Young Debuts as 82nd Gator to Reach MLB
Jacob Young is the 30th Gator to debut in the MLB since Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Gators standout outfielder Jacob Young made his big-league debut with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball on Saturday afternoon.
Young was promoted to the Nationals from Triple-A Rochester on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 26. He officially made his MLB debut later that same night, pinch-running for Joey Meneses against the Miami Marlins and scoring the game-tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.
Following Saturday's news, Young became the 82nd former Florida player to debut in the MLB and the 30th to do so under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Despite that gaudy track record, Young is the first Gator to reach the big leagues since Danny Young with Seattle on May 9, 2022.
After a stellar three-year run with the Gators from 2019-21 in which he hit .330/.400/.447, Young was drafted by the Nationals with the 203rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He led the Minor Leagues with 118 runs in his first-full pro season in 2022 and slashed .262/.360/.331 in 115 games, prompting Washington to assign him to Double-A Harrisburg for the onset of the 2023 campaign.
Upon reaching Double-A, the rest was history for the Ponte Vedra, Fla. native. In 52 games with Harrisburg, Young posted a robust .304/.374/.431 slash line accompanied by three homers, 11 doubles, 30 runs, 28 RBI and 17 stolen bases. That prompted an Aug. 26 promotion to Triple-A, where Young went 5-for-17 with a homer in four games before receiving the call to The Show. He concluded his three-year Minor League career error-free with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
For Gators fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the former UF left fielder in Washington, they will have the luxury of seeing a player with many of the same calling cards from his days in Gainesville. The speed, defense and quality bat-to-ball skills are the foundation of JY's game, as is his hard-nosed and efficient style of play. Young swiped 26 bags in 131 career games (123 starts) in Orange & Blue, also adding eight home runs, three triples, 28 doubles, 110 runs and 76 RBI while turning in a .977 fielding percentage. Young made seven outfield assists in his junior season alone.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB under O'Sullivan.
MLB Players Under O'Sullivan
Player
Drafted (Round)
MLB Debut
Team
1 Nick Maronde 2011 (3rd) September 2, 2012 Los Angeles Angels
2 Paco Rodriguez 2012 (2nd) September 9, 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers
3 Mike Zunino 2012 (1st - 3rd overall) June 12, 2013 Seattle Mariners
4 Kevin Chapman 2010 (4th) August 9, 2013 Houston Astros
5 Matt den Dekker 2010 (5th) August 29, 2013 New York Mets
6 Anthony DeSclafani 2011 (6th) May 14, 2014 Miami Marlins
7 Cole Figueroa 2008 (6th) May 16, 2014 Tampa Bay Rays
8 Preston Tucker 2012 (7th) May 7, 2015 Houston Astros
9 Brian Johnson 2012 (1st - 31st overall) July 21, 2015 Boston Red Sox
10 Nolan Fontana 2012 (2nd) May 22, 2017 Los Angeles Angels
11 Austin Maddox 2012 (3rd) June 17, 2017 Boston Red Sox
12 Harrison Bader 2015 (3rd) July 25, 2017 St. Louis Cardinals
13 Bobby Poyner 2015 (14th) March 31, 2018 Boston Red Sox
14 Justin Shafer 2014 (8th) August 19, 2018 Toronto Blue Jays
15 Eric Hanhold 2015 (6th) September 4, 2018 New York Mets
16 Richie Martin 2015 (1st - 20th overall) March 28, 2019 Baltimore Orioles
17 Pete Alonso 2016 (2nd) March 28, 2019 New York Mets
18 Shaun Anderson 2016 (3rd) May 15, 2019 San Francisco Giants
19 A.J. Puk 2016 (1st - 6th overall) August 21, 2019 Oakland Athletics
20 Brady Singer 2018 (1st - 18th overall) July 25, 2020 Kansas City Royals
21 Dane Dunning 2016 (1st - 29th overall) August 19, 2020 Chicago White Sox
22 Jonathan India 2018 (1st - 5th overall) Thursday, April 1, 2021 Cincinnati Reds
23 Jackson Kowar 2018 (1st - 33rd overall) Monday, June 7, 2021 Kansas City Royals
24 Taylor Gushue 2014 (4th) Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Chicago Cubs
25 Kirby Snead 2016 (10th) Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Toronto Blue Jays
26 Mark Kolozsvary 2017 (7th) Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Cincinnati Reds
27 Alex Faedo 2017 (1st - 18th overall) Wednesday, May 4, 2022 Detroit Tigers
28 Danny Young 2015 (8th) Monday, May 9, 2022 Seattle Mariners
29 Dalton Guthrie 2017 (6th) Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 Philadelphia Phillies
30 Jacob Young 2021 (7th) Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 Washington Nationals