Chris Young

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #2 prospect in 2006
  After going 50-for-50 stealing bases as a senior at Bellaire High in suburban Houston, Young shattered his left forearm in an outfield collision three days before the 2001 draft. Chicago stole him in the 16th round and has watched him blossom into one of the top outfield prospects in the minors. He skipped a level last year and led the Southern League in runs, homers and extra-base hits (70) despite missing two weeks after pulling a muscle in his side during the Futures Game. Young is a dynamic offensive player who sparks comparisons to Eric Davis. He has the power and speed to be a 30-30 man in the big leagues and has proven his ability to make adjustments. Double-A pitchers victimized Young with a steady diet of low curveballs and high fastballs early in the season, but by midseason he forced pitchers to throw him strikes and made them pay when they did. He's an outstanding defensive center fielder. The only thing keeping Young from being a five-tool player is his arm. It's playable in center field but likely would prevent him from moving to right field. He strikes out a lot, but does so without compromising his production and also draws a lot of walks. The White Sox have a center-field opening after trading Aaron Rowand to the Phillies, but they'll likely give it to Brian Anderson and let Young open the season at Triple-A Charlotte. He should be ready by midseason.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #5 prospect in 2005
  An all-Ivy League center, Young's basketball potential has paid off for him in baseball. He signed with the Pirates for $1.65 million in 2000, then got a three-year, $1.5 million contract extension from the Rangers last fall after the NBA's Sacramento Kings approached him. An athletic giant, Young always has had good command and the ability to repeat his delivery. Minor league pitching coaches Steve Luebber and Glenn Abbott tweaked his mechanics, changing his arm angle so Young could throw on a better downhill plane. The more he worked off his fastball, the harder he threw it, and he regularly hit 95 mph in the majors. Young used to rely more on a solid-average curveball and developing changeup. With his new delivery and approach, his feel for his secondary stuff slipped a bit. As long as Young is healthy and throwing like he did in the second half in 2004, he should earn a spot in Texas' 2005 rotation.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #19 prospect in 2004
  When Expos scouting director Dana Brown was an area scout with the Pirates, he engineered the $1.65 million signing of Young as a third-round pick in 2000. Young was an all-Ivy League center at Princeton with NBA potential, and his deal was heralded as a coup for Pittsburgh. But he developed slowly with the Pirates and fell out of favor with the new regime after general manager Dave Littlefield took over. Pittsburgh traded Young and righthander Jon Searles for Matt Herges in December 2002, then released Herges at the end of spring training. After switching organizations, Young was unhittable in high Class A and so-so in Double-A. At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, he has a commanding presence on the mound. He has smooth mechanics and a clean arm action for a pitcher so tall, but doesn't throw harder than 87-93 mph. The Expos sent Young to the Arizona Fall League to work on increasing his arm speed and adding some explosiveness to his delivery. After throwing a slider, he scrapped it in favor of an improving 76-80 mph curveball. It's a 12-to-6 downer that should be at least an average big league pitch. His changeup is also developing. Young should get his first taste of Triple-A at some point in 2004.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #8 prospect in 2003
  Expos scouting director Dana Brown signed Young for the Pirates as an area scout. Pittsburgh paid Young $1.65 million to buy him away from a potential NBA career after he was an all-Ivy League performer as a basketball center. He fell somewhat out of favor with the new Pirates regime, which included him in a deal for Matt Herges in December. Young added velocity to his fastball after having arthroscopic elbow surgery following the 2001 season, throwing 93 mph last year. He has the potential to throw harder, though his inability to do so frustrated the Pirates. His long arms and legs create plenty of deception in his delivery. Young is looking to develop a good second pitch. He scrapped his slider last season in favor of a curveball, and he's refining his changeup. He needs to clean up his mechanics and throw on more of a downhill plane to take full advantage of his height. Young didn't make his pro debut until June 2001 because he was working toward his Princeton degree. The Pirates made him repeat low Class A, and he's ready to move up a level in 2003. He's going to be a long-term project.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #10 prospect in 2002
  The Pirates signed Young away from a potential career as an NBA center by giving him a $1.65 million bonus. He had been an all-Ivy League basketball player at Princeton. Young signed too late to play in 2000 and made his pro debut at Hickory last June after finishing the spring semester at Princeton. Young has an intriguing body as he stands 6-foot-10, drawing inevitable comparisons to Randy Johnson. He's also a bright guy, as expected from an Ivy Leaguer, and throws a heavy ball with boring action that breaks bats when he's healthy. His command is surprisingly good for a tall pitcher who had been torn between two sports. Young is raw, as he pitched sparingly in college. His velocity was a concern in 2001 as his fastball topped out at 86 mph, though arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove a bone spur should solve that problem. His breaking pitches and changeup need work. Young probably will rejoin the Hickory rotation to start 2002, though a good spring could push him to Lynchburg. Needing just one semester to graduate, Young will spend the entire 2002 season concentrating on baseball and should make up for lost time.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #7 prospect in 2001
  Young was an all-Ivy League center at Princeton and appeared to have an NBA future before following his heart to baseball. The Pirates persuaded Young to give up basketball with a $1.65 million signing bonus last August after he starred in the Cape Cod League. Young has outstanding mechanics and coordination for such a big man. Scouts are impressed with how he consistently repeats his delivery, a difficult task for tall pitchers. He also is graceful and moves well around the mound. Young's fastball routinely hits 90 mph and has the potential to max out at 95-96 mph because of his large frame. His breaking and offspeed pitches need work, which is understandable because he lacks experience. His progress will be slowed this year because he'll participate in spring training for just a week or so while continuing to take classes at Princeton. Comparisons to Randy Johnson are inevitable, and the sky is the limit for Young now that he'll concentrate on baseball. He likely will begin his professional career in June with short-season Williamsport. The Pirates will give Young plenty of time to get acclimated.