BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 53% of Leagues
ANALYSIS: Despite a decent showing last season over 33 games at the big league level and a solid 2024 spring training, Jacob Young began the regular season at Triple-A. However, it didn't take long for injury-prone Victor Robles to succumb to injury yet again, paving the way for Jacob Young to be recalled to the Nationals. Young has game-changing speed and base-stealing chops as evidenced by his 105 steals over the last four seasons in the minors. He kept on running when he got to the big leagues last season, swiping 13 bags in 121 plate appearances (.11 SB per PA).
Nationals vs Dodgers
What was suppose to be a sac bunt, Davey Martinez challenged and won so Jacob Young is safe at 1st and the nationals go up. Nationals 1-0 Dodgers.#jacobyoung | #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/QLRn6jzWIZ
— Washington Nationals Game Updates (@WSHNatsUpdates) April 23, 2024
The 24-year-old started off slow in 2024, going 1-for-16 (.063) in his first five games for the Nats, but since then he's gone 21-for-56 (.375). The more he's got on base, the more he's been stealing bases. As a matter of fact, Young has the most stolen bases over the last week with six. Also, there are only three players with more steals so far in 2024, but each of them has at least 27 more at bats than he does. With 12 total steals in 76 plate appearances, Young has a .16 SB/PA rate, better than the three players above him:
- Elly De La Cruz - .14 SB/PA
- Brice Turang - .13 SB/PA
- Ronald Acuna Jr. - .10 SB/PA
If he can continue to hit, the former seventh-round draft pick could eclipse them all and be the steals leader by season's end. The right-handed hitter isn't going to hit for power with just eight home runs in 1192 professional at-bats, but that's not why you're adding him. He'll provide good run production and add plenty of steals while hopefully not being a drain on batting average. If you can use that in your lineup, the speedster is available in almost half of Yahoo leagues, so go *steal* him off the waiver wire.
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