Cole Young

Young separated himself on the showcase circuit as one of the best prep shortstops in the 2022 class with arguably the best contact skills of any player outside of Termarr Johnson. A 5-foot-11, 179-pound lefthanded hitter, Young's tools don't jump off the page, but he does everything well and could have average to above-average tools across the board. Young has a slightly crouched setup with a lower handset and unleashes fast, direct swings to the ball. He has a sound offensive approach with a good understanding of the strike zone and effectively tracks both velocity and offspeed pitches. He has a flat bat path, keeps his barrel in the zone for a long time and uses the opposite field naturally. Those skills give him a chance to be a plus hitter, but he will need to add strength to project for anything more than fringy power. He doesn't have much physical projection remaining. Young has a chance to stick at shortstop as a capable and fluid defender, albeit not an explosive one. He plays low to the ground and has a solid first step and above-average speed underway. His above-average arm strength and advanced instincts give him a chance to stick on the left side of the infield. Young's size, tools and instincts draw comparisons to Yankees 2019 first-round pick Anthony Volpe, although Young has the advantage of hitting from the left side. While other players have more upside, Young’s swing is ready-made, and the overall polish of his game should help him advance quickly. He is committed to Duke, but he projects to be drafted in the first round and is unlikely to make it to campus.