Jays From the Couch Will Review Seasons Of Many, Hopefully, Most, Of The Toronto Blue Jays Prospects. Not Just The Top Prospects.
Chavez Young
Drafted in the 2016 Draft in the 39th round, Chavez Young has always possessed the skills and promise to develop into an impact outfielder but RAW has always been attached to his development. Young spent his rookie season in GCL where he batted .274 with a .346OBP and .438SLG while collecting 8 doubles, 2 triples, and 6SB in 21GP.
In 2017, Young spent most of the year in the Apply League with Bluefield (62GP) and finished in Vancouver (5GP). Young posted some impressive numbers with Bluefield, hitting .282 with 14 doubles, 7 triples, and 4HR but his running game regressed 4-for-9.
He played 125 games with Lansing in 2018 where he posted some eye-popping stats and really turned some heads. Chavez stole 44 bases in 57 attempts while slashing .285/.363/.445. He collected 33 doubles, 9 triples, and 8HR. I was very surprised he wasn’t promoted to Dunedin that season. He made the MID Mid-Season All-Star team for his efforts.
In 2019, as a member of the Dunedin Blue Jays, Chavez appeared in 111 games but struggled against FSL pitching. I thought he’d strive in this league. The FSL doesn’t bode well for power hitters but gap hitters with speed like Young tend to put up impressive numbers. Chavez batted .245 with a .315OBP and .354SLG, career lows. He stole 24 bases in 35 attempts while collecting 17 doubles, 4 triples, and 6HR.
Month-By-Month
Chavez Young spent some time with the Bahamas national team this past summer. He was added to the 7-day IL on May 23rd and activated on June 12th.
The month of May saw the switch-hitting outfielder make 12 starts in his first taste of Double-A. With the Fisher Cats, he batted .250 with 3 stolen bases, 4 doubles, and a HR.
After returning from his stint with his national team, Young made 10 starts in June. Chavez batted .270 with .349OBP and .270SLG while not hitting any extra-base hits and no stolen bases.
Now an everyday player for New Hampshire, Chavez Young appeared in 24 games in July. He maintained his .270BA while increasing his SLG% to .449 for a .776OPS. Young showed off some hitting diversity collecting 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs while going 5-for-6 in SB attempts.
August saw Chavez Young take a giant step forward in his development. He hit 7 doubles and 3 home runs while stealing 10 bases. Young slashed an impressive .302/.371/.488 for an excellent .859OPS. He earned a AA Northeast Offensive Player of the Week award for 8/22/2021.
At the End Of the Day
In 78 games, the 24-yr-old gifted outfielder slashed .265/.350/.409 with a .342BABIP and .143ISO. He collected 15 doubles, 2 triples, 7HR, and 20SB in 23 attempts. Young has a little too much swing and miss, striking out 25K% while walking 10.8BB%. Overall, he produced well above league average with .337wOBA and 109wRC+. Young pulled the ball a lot this year 41.7Pull% to 28.6Oppo%. His 11.1HR/FB was a career-high but his 31.8FB% and 19.7LD% were a little low.
Best Game
The 6-foot-0 native of Freeport, Bahamas produced three 3-hit games, one 4RBI game, and two 2SB games. On August 20th, Chavez Young went 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, and a HR for a 7 total bases game. He drove in 3 runs but struck out once and was caught stealing.
In the Field
Chavez Young finished with 11 outfield assists, showing a strong accurate arm to go along with impressive wheels and polished routes. He made 49 starts in CF, 25GP in RF, and 4 starts as the DH. In CF he finished a .992FPCT, committing 1 error and completing 2 double plays.
Looking Ahead
A Rule 5 eligible player, Young was not added to the 40 this offseason. Fangraphs squeaked Young onto their Top 37 Blue Jays Prospect list at 35, giving him a 35+FV. I can see Young at Triple-A in 2022 but I’d start him at AA for some extra seasoning. His speed, strong skills in the field, and promise of developing into a solid bench player will eventual see Young get a chance at the Majors. Unfortunately, I don’t see it being a long chance and likely not with Toronto at this stage in the club’s winning window. However, IMO he does fit that Jonathan Davis role better than Jonathan Davis.
I must say, Chavez Young has the prospect profile that a small tweak could make a huge difference between ML everyday player and Quad-A/ML bench player.
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