The 2018 MLB all-rookie team

Whether they are blue-chip prospects or less-touted minor leaguers just trying to make a name for themselves, first-year big leaguers provide intrigue in every MLB season. And this season has been no different. While some of the youngsters on this list are already well on their way to super stardom, some lesser-known guys really found a way to break through and contribute to their teams as well. 

Let's take a look at the Yardbarker 2018 MLB all-rookie team.

Catcher
Jorge Alfaro, Philadelphia Phillies

Catcher is seemingly the most difficult position on the diamond to fill with a legitimate star, and most teams are happy enough to roll out a serviceable defensive backstop who can add a little pop at the dish. Alfaro has been every bit of that for Philadelphia in 2018. In just shy of 350 at-bats, he's launched 10 homers and clubbed 16 doubles, providing a right-handed threat at the bottom of the order. But defensively he's been even more impressive. The 25-year-old has gunned down over 35 percent of would be base stealers, helping his pitching staff consistently keep runners out of scoring position. The Phillies did trade for veteran Wilson Ramos at the deadline to provide a more experienced catcher down the stretch, and while he's played well for them, Alfaro is very much the future for this team at position No. 2 on your scorecard.

First base
Ronald Guzman, Texas Rangers

First base had a couple of possibilities, and while we'll give Detroit's Niko Goodrum an honorable mention, to me Guzman is the guy. The sweet-swinging left-hander has played every day for the Rangers pretty much all year, hitting .236 but with 16 homers and 57 RBI. He's also added 18 doubles with two triples, and most impressively, he has committed only five errors all year, good for a .995 fielding percentage. Texas is currently in a state of a little flux as it tries to identify its next young core to move forward with, but it's clear Guzman will be front and center in those plans.

Second Base
Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees

Despite a little bit of a disappointing September, Torres is obviously the choice here. The 21-year-old burst onto the scene after his late April call-up, hitting .325 through May and showing intangibles well above his age group. His total numbers right now include a .276 batting average, 23 long balls, 73 RBI, 15 doubles and a .345 OBP. In a lineup littered with superstars like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Didi Gregorius, it's the young Torres who countless Bombers' observers this year would tell you is the guy they have the most confidence in to come through in a clutch at-bat. It should be fun to watch him in the high-leverage situations he'll be thrust into next week.

Shortstop
Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays 

This could just as easily go to St. Louis' Yairo Munoz, but Adames gets the nod. In about a half season's worth of work for the surprising Rays, the 23-year-old has established himself as a building block in Tampa Bay, hitting .271 with 10 home runs and a strong .342 OBP. His 88 strikeouts in 266 at-bats are higher than you would like, but he's been able to cut down on them at least a bit down the stretch, as he's begun to blossom into the player this organization has always believed he could be.

Third base
Miguel Andujar, New York Yankees

The second Yankee on the list, Andujar has arguably been even better than his fellow rookie and teammate Torres. Arriving with far less fanfare, all the Dominican Republic native has done is hit .298 with 25 homers, 85 RBI, 43 doubles and two triples. His 163 hits currently have him 11th in the American League, and he's become one of the most dangerous and consistent offensive threats on one of baseball's better teams. The only knock on the youngster is his defense, which to be fair, has been a little bit of a problem. He's already committed 15 errors at the hot corner, and after a recent defensive slump, some members of the New York media have actually begun to question if he should play the field in the playoffs at all or just serve as his team's designated hitter.

Left field
Juan Soto, Washington Nationals

Overshadowed a bit by how well Ronald Acuna Jr. has played for Atlanta, it is Acuna's division rival in Atlanta, Soto, who has actually probably been even slightly better. At the ripe age of 19, Soto has taken his mid-May promotion and ran with it to say the least. In roughly 400 at-bats, he's hit .295 with 21 home runs, 66 RBI and 23 other extra-base hits while providing the Nationals with a little bit of confidence that if Bryce Harper does depart as a free agent, they have an in-house, left-handed power bat to replace him.

Center field
Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves

Like Soto, Acuna Jr. typically plays left field, but he has played in center 12 times and thus for the sake of our defensive alignment, we're going to send him out to position No. 8. Regardless of where he has been in the outfield, all the phenom has done since arriving in the major leagues is absolutely rake. In a similar amount of at-bats to Soto (right around 400), Acuna Jr. has hit .289 with 26 bombs, 58 RBI, 25 doubles and has even added 15 steals. Defensively he's contributed three outfield assists, and with the NL East Champion Braves being one of the more pleasant surprises in the game this season, it will be fun to see what this young man can do on the October stage.

Right field
Harrison Bader, St. Louis Cardinals

Bader has done a little bit of everything for the Cardinals in 2018, and he's going to round out our everyday rookie lineup as this team's spark plug. This season the 24-year-old former Florida Gator has hit .271 with 12 homers, 20 doubles and 15 steals, and he's a major reason the Redbirds find themselves on the verge of returning to the postseason this October.

Starting pitcher
RHP Jack Flaherty, St. Louis Cardinals

A second straight member of the Cardinals, Flaherty has been arguably even a bigger part of this team's success than Bader. In 27 starts, the club's first round pick from the 2014 draft has pitched to an impressive 3.16 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP in 148.1 innings. He owns a sub-.200 batting average against, has surrendered only 104 hits on the year and has punched out well over a batter/inning. The only slight knock on Flaherty is that he has allowed 20 homers, but that's how you need to score against him as he's incredibly difficult to string multiple hits together against. The Cards hope to earn a wild card berth this week, and if they are able to do so and advance into the first round, likely against their archrivals in Chicago, it will be fun to see the youngster toeing the rubber.

Relief pitcher
LHP Jesse Biddle, Atlanta Braves

The Braves have gotten contributions from many young players on their roster, and the bullpen is no different. The 26-year-old Biddle was once a first round pick of the Phillies, but injuries prevented him from taking off. Until this season. After making his big league debut April 21, the southpaw has been brilliant, turning in a 2.89 ERA in 58 games while punching out over a hitter/inning. The best part is he's been far from just a specialist, as he's even holding righties to under a .200 batting average. The Braves have developed immense confidence in him toward the back end of the game. 

Closer
RHP Seranthony Dominguez, Philadelphia Phillies

Dominguez didn't enter the season with the type of hype a youngster like Jordan Hicks brought with him to St. Louis, but the big right-hander has been dominant for Philly ever since he was promoted in May. In 51 appearances he boasts a 3.05 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP while allowing opponents to hit just .162 against him and striking out an eye-opening 71 batters in 56 frames. Dominguez has even been closing games for the Phillies down the stretch, notching 14 saves, and it looks like a safe bet he'll continue serving as this team's stopper in 2019 and beyond. 

Manager
Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox

To say Cora was inserted into a fail-proof situation as the skipper of baseball's most talented roster is a fair argument but not a good enough reason to not give him the nod. The Red Sox are understandably a dominant force, but this team may win over 110 games and you still need a capable and competent voice meshing 25 or more different personalities and keeping everyone on the same page. Cora has been everything and more that the Red Sox envisioned when they hired him. While he hasn't really had any stressful games in months, it will be interesting to see how well he can navigate the demands and pressure of the postseason on his quest to take home a title in Year 1.