Washington Nationals news & notes: Jacob Young arrives in majors…

When Stone Garrett suffered a season-ending ankle injury in late August this summer, the Nationals traded 24-year-old 2021 seventh-round pick Jacob Young, who came up from the A-League out of the University of Florida. decided to convene. He moved up the ball from Double-A to Triple-A this season, posting a combined .305/.376/.418 line along the way.

“He’s a much above-average runner,” said Chris Klein, then the club’s director of scouting ops and now a special assistant to Nats general manager Mike Rizzo. This is what he said in his scouting report: 2021 Draft.

“He can throw and is a really good hitter. What I liked about his bat was his ability to drive through at bats. He doesn’t give up any bats. He’s very competitive in the box.”

Photo by Mitchell Leighton/Getty Images

Young played in 26 games with Class A Fredericksburg in 2021 and 115 games there in 2022 (He hit .262/.360/.331 with 10 doubles, eight triples, two home runs, and 52 stolen bases in 59 chances.), then played at High-A Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season before being called upon to continue his meteoric rise through the system.

“Jacob has done really well,” Nationals captain Davey Martinez said after the outfielder was called up to the majors in August. “He’s one of our young prospects and a player who has developed really well in our minor leagues. So we’re going to give him an opportunity to play. He just got here today, so we’re going to give him a chance to play. I’m going to give him some peace of mind. But I’m looking forward to seeing him play here and play with everything he can, because he can do a lot of different things. He can do a lot of different things. He can play outfield in all three outfield positions. He’s a leadoff type of guy. He got on base and stole bases for us. He’s got a lot of speed. But , we’re going to ease up on him and hopefully do as well as he did in the minor leagues and he can come here and give us a little bit of a spark again. right.”

Martinez expressed excitement about seeing Young up close and regularly over the final month of the season.

“I’ve watched him play,” the sixth-year coach said. “He plays the game the right way. So he’s going to get a chance to go out there and play the majority of the time every day. Like I said, we’re going to have him play center field and We’re going to let him play left field and go from there. But I want to see what he can do.”

Coach Martinez acknowledged Young’s quick start, but said he earned the shot.

“He did well,” Martinez explained. “He’s a college guy who understands the game. And he did well wherever you put him. I saw him when he was really, really young, and he was stealing 80-some bases, So he understands the game, he understands what he needs to do, and he’s a very smart kid.

“I’ve talked to him over the years and liked his attitude and preparation. I’m looking forward to watching him play.”

For the next 33 games, Young played center field for the Nationals, making some impressive plays that caught the attention of managers.

“He was an unbelievable defender,” Martinez said days after Young hit the majors. [positions]But he can go and play defense very well. ”

Young started off with an 11-game hitting streak, hitting 14-for-39 (.359/.405/.487) with five doubles during that stretch.

“He’s playing really well,” Martinez said in early September. It’s great that he’s had so much success so early in his major league career, but he’s a guy who loves to play the game and plays the right way and wins games whether it’s bunting, fielding, stealing bases, etc. Looking for something useful. He’s really good at hitting the bases and running the bases, because when he hits, he’s always trying to go for extra bases, but he’s done really, really well and I think he I’m proud of you. ”

Bonus Jacob Young Content:

Jacob Young had 13 stolen bases in 33 games in the majors but was never allowed an attempt, adding to that 39 stolen bases in 46 attempts in the minors last season.

A reporter once told Martinez that his speed on the basepaths was compared to CJ Abrams, who set a single-season record in D.C. (2005-present) with 47 stolen bases in 51 attempts this season. I asked him what was going on. Who is faster, Young or Abrams?

“It’s going to be a good race,” Martinez laughed.

“I’ll tell you what I like. [Young’s] The angle around the base is really good. He can run the bases really, really well. But they’re both really fast. I saw them both hit triples in one game, and they were both scorching. ”

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