Sep 16, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (30) makes a catch on a line drive hit by Atlanta Braves outfielder Eli White (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Nationals Star Jacob Young Makes Two Incredible Catches in Win Over Mets

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Sean O'Leary | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Washington Nationals pulled off a series win against the New York Mets to play spoiler in New York's playoff hopes. Outfielder Jacob Young was a one-man wrecking crew.

Although not a rookie, he has been overlooked in terms of what he can do in the outfield. Although not the best hitter on the team, he could very well continue to be a long term starter thanks to one special attribute — his defense.

Jacob Young’s Improbable Play

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

This is Young's second full season in the big leagues. He played 150 games in 2024, accumulating 2.8 bWAR while hitting .256 with 33 stolen bases. He began this season by splitting time in center with Alex Call before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline.

Young still needs to improve at the plate. A career 79 OPS+ hitter, it's not his strong suit. But that matters very little given that he's an elite defender at one of the most important positions in the game.

He decided to show off once again in Sunday's game, making arguably the best play of the year while ruining the day of the division rival Mets.

The Mets' Brett Baty launches a ball off of Jake Irvin to deep center and Young tracked it to the wall. What happens next is hard to explain.

JACOB YOUNG OH MY GOODNESS! pic.twitter.com/bHaSqV0d29
— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2025

He was somehow able to kick the ball up high enough that he could catch it as he was falling backward. Young looked excited, but even he didn't know what exactly happened.

"I tried to kick it. I think more instinctively than actually trying. Just, as a kid or as a person, you just never want the ball (to) hit the ground. It was just reaction. And somehow, I kicked it right back to me. So I'll give credit to my 8U soccer coach, but that's about all I got," Young explained to reporters.

It was an incredible quick twitch reaction, but it would surely be hard to try to kick a baseball like that while in motion on purpose. Even Young is the first to admit it wasn't exactly a skill he had in his bag. But sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

"Yeah, I played soccer a lot growing up. I was never great at it. I was just fast. So the kicking skills, they came out of nowhere," Young said.

The fast part still applies. With a 29.3 mph sprint speed according to Baseball Savant, he is firmly in the 95th percentile of fastest players in all of baseball. That speed is what helps him as an elite defender.

Young's 13 Outs Above Average are in the 98th percentile and top 15 in baseball, according to Savant. He will certainly be in the running for the NL Gold Glove in center field.

Then, becuase he wasn't done hurting Mets fans, he made another incredible catch at the wall.