"Jacked Jacob" draws looks, but it's his legs that earned him center field job

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was posted on the Nationals’ official “X” account one week ago, Feb. 14. The caption read: “Jacob but he goes by Jacked ??” The accompanying photo showed Jacob Young in a batting cage, holding his bat behind his head as he looked at someone (A teammate? A coach?) behind and to the right of the camera, which was positioned at a low angle looking up at him in a way that highlighted his surprisingly large biceps.

At last check, the post had generated more than 203,000 views. Which is only slightly more than the number of texts Young received about the photo.

“More than anything else that’s ever been put out there of me,” he said with a laugh.

Was that an accurate depiction, Young was asked, of the size of his arms?

“No,” he said, laughing again. “I think, honestly, good angle. Whoever was on the camera deserves a raise from me.”

The Nationals have no shortage of physical specimens on their current roster. They have a bunch of guys who stand 6-foot-6 or taller. They have others who possess upper bodies that wouldn’t look out of place in a football locker room. And they even have a few guys who fit both of those descriptions.

Young isn’t one of them. He stands 5-foot-11. He was listed last year at 192 pounds, and (believe it or not) he’s listed this year at 195 pounds. His game isn’t about power at all. It’s about speed, both on the bases and in center field.

But everyone noticed how, well, jacked Young looked when he reported to camp this month. In the process, they perhaps forgot he’s done this before.

“He was the same way last spring,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Through the course of the year, he just loses so much weight, so he comes to spring training really bulked. I told him: ‘Hey, you do you. You know your body way better than I do. But be flexible. Be agile.’ That’s what he really needs to do.”

Young is fully on board with that sentiment. The more chiseled look in February was done intentionally, recognizing it won’t last as his body endures the grind of a long baseball season.

And none of this was done because he’s trying to increase his 2024 home run total of … three.

“I don’t think power really comes from getting bigger,” he said. “A lot of guys in this league aren’t the biggest dudes and have a lot of power. It’s not about that. It’s about using your body in the correct way when you’re hitting to generate that power, more than getting bigger biceps or whatever.”

Young knows what his game is. His job as a No. 9 hitter is to do whatever he can to get on base and turn the lineup over to the big boys at the top. If he gets to first base, there’s a good chance he’s going to steal second base.

But he does want to prove he can be a more consistent hitter than he was last year, when he finished with a .251 batting average, .316 on-base percentage and .331 slugging percentage. He’s looking to hit more line drives, something he did do with more regularity in August and September (he batted .288 with a .351 on-base percentage over his final 35 games).

“Looking back at it, I’m really happy with being able to play the whole season, just survive the whole season and play every game,” he said. “And I was happy with being able to put bat to ball. Limiting strikeouts was great. But I know this year, it’s all about consistency.

“I had a lot of good stretches last year, but they were followed by a lot of bad stretches. I’m just trying to find that consistency more and hit more line drives. And work more walks. I feel like a walk for me is a double. So, just find ways to get on base through swing decisions.”

The Nationals don’t need Young to be an elite offensive performer, just an adequate one who provides a threat at the bottom of the lineup. What they do need of him most of all is a continuation of the elite defense he provided last season.

According to Baseball Savant, the 25-year-old finished the season with 20 Outs Above Average, tied with then-Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez for most among all major leaguers, regardless of position. His 18 Runs Prevented led all big leaguers and represented the highest number posted in that statistical category since 2019. According to FanGraphs, Young also led all NL center fielders with a 13.4 Defensive Rating and tied the Rockies’ Brentan Doyle for the lead with 11 Defensive Runs Saved.

In the end, Doyle won the Gold Glove Award in center field for the second straight year, leaving Young a still-proud runner-up.

“Doyle is an unbelievable player; he’s won two of them back-to-back,” Young said. “So it was an honor to be nominated. All you can do is try to show out the best you can, and whatever happens in the end, it happens.”

“I’ve told you guys this before, and maybe I’m just telling the league, but he should’ve been the Gold Glover,” Martinez said. “He was that good last year. I told him: ‘Do it again, and let’s see if we can get you that Gold Glove.’”

That there’s no question Young will be the Nationals’ starting center fielder on Opening Day and beyond speaks volumes about the job he’s done since debuting late in the 2023 season, not to mention the organization’s faith in him.

The Nats have no shortage of elite outfield prospects at both the major and minor league levels. Shoot, the two potential stars who flank Young (James Wood in left, Dylan Crews in right) both played center field in the minors and are considered good enough to play center in the majors.

But nobody’s bumping Young from his position at this point.

“The guys next to me, honestly, are really good,” he said. “D.C.’s unbelievable out there, and Woody’s going to be great. And the guys coming up are great players. It’s been nice for them to believe in me, to trust my instincts to play ball, and know that if I do the right things and play well, it’s my job to have.”

Young’s manager has no intention of giving that job to anyone else anytime soon.

“I write his name in the lineup because I know what I’m going to get from Jacob every single day,” Martinez said. “He’s going to give me everything he’s got, no matter what. Whether it’s defense, whether it’s trying to get on base, steal a base … whatever it is, I know what I’m going to get. …

“He’s our center fielder.”

With or without the biceps.