Nationals outfielder Jacob Young reminded everybody where he is from amid his rise to MLB stardom, sporting Jacksonville Jaguars-themed cleats in Washington’s 3-2 loss to Philadelphia on Friday.
jacob young: all-pro free safety of mlb center fielders and ELITE @Jaguars fan pic.twitter.com/cUwT9OEsyT
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 16, 2024
Young is a Jacksonville-area native who played for Ponte Vedra High School before enrolling at the University of Florida and ultimately making it to the big leagues.
He set a program record 30-game hitting streak with the Gators in 2021, which was tied by Kansas City’s 2024 first-round pick, Jac Caglianone, earlier this year.
Washington selected Young in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft and promoted him to its major league roster late in the 2023 season, where he has remained for all but two games since.
The Washington Post called Young a “defensive wizard” in an analysis of his play Monday, citing his MLB-leading 18 outs above average and 16 runs prevented this season in his growing case to win the National League’s Gold Glove Award.
Young has produced a .253 batting average over 517 career plate appearances with the Nationals. He hit the first home run of his major league career in June and is up to two on the season, paired with 26 runs batted in.
Young’s 28 stolen bases this year rank No. 9 in the MLB.
Young should be able to catch the second half of Jacksonville’s Saturday evening preseason matchup with Tampa Bay after Washington faces Philadelphia at 6:05 p.m. ET. The Jaguars and Buccaneers are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m.