With over a month into the season, newly signed outfielder Chris Young is beginning to be the player the Red Sox hoped for when they signed him last December.
When the 2016 season began, the Boston Red Sox starting outfield was Brock Holt, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts, left to right. As of right now, that outfield has fulfilled expectations and then some. We have JBJ currently riding a 19-game hit streak, Holt being the dirt dog we know and love, and Betts playing stellar defense so far in his new everyday position.
But as of late, the Red Sox have been playing backup outfielder Chris Young more often due to the fact they have been facing many left-handed pitchers and Young’s resume vs LHP is quite impressive.
Young was signed last December and was immediately looked at as a backup. After an impressive 2015 season with the New York Yankees, there was one stat that really stuck out; his average against LHP vs his average against RHP.
In 2015, Young had a slash of .327/.397/.575 against LHP.
Sounds like an All-Star, right? Not so fast.
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When Young faced RHP in 2015, he had a slash of .182/.246/.339, making him a .250 hitter throughout the entire season.
So when the Sox signed him to a 2-year deal worth $13 million, it was obvious how they were going to use him, to face left-handed pitchers.
When the 2016 season began, Young wasn’t really living up to his potential against LHP. In the first month of the season, Young hit a mediocre .182/.241/.333, making people wonder if it was worth paying our backup outfielder a good chunk of change after seeing these results.
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Like I said before, the Red Sox have been facing a lot of LHP as of late, which means that Young will be penciled in as a starter on those days. So far in May, Young has begun to fill in his role and produce like the Sox were expecting. During the last 15 games, Young has a slash of .333/.412/.500 which is pretty impressive coming from your 4th stringer.
This season, Young is becoming the player the Red Sox were expecting when they signed him months ago. In the first month and a half, Young has a slash of .375/.464/.625 against lefties. Whereas when he faces righties, he has a slash of .130/.167/.174. Which is fine, because we initially signed him for his production against left-handed pitching.
Many of you would agree that this makes the Red Sox ten times more dangerous by this outfield having so much depth. Whether it’s Young, Bradley, Betts, or Holt, you are going to see production from both the offensive and defensive categories.
Looking at the Red Sox during the last few weeks, you come to wonder where they have holes in their lineup. You have six out of the starting nine hitting above .300 and now you are beginning to see offensive production from your bench, which will be crucial late into the season.
Chris Young is, and will continue to be, overlooked and I think that’s fine. If he can continue to rip the ball off of left-handed pitchers, then this team just added another big weapon in their lineup.