Cole Younger is likely one of the shining stars of Seattle’s system. Slotted in at no. 2 with a 50 FV grade when our Mariners High Prospects checklist was printed in mid-summer, the 21-year-old center infielder is coming off a second full skilled season throughout which he slashed .271/.369/.390 with 9 residence runs and a 119 wRC+ over 552 plate appearances with Double-A Arkansas. Displaying above-average contact abilities — a promoting level when he was drafted twenty first general out of Wexford, Pennsylvania’s North Allegheny Excessive Faculty in 2022 — he had a 15.8% strikeout fee to go along with a 12.1% stroll fee.
The extent to which he’ll hit for energy as he continues to mature was on my thoughts once I spoke to him previous to an Arizona Fall League sport this previous weekend (Younger has since been faraway from the Peoria Javelinas roster; per a supply, he was coping with wrist discomfort, a difficulty courting again to the common season). Again in July, Eric Longenhagen wrote that Younger has “added appreciable bulk to his body” since coming into professional ball, and famous that “modifications he’s made to his swing have resulted in him buying and selling some contact for energy.”
Requested about our lead prospect analyst’s observations, Younger mentioned that he now weighs 200 kilos, up from 190 a 12 months in the past, and is “rather a lot stronger after going to lifting camp” over the offseason. He sees his ideally suited weight within the 195-200 pound vary, permitting him to “nonetheless be athletic, but in addition be capable of hit the ball laborious.”
Whether or not there was an precise swing change is a matter of interpretation, and the identical is essentially true for his having traded some contact for energy. In each circumstances, what Younger did within the latter a part of the season — this after Eric’s report — differed from the primary handful of months.
“It wasn’t actually a swing change, however slightly extra of a setup change,” defined Younger, who takes his cuts from the left aspect. “I’ve by no means modified my swing, though I positively raised my arms a bit bit going into spring coaching. I believed if I raised my arms I may perhaps get extra rhythm in my swing, however towards the top of the 12 months I discovered that it really works higher for me if my arms are a bit bit decrease, so I went again to my previous self, which is hitting line drives, hitting balls the opposite approach, and infrequently working right into a ball for a homer. Being quick and easy works greatest for me.”
Eric supplied this comparability of Younger’s setup late within the season versus the way it regarded throughout spring coaching:
He additionally supplied an up to date report on the infielder:
Younger continues to challenge as an on a regular basis center infielder. His arm power isn’t a perfect match at shortstop, however he’s in any other case a sound low-to-the-ground defender with plus actions and procedural acumen. It’s encouraging that Younger has continued to make plus charges of contact whilst he’s altered his swing a number of occasions in professional ball, together with this 12 months in opposition to Double-A contest. The above screengrabs had been clipped when Younger’s leg kick was at its apex throughout every of those swings, and you’ll clearly see the distinction in how his arms are organising late within the season (the picture on the left) in comparison with throughout spring coaching (on the proper). I’m unsure precisely when he made the change, however he was nonetheless utilizing the older model throughout the Futures Recreation, so it was someday after that. The downtick in Younger’s 2024 offensive manufacturing in comparison with prior years has rather more to do with the shift in hitting atmosphere he skilled going from Everett to Arkansas than something to do along with his expertise. He’s a balanced offensive participant who ought to produce sufficient to be a daily regardless of missing massive energy.
Younger’s point out of quick and easy, paired along with his having lowered his arms, dropped at thoughts one thing Edgar Martinez mentioned once I talked hitting with him practically a decade in the past. Together with championing easy mechanics, the Mariners legend instructed me that he favored to have his arms near the place they had been going to be firing from. I shared these ideas with the younger infielder.
“I feel that’s an excellent level,” Younger mentioned upon listening to that. “It’s very true when guys are throwing very laborious; you’ve acquired to have little or no motion. Decreasing my arms again to the place I could possibly be good and easy, and compact, helped me rather a lot.”
Which brings us again to the sooner a part of the season. Was he really making an attempt to hit for extra energy? After initially claiming that wasn’t essentially the case, he allowed that doing so had certainly been on his thoughts.
“Firstly of the 12 months, I type of thought that I may hit for extra energy,” Younger admitted. “However like I mentioned, it didn’t work for me. I used to be hitting too many fly balls, so I went again to being myself, which is controlling the strike zone, making plenty of contact, and hitting line drives.”
Enjoying in a less-than-ideal hitting atmosphere factored into his choice to return to the type of hitting he’s most comfy with.
“One thing that helped me, truthfully, was being in a pitcher-friendly park,” defined Younger. “It helped me notice that I wanted to get again to being myself and hitting line drives, as a result of if I hit a fly ball, it was going to get caught. Hitting at our Double-A spot, Dickey-Stephens Park, in Little Rock, made me a greater hitter. Probably not having the ability to hit for energy made me hit extra for common, and once more, that’s once I’m at my greatest. I’m controlling the zone, going the opposite approach, and hitting line drives.”