Cole Young Explained

Cole Young
Team:Seattle Mariners
Number:1
Position:Shortstop
Birth Date:29 July 2003
Birth Place:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats:Left
Throws:Right

Cole Douglas Young (born July 29, 2003) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Seattle Mariners organization.

Amateur career

Young was raised in Wexford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.[1] In 2014, he won Major League Baseball’s national Pitch, Hit & Run competition, held at Target Field, in the 9- and 10-year-old division.[2] [3]

Young attended North Allegheny High School in Wexford.[4] As a high school freshman, Young committed to play college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils.[5] He also was the first freshman to make the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's All Area team. His sophomore season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] As a junior, Young batted .437 with 33 runs scored, 23 RBIs and 14 extra-base hits.[7] That summer, Young played in the High School All-American Game at Coors Field, held before the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.[8] [9] As a high school senior, he hit .433 with 2 home runs, topping .400 in every season of high school.[10]

Professional career

Young was considered a top prospect for the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[11] [12] The Seattle Mariners selected Young in the first round of the draft, with the 21st overall selection.[13] He signed with the Mariners on July 26 and received a $3.3 million signing bonus.[14] He played for the Arizona Complex League Mariners for one week in August, then moved up to the Modesto Nuts for 10 games. He returned to Modesto for the start of the 2023 season before being promoted to the Everett Aquasox in July. Young hit better after his promotion, with an .884 on-base plus slugging with Everett, up from .825 with Modesto.[15]

Prior to the 2024 season, Young was ranked among the top 70 prospects by MLB.com, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and FanGraphs.[16] During the offseason, Young added 10 pounds of weight through weightlifting training. He spent 2024 with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, batting .271/.369/.390 with nine home runs and 23 stolen bases. He also played in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game. After the season, Young said he initially tried to hit for more power in 2024 but changed his approach, due in part to playing in a pitcher-friendly home ballpark.[17] After the season, he played one game for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League.[18] [19] He reportedly suffered from wrist discomfort during 2024, which may have limited his fall league availability.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cole Young Stats & Scouting Report. Baseball America. March 1, 2022.
  2. Web site: Phillipps . Ed . July 4, 2014 . Local youngster hits, pitches, runs to finals . March 1, 2022 . Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  3. Web site: 2014-07-14 . 2014 Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run Program National Champions crowned . 2024-12-01 . MLB.com . en.
  4. Web site: 2021 Baseball preview: Led by star junior Cole Young, North Allegheny has high hopes for this season. Brad. Everett. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 26, 2021. March 1, 2022.
  5. Web site: Walsh . Rich . May 18, 2022 . North Allegheny shortstop Cole Young is a top MLB Draft prospect . May 26, 2022 . CBS Pittsburgh.
  6. Web site: White . Ed . May 27, 2021 . Cole Young and Spencer Barnett are in the 'middle' of something good for North Allegheny baseball . https://web.archive.org/web/20210527095147/https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/hsother/2021/05/27/Cole-Young-Spencer-Barnett-North-Allegheny-baseball-WPIAL-championship/stories/202105260109 . May 27, 2021 . March 1, 2022 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  7. Web site: North Allegheny's Cole Young projected as 1st-round pick in MLB Draft. Chris. Harlan. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. February 13, 2022. March 1, 2022.
  8. Web site: North Allegheny's Cole Young picked for all-star baseball game at Coors Field. Chris. Harlan. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. July 8, 2021. March 8, 2022.
  9. Web site: Guzman . Michael . July 6, 2021 . HS All-American Game, HRD rosters unveiled . 2024-12-01 . MLB.com . en.
  10. Web site: January 3, 2023 . Alumnus Bio Page: Cole Young . 2024-12-01 . North Allegheny Sports Network . en-US.
  11. Web site: 2022 High School MLB Draft Prospects with the Best Scouting Tools. Carlos. Collaza. Baseball America. February 8, 2022. March 7, 2022.
  12. Web site: Cole Young Class of 2022 - Player Profile Perfect Game USA . 2024-12-01 . Perfect Game.
  13. Web site: Mariners select high school shortstop Cole Young with No. 21 pick in first round of 2022 MLB draft. The Seattle Times. July 17, 2022. July 27, 2022.
  14. Web site: Mariners' top pick signs, takes big league BP. Daniel. Kramer. MLB.com. July 26, 2022. July 27, 2022.
  15. Web site: Gilberto . Gerald . September 5, 2023 . The Road to The Show™: Mariners’ Young . 2024-12-01 . MiLB.com . en.
  16. Web site: The Board . 2024-12-01 . FanGraphs Baseball . en.
  17. Web site: Laurila . David . October 16, 2024 . For Mariners Prospect Cole Young, Contact Is Preferable to Power . 2024-12-01 . FanGraphs Baseball.
  18. Web site: Cole Young Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics . 2024-11-28 . Baseball-Reference.com . en.
  19. Web site: After recovering from injuries, Emerson grateful to lead Mariners in AFL . 2024-11-28 . MLB.com . en.