-prospects populate this list–if an organization is willing to push you quickly to a level, it's usually a good sign for a player's potential.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Tim Collins	Kansas City Royals	08/21/89
Shortest and youngest in AL
2	Chris Sale	Chicago White Sox	03/30/89
Fireballing first rounder went almost straight to big leagues
3	Mauricio Robles	Seattle Mariners	03/05/89
Appearance here is misleading is on big league DL with elbow injury
4	Michael Pineda	Seattle Mariners	01/18/89
Among ROY candidates to watch
5	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	12/27/88
Tigers like to throw prospects in deep end, Porcello survived nicely
6	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	08/26/88
Two years in, still among league's youngest
7	Neftali Feliz	Texas Rangers	05/02/88
Whether closer or starter, everyone loves the arm
8	Chris Tillman	Baltimore Orioles	04/15/88
If Orioles are going to turn things around, pitching staff, led by Tillman will be one of the main reasons
9	Trevor Cahill	Oakland Athletics	03/01/88
Coming up on 400 big league innings already
10	Nathan Adcock	Kansas City Royals	02/25/88
Rule 5 pick has had his timetable sped up
NATIONAL
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Starlin Castro	Chicago Cubs	03/24/90
His status as youngest player in NL just reinforces how good he is
2	Mike Stanton	Florida Marlins	11/08/89
Hard to add more power as you mature when you already have 80 power
3	Freddie Freeman	Atlanta Braves	09/12/89
Reunited now with his good friend Heyward in Atlanta
4	Jason Heyward	Atlanta Braves	08/09/89
The present and fufure key to the Braves' lineup
5	Madison Bumgarner	San Francisco Giants	08/01/89
Trying to put together follow-up to excellent rookie campaign
6	Jose Tabata	Pittsburgh Pirates	08/12/88
Has always been young for whichever league he's been in
7	Stephen Strasburg	Washington Nationals	07/20/88
Young enough that lost year won't mean much
8	Craig Kimbrel	Atlanta Braves	05/28/88
Filthy stuff at a young age
9	Brandon Belt	San Francisco Giants	04/20/88
Amazing trip from fifth round to big leagues
10	Clayton Kershaw	Los Angeles Dodgers	03/19/88
Still among youngest despite 500 big league IP
INTERNATIONAL
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Julio Teheran	Gwinnett Braves	01/27/91
Would have been youngest player in Southern League too
2	Jose Iglesias	Pawtucket Red Sox	01/05/90
Red Sox future SS has a great glove
3	Jesus Montero	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees	11/28/89
Was youngest player in International League for much of last year
4	Ruben Tejada	Buffalo Bisons	10/27/89
Already has enough big league time to lose his rookie status
5	Jenrry Mejia	Buffalo Bisons	10/11/89
Mets love to move their guys up quickly, but they are being more patient with Mejia now
6	Dayan Viciedo	Charlotte Knights	03/10/89
Still has time to develop
7	Eduardo Escobar	Charlotte Knights	01/05/89
One of White Sox's best prospects, polishing up his defense
8	Jose Ortega	Toledo Mud Hens	10/12/88
Sleeper reliever has great stuff, has moved very quickly
9	Fernando Martinez	Buffalo Bisons	10/10/88
Been around so long, hard to remember he's 22
10	Lonnie Chisenhall	Columbus Clippers	10/04/88
Sweet-swinging 3B has made steady climb
PACIFIC COAST
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Jordan Lyles	Oklahoma City RedHawks	10/19/90
Is in his second go around in PCL, still youngest player in league
2	Brett Lawrie	Las Vegas 51s	01/18/90
Career seems to have gotten boost from move to 3B
3	Tyler Chatwood	Salt Lake Bees	12/16/89
Angels are another team who promotes players aggressively
4	Eric Hosmer	Omaha Storm Chasers	10/24/89
Advanced approach, excellent hand-eye. Not that far away from big leagues
5	Matt Dominguez	New Orleans Zephyrs	08/28/89
Good reminder why Marlins can be patient with his development at plate
