Cole Younger is without doubt one of the shining stars of Seattle’s system. Slotted in at no. 2 with a 50 FV grade when our Mariners Prime Prospects record was revealed 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 house 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 total out of Wexford, Pennsylvania’s North Allegheny Excessive Faculty in 2022 — he had a 15.8% strikeout charge to go along with a 12.1% stroll charge.
The extent to which he’ll hit for energy as he continues to mature was on my thoughts after 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 problem courting again to the common season). Again in July, Eric Longenhagen wrote that Younger has “added appreciable bulk to his body” since getting into professional ball, and famous that “adjustments 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 “loads stronger after going to lifting camp” over the offseason. He sees his best weight within the 195-200 pound vary, permitting him to “nonetheless be athletic, but in addition be capable of hit the ball arduous.”
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 instances, 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 quite extra of a setup change,” defined Younger, who takes his cuts from the left facet. “I’ve by no means modified my swing, though I positively raised my fingers slightly bit going into spring coaching. I assumed if I raised my fingers I might possibly get extra rhythm in my swing, however towards the tip of the 12 months I discovered that it really works higher for me if my fingers are slightly bit decrease, so I went again to my outdated self, which is hitting line drives, hitting balls the opposite method, and sometimes working right into a ball for a homer.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 appeared throughout spring coaching:
He additionally supplied an up to date report on the infielder:
Younger continues to mission as an on a regular basis center infielder. His arm energy isn’t a great 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 couple of instances in professional ball, together with this 12 months towards Double-A contest. The above screengrabs have been clipped when Younger’s leg kick was at its apex throughout every of those swings, and you may clearly see the distinction in how his fingers are organising late within the season (the photograph on the left) in comparison with throughout spring coaching (on the suitable). I’m undecided precisely when he made the change, however he was nonetheless utilizing the older model in the course of the Futures Sport, 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 setting 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 an everyday regardless of missing large energy.
Younger’s point out of quick and easy, paired along with his having lowered his fingers, dropped at thoughts one thing Edgar Martinez mentioned after I talked hitting with him practically a decade in the past. Together with championing easy mechanics, the Mariners legend advised me that he appreciated to have his fingers near the place they have been going to be firing from. I shared these ideas with the younger infielder.
“I feel that’s an important level,” Younger mentioned upon listening to that. “It’s very true when guys are throwing very arduous; you’ve obtained to have little or no motion. Decreasing my fingers again to the place I may very well be good and easy, and compact, helped me loads.”
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.
“At first of the 12 months, I type of thought that I might 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.”
Taking part in in a less-than-ideal hitting setting factored into his resolution to return to the type of hitting he’s most snug with.
“One thing that helped me, truthfully, was being in a pitcher-friendly park,” defined Younger. “It helped me understand 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 with the ability to hit for energy made me hit extra for common, and once more, that’s after I’m at my greatest. I’m controlling the zone, going the opposite method, and hitting line drives.”