Track Record: Young first emerged on the baseball scene as a 10-year-old when he won MLB’s Pitch, Hit and Run competition for his age bracket at Minnesota’s Target Field during 2014 All-Star Weekend. He parlayed that into continued success as a teenager and blossomed into one of the top hitters in the 2022 draft at North Allegheny High just outside Pittsburgh. He hit .428 in a decorated three-year career and showed he could compete with warm-weather players with repeated standout performances on the summer showcase circuit. The Mariners drafted him 21st overall in 2022 and signed him for $3.3 million to forgo a Duke commitment. Young hit .367 in his pro debut and continued to assert himself as a premium hitter in his first full season in 2023. He hit .277/.399/.449 with 34 doubles, a system-high nine triples, 11 home runs and 22 stolen bases across the Class A levels and recorded nearly as many walks (88) as strikeouts (90).
Scouting Report: Young is a natural hitter with a sweet lefthanded swing. He has a fast, direct stroke with natural loft and consistently finds the barrel. He has exceptional hand-eye coordination and natural timing and is rarely fooled or caught off-balance. He uses the whole field and is particularly adept at driving the ball the other way. Young doesn’t have overwhelming bat speed or strength, but he finds the barrel so frequently he’s able to make consistent quality contact. He pulls balls in the air for home runs to right field or laces them on a line for doubles into the left-center gap. He expertly manages the strike zone, rarely swings and misses and projects to be a plus hitter who averages around 15 home runs per season. He should post high on-base percentages and rack up doubles. Young is an average runner with a quick first step and good instincts on the basepaths. He is faster underway than out of the box and has a good feel for knowing when to take an extra base. Young is more steady than flashy defensively in the middle infield. He positions himself well with good instincts, plays low to the ground and has soft, reliable hands at shortstop. His lateral range is a tick short and he loses accuracy on longer throws, so he is likely to move to second base in the long term. He has average arm strength and projects to be an above-average defender at the keystone. Young lacks explosive tools and rarely stands out on a first look, but he is the type of player whom observers gain increased appreciation for over time. He is a calm, composed individual with a slow heartbeat and is rarely rattled in pressure situations.
The Future: Young projects to be a productive No. 2 hitter who hits for a high average, draws walks and does occasional damage while playing steady defense in the middle infield. He will open 2024 at Double-A Arkansas and is the Mariners’ second baseman of the future. n
Scouting Grades Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Field: 55 | Arm: 50
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