Chavez Young

Position: CF
Level: Class A
Affiliate: Lansing Lugnuts
League: Midwest League
Born: 07/08/1997 (Age: 26)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 195
B/T: Both / Right
Acquired: 39rd Rd., 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft (TOR)

Prospect Spotlight

The toolsy outfielder was signed to an over-slot bonus in 2016’s 39th round, agreeing to a $200K bonus with Toronto from a Georgia high school. Born in the Bahamas, Young has a well-rounded toolset without any one skill being elite, setting him up to profile as a bench contributor with center-diamond value given his athleticism and ability to play up the middle.

Offensively, the switch-hitting 20-year-old has 45-grade raw power from both sides of the plate with the speed to leg out balls to the gaps in games with occasional ability to get lift. I expect him to get to what power he does have, a future 45-grade power producer at maturity. He’s a better hitter from the right side, showing more pitch recognition and ability to lay off secondary pitches. His pitch recognition skills are average and with ample bat speed, Young likes to pull line drives when he can get a pitch over the plate. He keeps his swing short, and projects to a 45-grade overall hitter that’s likely to be a better on-base threat against left-handed pitching. Young’s 60-grade wheels are his only truly plus tool, and the speed and baserunning impact up his chances of providing value to a big league club. He has the physical ability to remain in center and projects to have average defensive value there, though the routes and reads will need to improve, especially going back on the ball. He’s athletic enough to handle either outfield corner if he needs to, and a 50-grade arm doesn’t stop him from lining up in right field.

The rosiest projection for Young’s ceiling is that of a lesser everyday regular in centerfield, though the lack of a true carrying tool on either side of the ball makes that outcome unlikely. More realistically, he’s an extra outfielder who can play all three spots and provide late-inning substitution value while spot-starting against left-handed pitching.