6	Anthony Rizzo	Tucson Padres	08/08/89
Even with cancer treatment, still on fast track
7	Mike Montgomery	Omaha Storm Chasers	07/01/89
One of best lefthanded pitching prospects in game, now he's only a short drive away from Kansas City
8	Alexi Amarista	Salt Lake Bees	04/06/89
Lack of size limits his ceiling, but hustle, feel for game has gotten him this far as a 22-year-old
9	Eduardo Sanchez	Memphis Redbirds	02/16/89
Hard-throwing reliever can light up a radar gun, could be one of youngest players in big leagues later this year
10	Blake Beavan	Tacoma Rainiers	01/17/89
Stuff isn't what it was when he was in high school, but he's shown he knows how to pitch to compensate
EASTERN LEAGUE
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Jacob Turner	Erie SeaWolves	05/21/91
Tigers have promoted him very aggressively
2	Francisco Martinez	Erie SeaWolves	09/01/90
A favorite sleeper prospect, advanced approach for his age
3	Anthony Gose	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	08/10/90
Few rival his tools, young enough for bat to develop
4	Stolmy Pimentel	Portland Sea Dogs	02/01/90
Fastball was below average when he signed, now is plus
5	Xavier Avery	Bowie Baysox	01/01/90
Got 27-game taste of Double-A last year, back for a second try after hitting .234/.288/.374
6	Oscar Tejeda	Portland Sea Dogs	12/26/89
Move to second base has gotten his career on track
7	Jose Pirela	Trenton Thunder	11/21/89
David Adams' injury has helped allow him to climb ladder quickly
8	Freddy Galvis	Reading Phillies	11/14/89
Best glove in Phillies system has yet to prove he can hit
9	Mike McDade	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	05/08/89
Had a very solid season for high Class A Dunedin last year. Solid power at first base
10	Deolis Guerra	New Britain Rock Cats	04/17/89
How can he be this young after parts of three years in Florida State League
SOUTHERN
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Erasmo Ramirez	Jackson Generals	05/02/90
Keep an eye on him. Young RHP being aggressively promoted
2	Javier Solano	Chattanooga Lookouts	03/31/90
Dodgers purchased his rights from Mexican League club in 2008 for $250,000
3	Brad Hand	Jacksonville Suns	03/20/90
Lefty has moved quickly for a prep pitcher from Minnesota
4	Kyle Skipworth	Jacksonville Suns	03/01/90
Went from two years in low Class A to Double-A in one jump
5	Carlos Triunfel	Jackson Generals	02/27/90
Made Double-A for first time in 2009, still there
6	Nate Eovaldi	Chattanooga Lookouts	02/13/90
Trying to bounce back after strained lat muscle forced him to miss second half of the season
7	Randall Delgado	Mississippi Braves	02/09/90
How many young arms can the Braves' have? Delgado had eight starts in Mississippi last year
8	Tim Beckham	Montgomery Biscuits	01/27/90
Has struggled to live up to 1-1 status as 2008 draft's top pick, but still has youth on his side
9	Tyler Pastornicky	Mississippi Braves	12/13/89
Braves snagged him in Yunel Escobar deal
10	Josh Vitters	Tennessee Smokies	08/27/89
Is a little young to call this a make-or-break year
TEXAS
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Mike Trout	Arkansas Travelers	08/07/91
One of best athletes in baseball, and one of best prospects
2	Martin Perez	Frisco RoughRiders	04/04/91
In repeat performance of Texas League, has gone from youngest to second-youngest
3	Wil Myers	Northwest Arkansas Naturals	12/10/90
Move to OF should cut one year or more off path to big leagues
4	John Lamb	Northwest Arkansas Naturals	07/10/90
Velo Is down right now as he deals with lat injury
5	Salvador Perez	Northwest Arkansas Naturals	05/10/90
Physically strong catcher is advanced defensively
6	Jaff Decker	San Antonio Missions	02/23/90
Reports say he seems more athletic this year
7	Carlos Pimentel	Frisco RoughRiders	12/01/89
Notice a theme here? Four Rangers, three Royals on TL list
8	Engel Beltre	Frisco RoughRiders	11/01/89
