Andy Young

Position: 2B
Level: AFL
Affiliate: Surprise Saguaros
League: Arizona Fall League
Born: 05/10/1994 (Age: 29)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 195
B/T: Right / Right
Acquired: 37th Rd. 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft (STL); Traded to ARI 12/5/2018

Prospect Spotlight

A 37th round pick in 2016 that signed for a measly $3,000 bonus, Young was sent to the Diamondbacks as part of a package for 1B Paul Goldschmidt. A stocky infielder, Young upped his prospect status in 2018 by slashing g.289/.379/.479 with 21 homers across two levels, reaching Double-A for just over 30 games at the end of the regular season. He was sent to Fall League and performed well there, and I got a look at Young during his time with the Surprise Saguaros when he was still a Cardinals’ prospect.

Young is compact and strong with broad, square shoulders and a muscular frame. That strength, along with solid bat speed, gives him above-average raw power, which is the highlight of the profile. He uses his lower-half well and employs a line-drive  path that’s able to lift the ball on pitches up in the zone. He is reluctant to offer at spin (though he’ll whiff through it when he does), so despite solid zone awareness, he falls behind against arms with quality breaking stuff. He has the power for 15-18 HRs over a full season’s worth of at-bats, though it’s likely a power-over-hit profile that doesn’t have the ability to hit for batting average that he has shown thus far. Defensively, I saw Young at 2B where his first-step quickness was pushed, but his clean hands and instincts enough to stick there. He has played around the dirt and in the OF, but with just a fringy arm, he is limited to 2B and LF defensively.

Despite his gaudy stat lines, Young’s problems picking up and hitting spin likely prevent him from making it as an everyday regular. Even though he offers limited value as a defender, Young’s offensive skills should allow him to carve out a major league bench role.