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Get to Know Alex Young

June 27, 2019

Alex Young was born on September 9, 1993, and attended Carmel Catholic HS. He was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers but chose to attend Texas Christian University from 2013 to 2015. During those three seasons, Young went 17-10 (.630) with a

Alex Young was born on September 9, 1993, and attended Carmel Catholic HS. He was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers but chose to attend Texas Christian University from 2013 to 2015. During those three seasons, Young went 17-10 (.630) with a 2.39 ERA, 1.017 WHIP, 180 strikeouts, and 6 saves in 61 games, and appeared in two College World Series. He was drafted in the 2nd round (43rd Overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 and signed for $1,431,400.
After being signed by Arizona, Young began his professional career in Hillsboro where he pitched six games with a 1.50 ERA, one save and five strikeouts. The next season, he split time between Low-A Kane County and High-A Visalia where he went 5-8 (.385) with two complete games, 93 strikeouts, a 1.31 WHIP, and a 3.56 ERA in 21 games. In 2017, Young played in Jackson, Tennessee the Double-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks going 9-9 (.500) with a 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts in 27 games. Last season, Young split time in Jackson and Reno (Triple-A) playing in 29 games with a record of 10-5 (.667), a 5.17 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and 109 strikeouts. In 2019, he has appeared in 20 games and started in 8 of the contests going 4-3 (.571) with a 6.09 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. 

Young will make his first start with Arizona on June 27th against the Giants in San Francisco.

Alex Young, a Left Handed Pitcher, was once rated as Arizona's 7th overall prospect in 2015, but an injury disrupted his season to alter that ranking. He missed roughly six weeks in April and May of 2016 with a forearm sprain but still managed 118.2 innings that season. Young pitches to contact due to his fastball velocity that sits around 88-90 MPH but can reach 92 on some occasions. He displays standard command for the strike zone and has a breaking ball that some scouts believe is more curveball while others consider it a slider that has plus-potential and rests between 76-81 MPH. His change-up, rated solid-average, floats in the mid-80s and was a new pitch that he added to his arsenal out of college. Young projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter and needs to keep his command regularly sharp to reach his full potential in the Major Leagues.