Young seems to have regained old form
Despite three 20-20 seasons in his five major league years, center fielder Chris Young seems to fly under the radar when the talk turns to impact outfielders.
That could change this season, if early returns are an indication. Manager Kirk Gibson has gone so far as to predict it.
With advice from hitting coach Don Baylor, Young has tweaked his batting stance to move his hands farther away from his body. The season-opening series sweep provided instant reinforcement.
Young hit a home run off Tim Lincecum in his first at-bat of the season Friday and doubled twice Saturday. His first double, a line drive off the center field fence on a breaking ball from Madison Bumgarner, was a product of the change, Gibson said.
"He's really come a long way in his swing path, his approach and his thought process," Gibson said. "I see him staying on more pitches on the outside part of the plate. You stay with it and you can get more length.
"They're going to fool you sometimes, but maybe you keep (the bat in the strike zone) long enough to get a foul ball. Then you stay alive and they make a mistake and you pound it. That's how it works.
"He could be a monster offensively."
Young last season was on pace to replicate 2007, when he became the first rookie in major league history with at least 30 home runs (32) and 25 stolen bases (27), before sustaining a thumb/wrist injury suffered while making a diving catch in Kansas City late in June.
Young hit .262/.353/.484 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI before the All-Star break and was .193/.329/.311 with four home runs and 21 RBI afterward, finishing 2011 at .236 with 20 home runs and 22 stolen bases.
Young adapted as the season wore on, working deeper into counts. He went 135 plate appearances without a home run but continued to take inside pitches to left field, finishing with 38 doubles and a career-high 80 walks.
At the same time, Young played gap-to-gap defense in Chase Field well enough to finish second behind Matt Kemp in the voting for the NL Gold Glove award in center field.
One advanced metric rated Young the second-best outfielder in the NL. Another ranked him third.
"It's like Paul Blair being out there," said Baylor, referring to his former teammate in Baltimore, a perennial Gold Glove winner. "He's going to run them down for you, he's going to get a hit every now and then to make a difference.
"I told him if he played as much as he played last year, he could drive in 90 to 100 runs. He's going to be committed to staying in the middle, hitting to right field. Last year was one-half of the field, the left side of the field."
Despite the injury last year, Young was unwilling to come out of the lineup, a trait that sat well with gamer Gibson, who played through injuries much of his major league career.
"Me, I always said that when I was struggling, I didn't want to come out," Gibson said. "Maybe you call it hard-headed. Pride. Partly ego. That's what you are there to do, fight through the tough times.
"'CY' is kind of the same way. To have him out there when he struggles or when he is hurt like that, it's a great example. He doesn't complain about it. He brings it every day.
"I've told you this before. I'm looking for winners. Is Chris Young, in your estimation a winner? He is in mine."
Young, 28, came into spring training healthy, he said, the offseason providing enough time for his sore wrist and thumb to heal.
"I don't regret anything, but the time off definitely helped my body heal and kind of get ready for this year," Young said. "It was something I had to play through, but like I said I don't regret anything. I would play through it again if I had to. The main thing right now, I'm 100 percent."
