Alex Young

After Young spent two years in the Texas Christian bullpen, the Horned Frogs coaching staff challenged him to improve his fastball command with the idea that he could step into their rotation this season. It's paid off handsomely for Young and TCU. Young has shown improved stamina and command in a dominating season as a starter. Young has slowed down his delivery, but it's still an up-tempo, mechanical delivery with some effort. But he's shown an ability to locate his lively average 89-92 mph fastball consistently--he's thrown strikes with 66 percent of his pitches in 2015. After struggling to maintain his velocity earlier in his career, he has maintained it in his breakout season. Primarily a two-pitch reliever, Young has developed an excellent changeup with late fade as a starter. But he still trusts his knuckle curve as his primary offspeed offering. Most pitchers struggle to control what's considered a tricky pitch, but Young has unusual ability to manipulate it, throwing it for strikes or burying it and showing the ability to make it bigger and slower or tighter and harder depending on the situation. He's trusts it enough to throw his curve in 3-0 counts. Young has a relatively fresh arm thanks to two years in the bullpen and a very light workload as a junior--he averaged 84 pitches an outing in his first 11 starts. He projects as a lefty starter with a chance for three average or better pitches.