Undaunted, Young prepares to impress
02/25/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- One workout away.
Chris Young was one workout away from finishing an intensive program designed to have him in top condition for his first Spring Training with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
One more workout and he was ready to head to Tucson to try to win the starting center-field job in the big leagues. Sure, it was a long shot with the club bringing in a pair of veterans in Eric Byrnes and Jeff DaVanon to hold down the position until the 22-year-old Young was ready. But he was going to give it his best shot.
That goal will have to wait a bit, though, as Young broke a bone in his right hand in his next-to-last workout in Florida. While doing what's known as a box jump, Young hit his hand on the box on the way up, causing the break.
"It was crazy because I only had one more workout left and then I was on my way here to get ready for Spring Training early," he said. "I'd been out there for a month and a half already, working out every day.
"It was just a freak accident."
He had surgery on the hand to help promote the healing process and could be back on the field as early as March 15. That would put him on track for the start of the Minor League season, with his destination Triple-A Tucson.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin and general manager Josh Byrnes were among the Arizona staff that called Young after the injury to try to keep his spirits up.
"[Melvin] really made me feel a lot better about the situation," Young said. "He called me on the phone and he told me it wasn't going to set me back too much, which was good to hear from him. He and Josh Byrnes really made me feel better."
Young was acquired by the Diamondbacks along with Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino in the trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the White Sox. Though his name was not familiar to most fans when the trade went through, those that follow the game's top prospects knew Young was the key part of the deal, as he brings a rare combination of power and speed to the table.
Last year with Double-A Birmingham as a 21-year-old, he hit .277 with 41 doubles, 26 homers and 32 stolen bases in 38 attempts. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he was making the jump from low Class A ball and playing in a league that is more friendly to pitchers than it is hitters.
More impressive was the fact that his plate discipline improved not just from 2004 to 2005, but also as the 2005 season progressed.
"I was just more patient," he said. "I felt more comfortable, less anxious."
"He's one of the best prospects in baseball," Byrnes said. "He's got tools, he's got performance. He's a guy that can impact the game on the bases, hit a home run or save a game defensively. That's a hard package to find, so we obviously gave up a lot, but we feel like he was a very important part of that trade."
Baseball America, which ranked Young as Chicago's sixth-best prospect before his outstanding 2005 season wrote, "Designated as the best athlete and quickest baserunner in the organization, Young is blessed with tremendous speed and is blossoming into a power hitter as well."
Despite the fact that the injury keeps him out off the field, Young has put the past week to good use, getting to know Arizona veterans, like Tony Clark, who have been in camp for early workouts.
"All the guys have been really nice," he said. "Everyone's come up to me and introduced themselves and I've tried to do the same thing just trying to get to know all the guys as fast as I can. I like to make friends wherever I go."
Young made plenty of friends in White Sox camp last year, though this year his locker is in a different neighborhood. In 2005, when his number was in the 70s, his locker was near the other young Chicago players. This year, he's sporting No. 24 and has a locker next to Johnny Estrada and near Luis Gonzalez.
"It didn't matter what number I had there, I was just happy to be in big-league camp," he said. "And I'm just happy to still be over here. It's a big honor to be in big-league camp, so I'm just trying to make the most of it. It's really something being here with Gonzalez and Estrada, so that's pretty cool.
"I'm only out for four weeks. It's not really a huge setback."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
TUCSON, Ariz. -- One workout away.
Chris Young was one workout away from finishing an intensive program designed to have him in top condition for his first Spring Training with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
One more workout and he was ready to head to Tucson to try to win the starting center-field job in the big leagues. Sure, it was a long shot with the club bringing in a pair of veterans in Eric Byrnes and Jeff DaVanon to hold down the position until the 22-year-old Young was ready. But he was going to give it his best shot.
That goal will have to wait a bit, though, as Young broke a bone in his right hand in his next-to-last workout in Florida. While doing what's known as a box jump, Young hit his hand on the box on the way up, causing the break.
"It was crazy because I only had one more workout left and then I was on my way here to get ready for Spring Training early," he said. "I'd been out there for a month and a half already, working out every day.
"It was just a freak accident."
He had surgery on the hand to help promote the healing process and could be back on the field as early as March 15. That would put him on track for the start of the Minor League season, with his destination Triple-A Tucson.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin and general manager Josh Byrnes were among the Arizona staff that called Young after the injury to try to keep his spirits up.
"[Melvin] really made me feel a lot better about the situation," Young said. "He called me on the phone and he told me it wasn't going to set me back too much, which was good to hear from him. He and Josh Byrnes really made me feel better."
Young was acquired by the Diamondbacks along with Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino in the trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the White Sox. Though his name was not familiar to most fans when the trade went through, those that follow the game's top prospects knew Young was the key part of the deal, as he brings a rare combination of power and speed to the table.
Last year with Double-A Birmingham as a 21-year-old, he hit .277 with 41 doubles, 26 homers and 32 stolen bases in 38 attempts. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he was making the jump from low Class A ball and playing in a league that is more friendly to pitchers than it is hitters.
More impressive was the fact that his plate discipline improved not just from 2004 to 2005, but also as the 2005 season progressed.
"I was just more patient," he said. "I felt more comfortable, less anxious."
"He's one of the best prospects in baseball," Byrnes said. "He's got tools, he's got performance. He's a guy that can impact the game on the bases, hit a home run or save a game defensively. That's a hard package to find, so we obviously gave up a lot, but we feel like he was a very important part of that trade."
Baseball America, which ranked Young as Chicago's sixth-best prospect before his outstanding 2005 season wrote, "Designated as the best athlete and quickest baserunner in the organization, Young is blessed with tremendous speed and is blossoming into a power hitter as well."
Despite the fact that the injury keeps him out off the field, Young has put the past week to good use, getting to know Arizona veterans, like Tony Clark, who have been in camp for early workouts.
"All the guys have been really nice," he said. "Everyone's come up to me and introduced themselves and I've tried to do the same thing just trying to get to know all the guys as fast as I can. I like to make friends wherever I go."
Young made plenty of friends in White Sox camp last year, though this year his locker is in a different neighborhood. In 2005, when his number was in the 70s, his locker was near the other young Chicago players. This year, he's sporting No. 24 and has a locker next to Johnny Estrada and near Luis Gonzalez.
"It didn't matter what number I had there, I was just happy to be in big-league camp," he said. "And I'm just happy to still be over here. It's a big honor to be in big-league camp, so I'm just trying to make the most of it. It's really something being here with Gonzalez and Estrada, so that's pretty cool.
"I'm only out for four weeks. It's not really a huge setback."
Source: http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/
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