Washington Nationals news & notes: Jacob Young in center and at the plate…

Notes and quotes on the Nationals’ center fielder who has put himself in the outfield mix in the majors…

While he did not win the NL Gold Glove in center field, Jacob Young did shine in the outfield this past season, with, as his club noted in the Washington Nationals’ Season in Review, the 25-year-old, 2021 7th Round pick, “… [leading] all of MLB with 21 outs above average and 19 runs prevented,” in center, “according to Baseball Savant.”

Both Young’s outs above average and his runs prevented, “… were the most in a season by any OF in MLB since 2019.”

On the basepaths, Young led the team in stolen bases (33), which were, “… tied for the most among Major League rookies and tied for the most by a rookie in Nationals’ history with Trea Turner (33 in 2016).”

Young also started the season with a streak of stolen bases without getting caught to start his MLB career which stretched back to his big league debut on August 29, 2023, with 25-straight before he was finally caught trying to swipe one on May 1st.

The 25-game streak, “… is tied for the fourth-longest streak to start a career in MLB history.”

Young, making good use of his speed, “led MLB with 11 bunt hits,” on the season too, something GM and President of Baseball Ops in D.C. Mike Rizzo noted in praising the outfielder late this past summer.

While the organization is brimming with outfield talent, Rizzo said Young has played his way into a role in the majors.

“He’s proven to me that he’s major league-worthy and there’s a place on this team for him,” Rizzo told Audacy’s The Sports Junkies in August.

“I think that his offense has improved over the course of this season. And he’s got to see more pitches, take more walks, get more bunt hits – he leads the league in bunt hits — I think… and leads the league with infield hits. He’s an elite runner and an elite defender and an elite base runner and base stealer.

“So that’s a lot of skills that winning ballclubs employ. He’s turned himself into a real asset for us and a guy that’s going to be a part of the future.”

Young finished the year at .256/.316/.331 with 24 doubles, a triple, three home runs, the 33 stolen bases (in 43 attempts), 30 walks, and 102 strikeouts in his 150 games and 521 plate appearances, over which he was worth 2.6 fWAR.

It was, of course, his defense and durability which stood out for the Nationals’ GM.

“[Young is],” Rizzo told the Junkies, “a guy that just keeps improving, and getting better and better and plays every day. Plays nicked up, plays really hard in the outfield and slams into walls and not afraid of fences or walls or anything else. We’re really proud of him, from where he’s come from, a seventh-round pick, that’s really blossomed into something that’s really gonna be a nice piece for us going forward.”

“Young, I mean, what he’s done this year was really, really, really good,” manager Davey Martinez said in September.

“I mean, I say this every day, every time I see him, the guy is a Gold Glover. And his hitting is going to get a lot better.”

Young knows he needs to make progress at the plate, as he told reporters, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman:

“Defense can definitely help, but everyone has to hit,” Young acknowledged. “There’s a lot of great defenders out there who didn’t stay in the league because they couldn’t hit. It’s something you’ve just got to do. Of course I want to be seen as not just a defender. I want to be seen as a guy who can play every day and produce offense, too. Obviously, baserunning goes into a lot of that, too. But being able to produce with the bat itself is huge.”