Acrobatically dynamic center fielder Jacob Young is a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist for the second consecutive season.
Defensively sound, Young was one of just three players with a 1.000 fielding percentage this year. He recorded the quickest reaction time (4.6 feet) in back-to-back seasons, which measures feet covered in the first 1.5 seconds of opportunity.
Among National League center fielders, Young ranked second with a 12.4 defensive rating and 13 defensive runs saved. He also finished third with 14 outs above average and 13 runs prevented.
Young is in the running with the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cardinals’ Victor Scott II. He aims to become the first Nationals outfielder to win a Gold Glove.
Before the winners are announced on Nov. 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, let’s take a look back at the head-turning moments that earned Young the honor of Electric Play of the Week three times this season.
July 2 vs. Tigers
Young channeled Spider-Man and robbed longtime travel ball pal Riley Greene of a ninth-inning home run on July 2. Young climbed the left-center-field wall at Nationals Park to retrieve the 388-foot fly ball and secure the second out of the ninth.
“It was an incredible catch,” Tigers two-time All-Star outfielder Greene said. “I've never seen anything like it. … He was a really good player then and still is."
Said 10-year veteran Josh Bell: “Probably the best catch that I’ve seen in person.”
July 23 vs. Reds
Three weeks later, Young was showing off his defensive prowess in a similar location at Nationals Park. Will Benson belted a 400-foot fly ball at 103.1 mph to center field. The deep fly ball had an 83 percent hit probability and would have been a home run in five ballparks. Once again, Young scaled the wall, outstretched his arm over it and pulled off another jaw-dropping home run robbery.
“My oh my, Jacob Young! Can he fly! His shoulders were above the wall,” Nationals radio broadcaster Dave Jageler exclaimed on the call.
Sept. 21 at Mets
Young put on a defensive masterclass late in the season with two amazing catches at Citi Field and another one a day later at Truist Park, making it difficult to pick just one standout play. He ultimately earned the weekly honors for a “did-he-really-just-do-that” kick save that could delight baseball and soccer fans alike.
Young looked like he had lost track of a 413-foot, 104.6 mph fly ball from Brett Baty that would have been a home run in 22 ballparks. Young’s glove slapped the center-field wall and the ball slipped out, but he tapped into his youth soccer days to save the moment. Young kicked the loose ball with his right leg and made the unlikely catch.
“Nothing’s better than quieting 40,000 people,” said Young, who added a home run robbery later in the game. “So it never gets old.”