120 Sports reveals "MLB 25 & Under," Baseball's Top 25 Millennial Athletes

CHICAGO, July 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Six months after the release of its inaugural Millennials' Athlete Index, all-digital sports network 120 Sports continues to focus on the hottest athletes, sports and trending topics, unveiling its first-ever, sport-specific index: "MLB 25 & Under," the top 25 MLB players 25 years of age and younger, ahead of tonight's MLB All-Star Game.

The list highlights the elite, rising young stars in baseball this season. To determine the top 25 athletes, 120 Sports turned to the expertise of a panel of six baseball writers, insiders and analysts from Sports on Earth, Sports Illustrated and 120 Sports, as well as the results of a fan poll in partnership with popular polling website, Ranker.com, surveying Millennials (defined as 18 to 34-year-olds). 

The rankings from both the experts and the fan poll were combined to generate the following index:

1. Mike Trout, Angels, 23
2. Bryce Harper, Nationals, 22
3. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins, 25
4. Manny Machado, Orioles, 22
5. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs, 25
6. Carlos Correa, Astros, 20
7. Nolan Arenado, Rockies, 23
8. Kris Bryant, Cubs, 23
9. Madison Bumgarner, Giants, 25
10. Joc Pederson, Dodgers, 22
11. Yasiel Puig, Dodgers, 24
12. Gerrit Cole, Pirates, 24
13. Freddie Freeman, Braves, 25
14. Jose Altuve, Astros, 24
15. Michael Wacha, Cardinals, 23
16. George Springer, Astros, 25
17. Jose Fernandez, Marlins, 22
18. Sonny Gray, Athletics, 25
19. Salvador Perez, Royals, 24
20. Carlos Martinez, Cardinals, 23
21. Shelby Miller, Braves, 24
22. Byron Buxton, Twins, 21
23. Anthony Rendon, Nationals, 24
24. Kolten Wong, Cardinals, 24
25. Eric Hosmer, Royals, 25

The rankings provide additional data points and insights including:

- 17 players are on the 2015 All-Star team rosters.
- 15 MLB teams represented; Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals have the most players (3 each).
- NL has 16 players, AL has nine.
- NL Central has most players with 6 total.
- Positions: P (7), C (1), 1B (3), 2B (2), 3B (4), SS (1), OF (7).
- Birthplace: U.S. (19), Dominican Republic (2), Cuba (2), Venezuela (1), Puerto Rico (1).
- MLB Draft first-round draft picks: 14.
- Overall #1 picks in the MLB Draft: Harper (2010), Cole (2011), Correa (2012).

To qualify for consideration, players had to be 25 years old or younger as of Opening Day of the 2015 MLB season. Unlike the 120 Sports Millennials' Athlete Index poll, which was based off of a player's likability and importance to Millennials, the athletes in this poll were ranked based on their 2015 careers to date, overall talent and future playing potential.

120 Sports, which uses up-to-the-moment insight from consumer trends to shape the way it produces its 24 hours of daily live and on-demand programming, spent this past weekend leading up to the MLB All-Star Game evaluating each of the "MLB 25 & Under" players at their respective positions, evaluating players who missed the cut as well as calling on its experts for additional layers of analysis. Key segments can be found here:

• MLB Under 25 Snubs
• MLB 25 & Under Hitters
• Best Pitcher 25 & Under
• Fantastic Four: Future Faces of MLB
• Players Picks

120 Sports is the ultimate destination for up-to-the-moment expert commentary on all trending sports topics.  The digital-only broadcast network offers 76 hours of live content, plus more than 1,200 on-demand video clips, each week. The official "MLB 25 & Under" list was revealed with in-depth analysis and discussion from 120 Sports' baseball experts last night on 120 Sports. Visit the 120 Sports app or http://www.120sports.com and Search "MLB 25 & Under" for the full list of segments.

About 120 Sports:

120 Sports is a first-of-its-kind network partnership involving multiple leagues and media properties created for the digital generation and the devices it uses most. In 120 Sports, today's fans have access to unauthenticated video programming through a new platform built to intuitively integrate video and data in ways they haven't experienced before. Equity partners in 120 Sports include Time Inc. /Sports Illustrated, MLBAM, the NHL, the PGA TOUR, Campus Insiders and Silver Chalice.

To learn more about 120 Sports, visit http://www.120sports.com or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/120Sports and Twitter https://twitter.com/120Sports.

SOURCE 120 Sports