FRANKLIN — When Christian Young steps onto the mound and digs his feet alongside the rubber Tuesday night in the American Association All-Star Game at Franklin Field, it will be a moment the Milwaukee Milkmen pitcher will take in.
“Things didn’t work out the way I wanted to but we all have our own paths,” Young said. “It helped me come here and learn how to be a better pitcher in the long run.”
Like many baseball players, Young has taken the long road in finding the success he is having in his career now.
“Sometimes the talent comes out at a different age and stage of a career,” Milkmen manager Anthony Barone said.
Young first turned down the MLB draft on two separate occasions, expecting a “better result” that next year. Then he spent two summers in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, as he bounced around colleges, before losing an entire season in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
By this point, it would have been understandable if he walked away from the game. But he didn’t, as Young pitched in the Intercounty Baseball League in Canada in 2021 looking for a break. He was signed by the Milkmen towards the end of that season.
It’s now taken until Year 3 pitching in the American Association with the Milkmen for the 27-year-old to find triumph. And, his recent success with the team has helped put him on the radar of major-league scouts.
“They (the Milkmen) give you the opportunity to work on yourself here… Without people hovering over you and telling you what they want to see,” Young said. “It gives you time to really focus and figure out what works best for you.”
‘He came in with a plan’
Young’s turnaround with the Milkmen began last season in the playoffs, when Milwaukee converted the left-hander back to a starter after being a reliever for the majority of the year.
“He was throwing a little harder (and) we needed a guy with his velocity in the rotation,” Barone said. “He ran with it.”
Young paid Barone’s decision forward by not giving up a single run in the postseason, including two shutout performances against Chicago and Fargo-Moorhead.
“It’s something that I think his confidence has grown from last year and it sort of snowballed into this year,” Barone said.
Snowballed into the season? Sure. You can call it whatever you like.
But there’s also something to be said about the mindset when approaching a new season, which Milkmen pitching coach Jose Rodriguez took note of in Young back in spring training.
“He came in with a plan this year,” Milkmen pitching coach Jose Rodriguez said. “He wanted to try to be his best every outing and compete from the first inning to the last inning he pitches.”
Rodriguez said with another season under his belt, he’s also noticed a growth in maturity within Young, particularly in his preparation between starts.
“He throws a bullpen like he’s competing,” Rodriguez said. “He’s (mentally) working hitters in bullpens too, so when you have a plan there and transfer that plan to the game, everything comes easy for you.”
His past of being a starter has also allowed Young to be more relaxed and “natural” on the mound this time around with the Milkmen in that role. He made 28 combined starts over the course of his college career at the Division I and JUCO levels.
“It’s a lot more comfortable to be able to get your five days rest and be in a routine,” Young said.
Young is in the midst of a career season, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.65 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 54.1 innings through his first 10 starts. Hitters are batting .223 against him.
His three-pitch repertoire has improved this season as well. However, the biggest improvement might be seen in his fastball velocity, as it now sits at 94 mph.
It’s something the 6-foot-6 left-hander said he didn’t have when he arrived at the Milkmen in 2021, but began to notice when he was moved from a long relief reliever to a one inning specialist last season.
“When I was a one inning guy, I had the mindset to go in there and leave it all out there for one inning. You give it all you got,” Young said.
“As they worked me into the starter last year, I took that same mindset and kept telling myself, ‘One more inning, one more inning and just leave it out there.'”
His uptick in velocity has also made it harder for hitters to face, which Rodriguez said is a result of both Young’s fastball being “a bit” heavier and him using both sides of the plate more this season.
“In this league, when you have those kinds of arms, it’s going to be fun to watch because not too many people throw 94 to 96,” Rodriguez said.
He added: “He deserves to be one of the best pitchers in this league right now.”
“Christian right now is ready to pitch in Double-A”
Rodriguez, a former pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves Dominican Team, said Young has the talents to pitch right now in Class-AA.
When asked the reason for this evaluation, he offered a simple answer.
“If you watch him during the game and the umpire doesn’t give a strike, you can see his body language is the same,” Rodriguez said. “That’s another key as an athlete because they’re (umpires) going to make mistakes but he stays focused and keeps doing what he’s doing.
“When you combine that with a work ethic that is really professional all the time, that’s what you get. (So) to me, Christian right now is ready to pitch in Double-A.”
Young has put together a strong case to be a late season free agent acquisition by an MLB affiliated team, as he ranks second in the league ERA and strikeouts.
However, Young said he doesn’t feel any extra pressure heading into the All-Star Game and the opportunity to pitch in front of scouts.
“I really don’t have anything to lose pitching in the All-Star Game,” Young said. “I will be on short rest so that’s also why I’m not really feeling too much pressure. I’m just going to go out there and give what I can.”
Barone said he hopes Young gets a shot with an MLB team, but like Young, he knows it is ultimately not something he can control.
So for now, the Milkmen will continue to enjoy Young’s success as they look to win their second Miles Wolff Cup.
“He’s earned it and deserves it. …. He’s gone the tough path and we’re hoping it can be sweet (for him),” Barone said. “We tell all of our guys that the journey is always a little bit sweeter when it’s a little more challenging. It’s going to be a good story.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Christian Young hopes recent success with Milkmen leads to next level