Headlines

  • Astros To Re-Sign Michael Brantley
  • Blue Jays Sign Kirby Yates
  • Twins To Sign J.A. Happ
  • Jays Refute Report Of Deal With Brantley
  • Blue Jays To Sign George Springer
  • Angels To Sign Jose Quintana
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • Last 100 Comments
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Chris Young Preparing For 2018 Return

By Jeff Todd | August 8, 2017 at 10:48pm CDT

Former Royals righty Chris Young has his eyes set on a return in 2018, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). The 6’10” hurler turned 38 earlier in the season, prior to being cut loose by Kansas City.

It seems that some other organizations reached out with interest, but Young decided against a return during the current season. Instead, he is working with a trainer and physical therapist to prepare for camp next spring.

There’s little doubt that Young will find an audition somewhere, perhaps gaining a shot at cracking a rotation during Spring Training. But it’s unlikely he’ll command a Major League deal, and he certainly won’t approach the two-year, $11.75MM commitment he picked up to rejoin the Royals before the 2016 season.

When he last hit the market, Young was fresh off of a solid two-year run with the Mariners and Royals. Across 288 1/3 innings in 2014-15, he boasted a 3.40 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. While ERA estimators didn’t support the hype, Young seemed a sturdy enough option who may have found a way to suppress the batting average on balls in play (.238 and .209, respectively, in those two years) by generating loads of weak fly-balls.

Since landing that new contract, though, Young has been a totally different pitcher. He drastically increased his slider usage, expanding upon some prior efforts and deploying it more frequently than his fastball. With that shift, Young’s swinging-strike rate suddenly jumped to over 11 percent for the first time since 2007. However, that change also caused his overall fly-ball rate to plummet while his homer-to-fly-ball ratio and opponents’ BABIPs each soared. The bottom-line results were not promising, as Young ended up carrying a 6.52 ERA in his final 118 2/3 innings with Kansas City.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of approach Young brings to the table in his next iteration. With about eight months between his last start and the start of camp, he ought to be rather well rested for an attempt at a 14th major league campaign.

Share 0 Retweet 16 Send via email0

Chris Young

2017-18 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings
Main
AL East Notes: Sabathia, Montgomery, Bridwell, Andriese
14 comments
newest oldest

Comments

  1. CompanyAssassin

    3 years ago

    I always liked this guy, I hope he does well.

    1 Like
    Reply
  2. Reflect

    3 years ago

    Chris Young is pretty intelligent. I’m not going to be surprised if he comes back completely reinvented.

    Like
    Reply
    • SundownDevil

      3 years ago

      Don’t discriminate against the outfielder Chris Young, just because he didn’t have as good of an education as pitcher Chris Young.

      3 Like
      Reply
      • JFactor

        3 years ago

        What?

        Like
        Reply
  3. bsteady7

    3 years ago

    I want to see a team use a knuckle baller as a setup man. Pitch the 7th and 8th innings to setup a 97/98mph fastballer. And he could pitch every other day even throwing 2 innings. Off subject, but the reinvent word in the last comment made me think of my idea.

    Like
    Reply
    • gocincy

      3 years ago

      I agree with the desire to see knuckle red more often. Their durability would alone seem to be a great asset to mop up innings, make a spot start, etc. that said, I’d be nervous about a knuckleballer in those late innings of a tight game. The risk of a wild pitch is high, allowing runners to advance. That seems risky.

      1 Like
      Reply
    • bastros88

      3 years ago

      we need more knuckle ballers in the game of baseball period. It’s such a fascinating pitch

      1 Like
      Reply
      • CursedRangers

        3 years ago

        It is the adult version of whiffle ball. You’d think more pitchers would use it due to the rash of TJ surgeries.

        Like
        Reply
        • ReverieDays

          3 years ago

          Its not easy to learn nor master.

          1 Like
          Reply
  4. padresfan

    3 years ago

    Would be nice to see him and peavy back in sd for one more season
    But, unfortunately many young talent pitchers are knocking on the door

    Like
    Reply
    • thegreatcerealfamine

      3 years ago

      Um

      1 Like
      Reply
    • mrpadre19

      3 years ago

      There barely even on the front porch yet…..they certainly aren’t yet “knocking on the door”!
      Lol

      Like
      Reply
  5. wkkortas

    3 years ago

    If nothing else, he’s an excellent pick-and-pop option for somebody.

    Like
    Reply
  6. Calipers

    3 years ago

    It was so fun watching him pitch downhill from the mound at Petco. I wish all the best for the friendly giant.

    Like
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Astros To Re-Sign Michael Brantley

    Blue Jays Sign Kirby Yates

    Twins To Sign J.A. Happ

    Jays Refute Report Of Deal With Brantley

    Blue Jays To Sign George Springer

    Angels To Sign Jose Quintana

    Don Sutton Passes Away

    White Sox Sign Liam Hendriks

    Mets Fire GM Jared Porter

    Padres Acquire Joe Musgrove In 3-Team Trade

    Recent

    Astros To Re-Sign Michael Brantley

    Minor MLB Transactions: 1/20/2021

    Latest On Trevor Bauer

    Matt Dermody To Join Seibu Lions

    Blue Jays Sign Kirby Yates

    FA Notes: Dodgers, Marwin, Mets, Tigers, BoSox, Anibal, Teheran

    Latest On Brad Hand

    Twins To Sign J.A. Happ

    Phillies Rumors: Realmuto Offer, Pitching Depth, Herrera

    Jays Refute Report Of Deal With Brantley

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Trevor Bauer Rumors
    • Kris Bryant Rumors
    • J.T. Realmuto Rumors
    • Marcell Ozuna Rumors
    • Masahiro Tanaka Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Indians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version