Orioles 2022 #19 Prospect Carter Young - SS

[Tony-OH]

Carter Young
Pos: SS
Bats: B
Throws: R
Age (as of Jun 30th) : 21
2022 Level: FCL/A

Tools (current/future value)
Hit: 25/45
Game Power: 34/45
Raw Power: 45/50
Run: 50/50
Defense: 50/60

Most Likely Future Role: Utility
Ceiling: 2^nd Division SS

What we know: A 1^st round talent going into his junior season at Vanderbilt University, this switch-hitting shortstop put up an extraordinarily disappointing offensive season and followed it up by deciding to head to LSU for his senior season assuming his over a million-dollar bonus demand was not met. The Orioles took a flier on him in the 17^th round and then after not being able to come to an agreement with 3^rd round pick Nolan McLean, was able to agree with Young on a $1.325 Million bonus.

There was talk that Young may have still been experiencing the effects of a shoulder injury the year before, and that’s why he did not hit, but many observers just saw a guy who was completely lost at times this season at the plate. Prior to the injury, some scouts thought Young was a Trea Truner/Dansby Swanson type of talent, but he has a lot to prove to get there.

In his pro debut he hung in there but not surprisingly did not jump off to the start as some of the other high dollar draft picks. Saying that, he did collect a few doubles and one homer with Delmarva and his swinging strike rate 8.3% was not bad at all. He hits way too many balls on the ground, and that will be something the organization will try and fix before next season.

Defensively, he was one of the top defensive shortstops coming out of college with good range, a strong arm, and steady hands. His defense gives him a pretty high chance of reaching as utility player, especially if his power reemerges at the pro level.

What we don’t know: Did the Orioles get a 1^st round talent in the 17^th round, or was his hitting last season at Vanderbilt a red flag the team should have saw? Can they make the adjustments to get him to realize his promise. There are tools here that give him a nice upside, but he’ll need to show more at the pro level next year before getting to up on his future.

What we think: Young could be in the top ten on this list next year or off the list completely. He’ll start the year most likely at Aberdeen allowing Holliday to play SS everyday at Delmarva. He will be one of the more interesting players to follow in 2023 and a true test for the Orioles development staff.

[emmett16]

Had a feeling when Baumler didn't go in the last round he was gonna get 'bumped'.  I'm pretty fired up on Young having watched him play a couple games in Delmarva last summer.  He seems like one heck of a SS.  I went to watch Holiday and came away super high on Young.   No dis on Holiday at all, he's stud - just I had no idea who Young was and was super impressed.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

You're a machine at generating these scouting reports. Good work. 

[MarCakes21]

@Tony-OH I see you have him listed as 2nd division ceiling, but a year ago, as a first round talent, the upside was more like All-Star SS.  Do we know more now, or do we just want to be more bearish since we haven't seen the results?  I still think there's Swanson/Turner in there which is why I'm hopeful and interested.

[Frobby]

I don’t think Young has much chance to be an impact player for this team, given all the other 2B/SS types we have floating around.   

[RZNJ]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I don’t think Young has much chance to be an impact player for this team, given all the other 2B/SS types we have floating around.   

I didn’t think much of Connor Norby’s chances until about one full year after he was drafted.  I’m not holding my breath but the kid has talent. Let’s see what they can do with him.

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, MarCakes21 said:

@Tony-OH I see you have him listed as 2nd division ceiling, but a year ago, as a first round talent, the upside was more like All-Star SS.  Do we know more now, or do we just want to be more bearish since we haven't seen the results?  I still think there's Swanson/Turner in there which is why I'm hopeful and interested.

I'm being a little conservative on him until we see him a full season in pro ball. i know good scouts who really, really liked him coming into last year and were flabbergasted at his offensive year. 

That makes me think it may have been some kind of injury related thing or maybe he put too much pressure on himself because of the draft and then things snowballed him when he got off to a bad start. 

I think this is the right part of the list to put him on and I could see moving that ceiling and most likely up if he has a good year. 

[MarCakes21]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

I'm being a little conservative on him until we see him a full season in pro ball. i know good scouts who really, really liked him coming into last year and were flabbergasted at his offensive year. 

That makes me think it may have been some kind of injury related thing or maybe he put too much pressure on himself because of the draft and then things snowballed him when he got off to a bad start. 

I think this is the right part of the list to put him on and I could see moving that ceiling and most likely up if he has a good year. 

I think this is the right place, just thought his ceiling would be even higher, yet his floor is irrelevant in 1 year potentially.  

[Tony-OH]

20 minutes ago, MarCakes21 said:

I think this is the right place, just thought his ceiling would be even higher, yet his floor is irrelevant in 1 year potentially.  

I could have went higher, but I just want to see things for myself over a year of pro ball. 

[Jammer7]

This was a fantastic late round pick up. The only one who can stop Young from being a major league player is Young himself. Great tools, we’ll see about the intangibles.

[btdart20]

25 minutes ago, Jammer7 said:

This was a fantastic late round pick up. The only one who can stop Young from being a major league player is Young himself. Great tools, we’ll see about the intangibles.

I kept starting and restarting a response to this thread but this sums it up.  He's got an aggressive swing that tapped into some power in 2021.  But he couldn't carry it into 2022 (injury or not) and had trouble finding his pitches.  The athleticism and upside is there.  Posting out to LSU is another thing...

[sportsfan8703]

Fabian said something about it being so tough to play with all the pressure to win. I’m thinking that might ease Carter Young’s mind too, and he can just relax, make adjustments, and not have the weight of the world on him. 

[NCRaven]

52 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Fabian said something about it being so tough to play with all the pressure to win. I’m thinking that might ease Carter Young’s mind too, and he can just relax, make adjustments, and not have the weight of the world on him. 

There’s no pressure in competing with the best ball players in the world for a shot at a big league career?

[CharmCityHokie]

For whatever reason he reminds me a bit of Caydn Grenier, who was a former First Round (supplemental) pick the recieved a similar size bonus ($1.8mm in 2018). They had similar offensive numbers from major college baseball powerhouses and had a strong reputation for their defense at SS. Obviously Young appears to have a far higher offensive ceiling, so it'll be interesting to watch his development. Hopefully he has more success than Grenier. 

[SpOkane]

21 hours ago, NCRaven said:

There’s no pressure in competing with the best ball players in the world for a shot at a big league career?

In the interview he referenced he no longer has the pressure of baseball and academics. Now, he can focus on baseball and his professional development program while in college it was all about winning.