Tools already there, just needs to polish up his skills
9	Wilfredo Boscan	Frisco RoughRiders	10/26/89
Happy to be out of the pitcher's hell that is Bakersfield
10	Richard Castillo	Springfield (MO) Cardinals	10/11/89
Spent parts of three seasons in Florida State League, but is still young for Double-A
CALIFORNIA
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Chris Owings	Visalia Rawhide	08/12/91
One to watch. Very solid 2010 in MWL in limited games.
2	Tommy Joseph	San Jose Giants	07/16/91
Plus power should play very well in the California League
3	Tyler Skaggs	Visalia Rawhide	07/13/91
Some scouts like him better than Jarrod Parker
4	Rymer Liriano	Lake Elsinore Storm	06/20/91
Has to turn great BP sessions into solid in-game Abs
5	Jonathan Villar	Lancaster JetHawks	05/02/91
Repeating high Class A as he works on cutting down on Ks
6	Nolan Arenado	Modesto Nuts	04/16/91
If he keeps hitting, could end up as Todd Helton's replacement
7	Matt Davidson	Visalia Rawhide	03/26/91
If Diamondbacks' farm system improves, Visalia group will be big reason
8	Max Stassi	Stockton Ports	03/15/91
Rough season in Midwest League in 2010, but offensive conditions more favorable in Stockton
9	Nick Franklin	High Desert Mavericks	03/02/91
Can he follow up an outstanding 2010 season?
10	Reymond Fuentes	Lake Elsinore Storm	02/12/91
Another part of Padres' haul for Adrian Gonzalez
CAROLINA
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Giovanni Soto	Kinston Indians	05/18/91
Finesse lefty pitches older than his age was picked up for Jhonny Peralta last year
2	Leury Garcia	Myrtle Beach Pelicans	03/18/91
Very good defensive SS, but questions remain about his bat
3	Santiago Hill	Myrtle Beach Pelicans	02/11/91
Also known as Santiago Chirino, has shown good glove, OK bat in past
4	Michael Almanzar	Salem Red Sox	12/02/90
Son of big league pitcher Carlos Almanzar needs to develop more power
5	Arodys Vizcaino	Lynchburg Hillcats	11/13/90
Could pretty quickly become the youngest player in the Southern League
6	Robbie Erlin	Myrtle Beach Pelicans	10/08/90
He may be 20, but he pitches like a 30-year-old
7	Joseph Ortiz	Myrtle Beach Pelicans	08/13/90
Seems like a veteran as a 20-year-old, in his fifth minor league season, primarily as a reliever
8	Clayton Cook	Kinston Indians	07/23/90
Pretty good stuff, led off by a low 90s fastball; has an ERA just over 3.00 for his career
9	Eury Perez	Potomac Nationals	05/30/90
Strong finish to 2010 season in Hagerstown showed he was ready for Carolina League
10	Destin Hood	Potomac Nationals	04/03/90
Still somewhat raw, but athletic outfielder has made significant strides since signing in 2008
FLORIDA STATE
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Jonathan Singleton	Clearwater Threshers	09/18/91
Move to OF means he may be able to fit in Philly
2	Wilmer Flores	St. Lucie Mets	08/06/91
Defensive questions, but he can hit wherever he plays in the field
3	Scottie Allen	Tampa Yankees	07/03/91
High school draftee had dominating 2009, so-so 2010
4	Jefry Marte	St. Lucie Mets	06/21/91
Example No. 1,201 of how Mets move their Latin players quickly. Already has two years of A ball experience
5	Avisail Garcia	Lakeland Flying Tigers	06/12/91
Was youngest player in Midwest League in 2009. One of best prospects in Detroit's system
6	Cesar Puello	St. Lucie Mets	04/01/91
Toolsy OF shows power in BP, does he start to show it in games this year?
7	Chad James	Jupiter Hammerheads	01/23/91
2009 first-rounder had rough 2010, promoted anyway
8	Daniel Fields	Lakeland Flying Tigers	01/23/91
Spent all of 2010 in Lakeland, back for return trip after hitting .240/.343/.371 last year
9	Hak-Ju Lee	Charlotte Stone Crabs	11/04/90
Trade sent him from one team with lots of young SSs to another. On DL right now with chicken pox
10	Jae-Hoon Ha	Daytona Cubs	10/29/90
Originally signed as a catcher, developing power gives him a chance to stick in right field
