[uvaspina]

So I'm going to start possibly collecting some of the newer star young guys rookie cards and I gotta ask. If you had to pick 1 of the 4 guys above, who do you think is going to have the best career when everything is all said and done? And why? For me, I gotta go with Posey. He is a terrific catcher, good teammate and hes a pretty good hitter who seems to get better and better every year.

No question that Posey is a star and is likely to enjoy a long career. (Even though he primarily plays catcher, he's been playing at 1B too. In a few years he'll likely play 1B exclusively. It's stupid for a star player to shorten his career by 3-4 years playing catcher. In the future, guys like posey aren't going to risk $25-30m/year down the line to waste their knees catching). With that said, I don't see Posey having the potential to challenge any historical records. Maybe he'll have a shot at leading a stat category or two for catchers, but that's about it. (Of course, he may get another MVP or two along the way).

With Harper/Trout on the other hand, both started at the big league level by age 20 and both have the potential to play 20 year careers. It's not crazy to think that either (or both) could easily amass 3,000 hits, 500 HR, 2,000+ RBI, 500 SB. Of course, there's always the possibility of injury, but these guys are "once in a generation talents." It just so happens there are two of them.

Trout is, by any measure, an elite center fielder. Harper is maybe a plus defender in center but projects as a corner outfielder. In the long run, I think Harper will have the better (overall) career.

I think Strasburg is going to have a fantastic year this year (I bet, barring injury, he wins 22+ games and leads the league in Ks with 275). While there's always a risk of injury to any player, I'd be nervous investing a lot in Strasburg. His mechanics don't lend themselves to a 15+ year elite pitching career. He might end up being more of a John Smoltz type when all is said and done.

A guy I think is missing from your list is Giancarlo Stanton. -Sure I'm biased because I collect him, but he has great potential. (specifically 500 HR potential). If he can learn to hit for higher average, look out. For that reason, I'd probably put him even with Posey as far as long-term collecting goes.