After taking Dansby Swanson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, the D-backs went college-pitching heavy, selecting one with each of their next five picks. Young was the first in that group taken, in the second round out of TCU. The lefty made a fairly successful jump to Double-A in his second full season, finishing seventh in the system in ERA.
Young relies on a three-pitch mix and his ability to throw them for strikes, rather than any one true out pitch. His fastball is average, thrown around 91-92 mph. His breaking ball, which was more of a slider when he entered pro ball, has morphed into more of a curveball and grades out as Major League average. The lefty has worked on his changeup a lot and it's caught up to his breaking ball, giving him a third average offering. There isn't a whole lot of margin for error for Young, so his ability to command all three is important. He did a much better job of doing that down in the zone in the second half of his 2017 season.
Young did pitch out of the bullpen at times with TCU and he looked good doing so during his brief pro debut in 2015. The D-backs plan to continue to let him start and see if he can keep developing into a back-end starter, knowing the stuff would tick up a bit in shorter relief stints. Statcast - Pitching Season Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Exit Velocity Launch Angle XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON Hard Hit % K % BB % 2019 1325 247 18 7.3 87.0 9.4 .251 .436 .298 .316 .367 35.6 20.3 7.7 ALL 1325 247 18 7.3 87.0 9.4 .251 .436 .298 .316 .367 35.6 20.3 7.7 MLB 40553 6.3 87.5 11.2 .251 .412 .317 .318 .371 34.5 21.7 8.3 Transactions Team Date Transaction 06/27/2019 Arizona Diamondbacks selected the contract of LHP Alex Young from Reno Aces. 04/14/2019 LHP Alex Young assigned to Reno Aces from Diamondbacks Extended Spring Training. 04/12/2019 LHP Alex Young assigned to Diamondbacks Extended Spring Training from Reno Aces. 03/09/2019 LHP Alex Young assigned to Arizona Diamondbacks. 04/03/2017 LHP Alex Young assigned to Jackson Generals from Visalia Rawhide. 07/02/2016 LHP Alex Young assigned to Visalia Rawhide from Kane County Cougars. 05/31/2016 Kane County Cougars activated LHP Alex Young from the 7-day disabled list. 04/24/2016 Kane County Cougars placed LHP Alex Young on the 7-day disabled list. 04/06/2016 LHP Alex Young assigned to Kane County Cougars from Hillsboro Hops. 08/06/2015 LHP Alex Young assigned to Hillsboro Hops from AZL D-backs. 07/10/2015 LHP Alex Young assigned to AZL D-backs. 07/09/2015 Arizona Diamondbacks signed LHP Alex Young.