MIDWEST
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Yorman Rodriguez	Dayton Dragons	08/15/92
Has grown into RF from CF already, but Reds still very excited about his potential
2	Oscar Taveras	Quad Cities River Bandits	06/19/92
Excellent pure hitter is now sidelined with a pulled hamstring
3	J.R. Bradley	South Bend Silver Hawks	06/09/92
From same high school as J.R. House. Projectable righthander has plus fastball, working on the rest
4	Alex Monsalve	Lake County Captains	04/22/92
Could quickly climb Indians' catching ranks with a solid season
5	Marcus Littlewood	Clinton LumberKings	03/18/92
2010 second-rounder is making his pro debut in Clinton after signing for $900,000
6	Gary Pena	Lansing Lugnuts	03/10/92
Shortstop has struggled to top Mendoza line in two years in GCL, now facing massive leap to MWL
7	Nick Castellanos	West Michigan Whitecaps	03/04/92
Tigers felt he had one of the best bats in the 2010 draft, so no surprise he's already in low Class A
8	Dixon Machado	West Michigan Whitecaps	02/22/92
His glove has gotten him quick assignment to full-season ball, now he has to show he can hit
9	Julio Morban	Clinton LumberKings	02/13/92
Missed almost all of 2010 with injuries, but when healthy, he has impressive tools as corner outfielder
10	Jose Dore	Fort Wayne TinCaps	02/09/92
Not many high school eighth-round picks from last year's draft would be ready for Midwest League so soon
SOUTH ATLANTIC
Rk	Player	Team	DOB
1	Jurickson Profar	Hickory Crawdads	02/20/93
Gary Sanchez is young, but Profar's even younger
2	Gary Sanchez	Charleston (SC) RiverDogs	12/02/92
Destroyed the GCL last year as a 17-year-old. A big 2011 will put him among game's top prospects
3	Bryce Harper	Hagerstown Suns	10/16/92
Very rarely will you see an American play a full year in SAL at 18
4	Delino DeShields	Lexington Legends	08/16/92
Astros needed to bring speed to their farm system, DeShields definitely fits the bill
5	Domingo Santana	Lakewood BlueClaws	08/05/92
Was sent down from Lakewood last year, but Phillies No. 9 prospect should do better in second try
6	Rafael Rodriguez	Augusta GreenJackets	07/13/92
After signing for $2.55 million in 2008, massive 6-foot-5 outfielder draws Dave Winfield comparisons
7	Manny Machado	Delmarva Shorebirds	07/06/92
Orioles' best prospect is already the best shortstop prospect in the minors
8	Roberto Pena	Lexington Legends	06/08/92
Glove work behind plate has gotten him here, but hasn't shown yet that he can hit
9	Anderson Feliz	Charleston (SC) RiverDogs	05/11/92
Switch-hitter signed for $750,000 back in 2008. Has moved from shortstop to second base since signing
10	Kellin Deglan	Hickory Crawdads	05/03/92
2010 first-round pick had rough pro debut last year, but Rangers believe in him enough to move him up ladder

Delios Guerra played part of four seasons in the FSL, not three. He is now in his third season in the Eastern League.

Posted by TT | April 11, 2011 at 1:32 pm | Shortcut

Gary Sanchez is young, but Profar's nearly a year younger

They are less than three months apart…

Posted by AC | April 11, 2011 at 2:27 pm | Shortcut

I wonder how one goes about becoming "more athletic"?
My guess is that previous "reports" about Jaff Decker were not based on good observation …

Posted by LynchMob | April 13, 2011 at 2:35 pm | Shortcut

I think Decker's athleticism gets underrated, but there are certainly ways for a player to train to become more explosive.

Posted by Ben Badler | April 13, 2011 at 4:53 pm | Shortcut

Young talent is great but for pitchers most don't reach their prime until about 26 years old. I'm talking maturity as well.

Posted by Pitching Academy | April 17, 2011 at 12:27 pm | Shortcut

Jenry Mejia was born 10/11/89 and plays for the mets also Ruben Tejada born 10'27/89 also plays for the mets Mejia is a Pitcher and Tejada is a Second Baseman

Posted by Alex | May 27, 2011 at 7:51 pm | Shortcut