Fansided

Chris Young struck out against a pitching machine in Yankees’ camp

By Stanford Crissey

Mar 2, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Chris Young (24) during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Chris Young (24) during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

New York Yankees outfielder Chris Young was outfoxed by a pitching machine and seems to be in for a long season. 

More from MLB

If this is any indication of how things are going to go, Chris Young is in for a long season.

The Yankees played an intrasquad game with a pitching machine today, as the pitchers were off on their own for the day. Young, a Yankees outfielder, had some trouble with the pitching machine, going down swinging against what must be the Yankees’ ace machine.

Like — a lot of trouble.

It would have been less surprising if it had been Alex Rodriguez who struck out against the machine; the way things are going between A-Rod and the Yankees, I wouldn’t put it past the club to build a machine specifically designed to strike out A-Rod.

But this machine only gave Young trouble.

Yikes.

Chances are Young will be hearing about this one for a while. Meanwhile the machine is one more strikeout away from getting an offer to join the bullpen.

Young signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November. He joined the Yankees at midseason last year after being released by the Mets, for whom he posted a .283 on-base percentage and slugged just .346 after being one of the Mets’ top free agent signings that winter. He turned things around with the Yankees, posting on OBP of .354 and slugging .521 after changing teams, albeit in a small sample size (79 plate appearances). Young was part of a strong young core in Arizona in the late ’00s, but has been in decline ever since leaving the desert. At 31, though, there’s still plenty of time for him to turn things around.

Not if he keeps striking out against pitching machines, though.

Someone in the Yankees’ front office should get some video on that machine, and help Young figure out how to hit it. And failing all else, Young can physically hit it with the bat,

Young is slated to be the Yankees’ fourth outfielder this season, which on an aging team with injury-prone outfielders means a lot of at bats. Yankees fans, and Young himself, should hope this strikeout isn’t a harbringer of things to come.

More from FanSided

Home/MLB