The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

CHAVEZ Young is continuing his 2021 season in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC), commonly known as the Puerto Rican Winter League.

The Toronto Blue Jays prospect has joined the Mayaguez Indians and the club is currently at second place in the standings at 5-3.

Through eight games, Young is hitting .290, with a .450 on base percentage, an .869 OPS and slugging .419 with a double, home run, five RBI and 13 total bases.

He finished with an RBI single and two runs in Tuesday night’s 14-2 run over the Carolina Gigantes in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

The Indians currently field 16 minor league prospects on their roster. The Puerto Rican Winter League consists of five teams and the league’s champion advances to the Caribbean Series.

The league was founded in 1938.

In May 2012, the league debuted its current name, choosing to honour Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Roberto Clemente by naming it after him and adopting his philosophy of athletic development.

Young spent his last minor league season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the AA Eastern League.

Over the course of the year, he had the most productive hitting stretch of his career in August.

In that timespan, Young led the Fisher Cats to a 6-3 record and his 9-game hit streak included a .588 average with three home-runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, five runs scored, and three stolen bases.

He had five multi-hit games including 3-5 with a home run, three runs, and four RBI in a 12-0 win over Hartford on August 17, 2-5 with a home run and, one run and two RBI in a 3-2 win over Hartford, and 3-4 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in a 5-3 loss to Hartford.

Young appeared in 78 games with the Fisher Cats and hit .265 with 74 hits and 52 RBI. He also had an .758 OPS, slugged .409 with 20 stolen bases, 41 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs.

A 24-year-old outfielder, he spent his last offseason with the Canberra Cavalry in the Australian Baseball League. He hit .217 with a .467 OPS, five hits, two runs, one RBI, five total bases and two stolen bases.

Young was also called up to Spring Training prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and in his short time there, impressed the Blue Jays’ front office in the Grapefruit League both on the field and to move up the rankings and entered the top 30 on the prospect list.