With their starting pitching depleted due to injuries, the Arizona Diamondbacks turned to left-hander Alex Young earlier this month. To say the rookie has made a positive impression through three starts would be an extreme understatement.
The former TCU standout, a second-round pick of the D-backs in 2015, is 3-0 in four appearances (three starts), with a miniscule ERA of 0.96.
Forever @AlexYoung_23. I wanna be forever @AlexYoung_23. pic.twitter.com/RQxaiOa24m
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 17, 2019
While Young’s sample size is small (just 18.2 innings pitched), he’s certainly turned some heads at the big league level.
“You do have to wait for him to come around a little bit,” ESPN MLB insider Pedro Gomez said during a recent interview with Jeff Munn on ‘The Brad Cesmat Show.’ “However, that does not mean [he hasn’t been impressive]. The fact that he’s having success at this level, the highest level in the world, is a very positive sign.”
Until this season, Young’s minor league numbers didn’t exactly jump off the page. However, the 25-year-old found success getting more strikeouts, while also allowing less home runs at the hitter-friendly Triple A level.
So far, he’s displayed excellent command and overall consistency on the mound.
Gomez compares Young’s early success to another former Diamondback, Brad Ziegler.
“I believe his first 30 innings in the bigs he did not allow a run,” he said. “He was not a big-time prospect but it’s amazing what a run like that can do for your confidence and to establish yourself. Pitching is a need in every organization but with the Diamondbacks, especially so.”
The D-backs remain in the hunt for a possible National League wild card birth.
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Eric Sorenson
A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.