Aug 26, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals pinch runner Jacob Young (30) rounds third base and scores in the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Young Debuts as 82nd Gator to Reach MLB
Sunday, August 27, 2023 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Gators standout outfielder Jacob Young made his big-league debut with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball on Saturday afternoon.
Young was promoted to the Nationals from Triple-A Rochester on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 26. He officially made his MLB debut later that same night, pinch-running for Joey Meneses against the Miami Marlins and scoring the game-tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.
Following Saturday's news, Young became the 82nd former Florida player to debut in the MLB and the 30th to do so under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Despite that gaudy track record, Young is the first Gator to reach the big leagues since Dalton Guthrie with Philadelphia on Sept. 6, 2022.
After a stellar three-year run with the Gators from 2019-21 in which he hit .330/.400/.447, Young was drafted by the Nationals with the 203rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He led the Minor Leagues with 118 runs in his first-full pro season in 2022 and slashed .262/.360/.331 in 115 games, prompting Washington to assign him to Double-A Harrisburg for the onset of the 2023 campaign.
Upon reaching Double-A, the rest was history for the Ponte Vedra, Fla. native. In 52 games with Harrisburg, Young posted a robust .304/.374/.431 slash line accompanied by three homers, 11 doubles, 30 runs, 28 RBI and 17 stolen bases. That prompted an Aug. 26 promotion to Triple-A, where Young went 5-for-17 with a homer in four games before receiving the call to The Show. He concluded his three-year Minor League career error-free with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
For Gators fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the former UF left fielder in Washington, they will have the luxury of seeing a player with many of the same calling cards from his days in Gainesville. The speed, defense and quality bat-to-ball skills are the foundation of JY's game, as is his hard-nosed and efficient style of play. Young swiped 26 bags in 131 career games (123 starts) in Orange & Blue, also adding eight home runs, three triples, 28 doubles, 110 runs and 76 RBI while turning in a .977 fielding percentage. Young made seven outfield assists in his junior season alone.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB under O'Sullivan.
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Young was promoted to the Nationals from Triple-A Rochester on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 26. He officially made his MLB debut later that same night, pinch-running for Joey Meneses against the Miami Marlins and scoring the game-tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.
We've selected the contract of outfielder Jacob Young.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 26, 2023
🗞: https://t.co/tZY2istCqz pic.twitter.com/vqkLLo06ud
Following Saturday's news, Young became the 82nd former Florida player to debut in the MLB and the 30th to do so under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Despite that gaudy track record, Young is the first Gator to reach the big leagues since Dalton Guthrie with Philadelphia on Sept. 6, 2022.
After a stellar three-year run with the Gators from 2019-21 in which he hit .330/.400/.447, Young was drafted by the Nationals with the 203rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He led the Minor Leagues with 118 runs in his first-full pro season in 2022 and slashed .262/.360/.331 in 115 games, prompting Washington to assign him to Double-A Harrisburg for the onset of the 2023 campaign.
🗣🗣🗣 RILE US UP JAKE AND RILEY #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/GE9zKuS2MN
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 26, 2023
Upon reaching Double-A, the rest was history for the Ponte Vedra, Fla. native. In 52 games with Harrisburg, Young posted a robust .304/.374/.431 slash line accompanied by three homers, 11 doubles, 30 runs, 28 RBI and 17 stolen bases. That prompted an Aug. 26 promotion to Triple-A, where Young went 5-for-17 with a homer in four games before receiving the call to The Show. He concluded his three-year Minor League career error-free with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
For Gators fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the former UF left fielder in Washington, they will have the luxury of seeing a player with many of the same calling cards from his days in Gainesville. The speed, defense and quality bat-to-ball skills are the foundation of JY's game, as is his hard-nosed and efficient style of play. Young swiped 26 bags in 131 career games (123 starts) in Orange & Blue, also adding eight home runs, three triples, 28 doubles, 110 runs and 76 RBI while turning in a .977 fielding percentage. Young made seven outfield assists in his junior season alone.
The third former FredNat has made the majors! 🤩
— Fredericksburg Nationals (@FXBGNats) August 28, 2023
OF Jacob Young has been called up by the @Nationals, scoring his first major league run on Sat. and making his first start yesterday.
Young played 26 games with the FredNats in' 21 and spent the entire '22 season with the team. pic.twitter.com/awfBejVR8Y
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB under O'Sullivan.
| MLB Players Under O'Sullivan | ||||
| Player | Drafted (Round) | MLB Debut | Team | |
| 1 | Nick Maronde | 2011 (3rd) | September 2, 2012 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 2 | Paco Rodriguez | 2012 (2nd) | September 9, 2012 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 3 | Mike Zunino | 2012 (1st - 3rd overall) | June 12, 2013 | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | Kevin Chapman | 2010 (4th) | August 9, 2013 | Houston Astros |
| 5 | Matt den Dekker | 2010 (5th) | August 29, 2013 | New York Mets |
| 6 | Anthony DeSclafani | 2011 (6th) | May 14, 2014 | Miami Marlins |
| 7 | Cole Figueroa | 2008 (6th) | May 16, 2014 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 8 | Preston Tucker | 2012 (7th) | May 7, 2015 | Houston Astros |
| 9 | Brian Johnson | 2012 (1st - 31st overall) | July 21, 2015 | Boston Red Sox |
| 10 | Nolan Fontana | 2012 (2nd) | May 22, 2017 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 11 | Austin Maddox | 2012 (3rd) | June 17, 2017 | Boston Red Sox |
| 12 | Harrison Bader | 2015 (3rd) | July 25, 2017 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 13 | Bobby Poyner | 2015 (14th) | March 31, 2018 | Boston Red Sox |
| 14 | Justin Shafer | 2014 (8th) | August 19, 2018 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 15 | Eric Hanhold | 2015 (6th) | September 4, 2018 | New York Mets |
| 16 | Richie Martin | 2015 (1st - 20th overall) | March 28, 2019 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 17 | Pete Alonso | 2016 (2nd) | March 28, 2019 | New York Mets |
| 18 | Shaun Anderson | 2016 (3rd) | May 15, 2019 | San Francisco Giants |
| 19 | A.J. Puk | 2016 (1st - 6th overall) | August 21, 2019 | Oakland Athletics |
| 20 | Brady Singer | 2018 (1st - 18th overall) | July 25, 2020 | Kansas City Royals |
| 21 | Dane Dunning | 2016 (1st - 29th overall) | August 19, 2020 | Chicago White Sox |
| 22 | Jonathan India | 2018 (1st - 5th overall) | Thursday, April 1, 2021 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 23 | Jackson Kowar | 2018 (1st - 33rd overall) | Monday, June 7, 2021 | Kansas City Royals |
| 24 | Taylor Gushue | 2014 (4th) | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 | Chicago Cubs |
| 25 | Kirby Snead | 2016 (10th) | Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 26 | Mark Kolozsvary | 2017 (7th) | Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 27 | Alex Faedo | 2017 (1st - 18th overall) | Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | Detroit Tigers |
| 28 | Danny Young | 2015 (8th) | Monday, May 9, 2022 | Seattle Mariners |
| 29 | Dalton Guthrie | 2017 (6th) | Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 30 | Jacob Young | 2021 (7th) | Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 | Washington Nationals |
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