10 best present-day second-generation MLB stars

10. Neil Walker, first baseman, Miami Marlins

Walker’s father, Tom, will forever be connected to one of baseball’s saddest moments. He was supposed to be on Roberto Clemente’s ill-fated flight on New Year’s Eve, 1972, but the flight was full so he did not make the trip. Todd pitched in MLB from 1972-1977, finishing with a career 3.87 ERA. Neil broke into the league in 2009, won the Silver Slugger in 2014 and is a career .267/.338/.429 hitter with 144 career home runs. It appears Walker’s career is winding down, but he’s had a nice run over the last decade.

9. Cavan Biggio, second baseman, Toronto Blue Jays

Biggio hit .252/.388/.499 in Double-A last season. What really stands out is the .388 OBP despite hitting only .252. Nobody in MLB history has been hit by more pitches than Cavan’s father, Craig. He knew how to reach base even if he wasn’t swinging. It’s a trait his son shares. Cavan also belted 26 home runs in only 449 at-bats a season ago. In 2019, Biggio is hitting .415/.500/.642 with three home runs in Triple-A. He’s yet to make his MLB debut, but it should just be a matter of time.

8. Ke’Bryan Hayes, third baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates

Hayes, whose father Charlie was a big league infielder for more than a decade, has yet to debut in the majors, but he’s shown good signs in the minors. In 2017, he stole 27 bases. Players with speed can almost always find a place in the majors. As far as what kind of a hitter Hayes is, he hit.293/.375/.444 in Double-A in 2018. The year before, he hit .278/.345/.363 in High-A. There’s no way of knowing for sure how well a player will handle the majors, but improving numbers through higher levels of the minors is a great sign.

7. Dee Gordon, second baseman, Seattle Mariners

Tom Gordon had a career that spanned more than 20 years. Dee doesn’t yet have his dad’s longevity, but he has his own strong legacy in the game. Gordon has led MLB in steals three times. While we tend to associate the two-time All-Star with his speed, he’s far from a one-trick pony. Gordon has also won a batting title, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in his career. Excluding Walker, Gordon is more of a finished product than anyone on the list.

6. Dereck Rodriguez, starting pitcher, San Francisco Giants

Rodriguez didn’t enter MLB with a great deal of hype in 2018, but he’s already made a good name for himself. He posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.132 WHIP in 19 starts and 21 outings in 2018. The early returns on his sophomore season (3.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) are quite positive, as well. Rodriguez isn’t a classic strikeout pitcher, but he has shown the ability to keep hitters off-balance and weaken the contact that does come.

5. Bo Bichette, shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays

Dante Bichette was a power hitter who had some speed. His son is the opposite. Bo nabbed 32 bases in 2018 and 22 the year before. He also hit 14 homers in 2017 (a season in which he hit .362/.423/.565 between two levels) and added 11 in 2018. He’s also only 21, well short of a hitter’s typical peak power years, so more home run productivity is likely to come. A broken hand will probably keep Bichette in the minors until we get a little deeper into the season, but like Biggio, it won’t be too long until he is called up.

4. Adalberto Mondesi, shortstop, Kansas City Royals

Mondesi swiped 32 bases on only 75 games in 2018 and has already stolen seven bags in 2019. While his speed his the first thing that jumps out, Mondesi also put up a .498 slugging percentage last year and is at .515 in 2019. The wheels have obviously helped Mondesi turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples, but he also hit 14 homers in those 75 games last year and already has three this season. He’s got some of the pop that served his father, Raul, so well. That, combined with a flashy glove, gives us a lot to be excited about going forward.

3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., third baseman, Toronto Blue Jays

Guerrero will make his MLB debut on Friday. Apparently the Toronto organization feels that he’s finally ready. Guerrero’s MLB promotion is not coming a moment too soon. He made a mockery of minor league pitching in 2018 and has done the same thing in 2019. Now it’s time to see if he be a star at the MLB level, something his Hall of Fame father clearly knows a thing or two about.

2. Fernando Tatis Jr., shortstop, San Diego Padres 

Tatis gets a slight nod over Guerrero because we’ve already seen what he can do in the majors. While he hasn’t been in the league long, Tatis has made strong early impressions in the show. He’s hitting .299/.361/.586, has shown good power with six homers, added five steals and is pretty nifty with the glove. His father broke into the bigs in 1997 and played until 2010. Given that Tatis is only 20, his career could last much longer than his old man’s.

1. Cody Bellinger, right fielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

Bellinger, son of three-time World Series champ Clay, turned heads in 2017. He set a National League rookie record for home runs in the season en route to the Rookie of the Year Award. Now, two years later, he’s even better. The power is obviously a headline grabber, but Bellinger also runs very well and is a solid defender. What’s even more scary is that Bellinger is actually younger than multiple players here, including Biggio, who’s yet to play a day in the majors.