Blue Jays: Prospects that are at risk of being selected in the Rule 5 Draft

Chavez Young – OF

One prospect who had a strong Spring Training showing was Chavez Young, making some impressive defensive plays in the outfield. Young would start the year on the IL and wouldn’t see game action until May 14th, suiting in Single-A Dunedin before rejoining the Buffalo Bisons in AAA 10 days later.

With Buffalo, Young authored a .234/.331/.351 slash line with five home runs and 21 RBI, adding 20 stolen bases and a .681 OPS through 65 games. Young’s season would end with him back on the IL, suiting up in just 65 games with the Bisons and his year coming to an end on August 21st. He finished the season with an 86 wRC+.

Blue Jays prospect Chavez Young eligible for the 2022 Rule 5 Draft

One of the biggest caveats to his game was his swing and miss, as the Bahamian product was known to be a bit of a free swinger in years past. This improved this season, as he dropped his K% by 1.6 points but it still sits a bit high at 23.4%. His glove is his calling card, especially with his plus speed, as Young spends most of his time in centre field with some starts in right field mixed in as well. He finished the year with nine assists from all three outfield positions and a combined .989 fielding percentage in centre field.

Any team looking for a glove-first outfielder with some speed is going to have eyes on Chavez but might be hesitant after the limited game action due to injury. He likely gets bumped out of the Blue Jays picture because he fits the same mould as Bradley Zimmer (defense first type) but a rival team could take a flyer on the switch-hitting outfielder.