Cole Younger is among 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 dwelling runs and a 119 wRC+ over 552 plate appearances with Double-A Arkansas. Displaying above-average contact expertise — a promoting level when he was drafted twenty first general out of Wexford, Pennsylvania’s North Allegheny Excessive College 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 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 “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 “loads stronger after going to lifting camp” over the offseason. He sees his ultimate weight within the 195-200 pound vary, permitting him to “nonetheless be athletic, but in addition have the ability to hit the ball exhausting.”
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 moderately 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 undoubtedly raised my palms somewhat bit going into spring coaching. I believed if I raised my palms I may 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12 months I discovered that it really works higher for me if my palms are somewhat bit decrease, so I went again to my outdated self, which is hitting line drives, hitting balls the opposite means, and sometimes operating right into a ball for a homer. Being brief and easy works greatest for me.”
Eric provided this comparability of Younger’s setup late within the season versus the way it seemed throughout spring coaching:
He additionally supplied an up to date report on the infielder:
Younger continues to undertaking as an on a regular basis center infielder. His arm energy 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 at the same time as he’s altered his swing a couple of instances 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 palms are organising late within the season (the picture on the left) in comparison with throughout spring coaching (on the appropriate). I’m undecided precisely when he made the change, however he was nonetheless utilizing the older model through the Futures Recreation, so it was someday after that. The downtick in Younger’s 2024 offensive manufacturing in comparison with prior years has way more to do with the shift in hitting setting he skilled going from Everett to Arkansas than something to do together with his expertise. He’s a balanced offensive participant who ought to produce sufficient to be an everyday regardless of missing massive energy.
Younger’s point out of brief and easy, paired together with his having lowered his palms, delivered to thoughts one thing Edgar Martinez mentioned after I talked hitting with him almost a decade in the past. Together with championing easy mechanics, the Mariners legend instructed me that he favored to have his palms near the place they had been going to be firing from. I shared these ideas with the younger infielder.
“I believe that’s an amazing level,” Younger mentioned upon listening to that. “It’s very true when guys are throwing very exhausting; you’ve bought to have little or no motion. Decreasing my palms 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 truly attempting 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.
“In the beginning of the 12 months, I sort 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.”
Taking part in in a less-than-ideal hitting setting factored into his determination to return to the fashion of hitting he’s most snug with.
“One thing that helped me, actually, 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 having 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 means, and hitting line drives.”