Jacob Young was Florida baseball’s best hitter in 2021

Tyler Nettuno
·2 min read

Name: Jacob Young

Number: 1

Position: Outfield

Class: Sophomore (COVID-19)

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 175 lbs

Hometown: Ponte Vedra, Fla.

High School: Ponte Vedra

2021 statistics:

G

PA

R

H

HR

RBI

BB

K

BA

OBP

SLG

60

292

56

80

5

41

27

45

.314

.385

.461

Overview:

Young was expected to be a bit of a project player when he arrived at Florida, and he was just the No. 500 player in the nation according to Perfect Game. However, he ended up appearing in 54 games as a true freshman, starting 48 of them with the bulk of them coming at second base despite playing mostly outfield in high school.

He batted .311 on the season and notched eight doubles, and he had the lowest strikeout rate of any batter on the team. Heading into his sophomore season in 2020, Young moved primarily to right field, where most of his 15 starts came. He appeared in every game and was batting a phenomenal .450 when the season was canceled. In just 71 plate appearances, he had 27 hits.

Young started all 60 games during his “COVID” sophomore season in 2021, moving to left field for 59 of them. He was easily Florida’s most consistent player, leading the team in hits (80), doubles (16), runs (56), stolen bases (13) and outfield assists (seven).

He stretched a school-record 30-game hitting streak, and he was named a member of the SEC All-Tournament Team. Eligible for the draft, it’s certainly possible Young could hed to professional baseball this offseason. The Gators will hope their best offensive player is back in the orange and blue in 2022.

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