Chris Young, CF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Young looks like an Alfonso Soriano in the making, hitting 32 home runs and stealing 27 bases in 2007. After the All-Star break, Young went on a major tear, going for 19 homers and 18 stolen bases.
The stat that sticks out like a sore thumb for the young centerfielder is the .237 batting average (not to mention the .295 OBP). Young will need to cut down on those 141 strikeouts.
And he’ll have to hit better in the clutch. When leading off the inning in 2007, Young hit .290 with 16 HR in 200 AB. But with runners in scoring position, he only hit .186, with 3 HR in 113 AB. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Young did even worse, batting a paltry .141.
At only 24 years old, Young has the capacity to improve. Even though that low walk rate beneath 10 percent will keep him from ever breaking .300, he should start approaching somewhere between .260 and .270, where his average more likely belongs. Expect his runs and RBI to go up as well as Arizona’s young lineup matures (Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds) and starts to produce more offense.
Bottom line: With 2007 and a little bit of playoff experience now under his belt, Young could be headed for a truly monstrous season in 2008.
Projection: 95 R, 30 HR, 79 RBI, 33 SB, .266 AVG
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