Is Quentin Young Beginning to Unlock His Offensive Potential?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (Photo of Quentin Young)

Baseball lineage can bring attention, but production still has to be earned. Quentin Young entered pro ball with both a well-known last name and a toolset that caught scouts' attention. Now, as his first full season gets underway, there are early indications that he may be starting to find his footing offensively.

Quentin’s uncles, Dmitri and Delmon Young, each carved out lengthy major league careers. While their playing days have long since ended, the family name continues to carry weight as the next generation works its way through professional baseball.

When Young decided to reclassify into the 2025 draft, he brought both that pedigree and a tantalizing skill set with him. His raw power stood out immediately, drawing some of the highest grades in his class. There was legitimate first-round buzz at times, but questions about his hit tool ultimately pushed him into the second round, where Minnesota selected him and signed him for a full slot bonus of $1.76 million.

Early exposure to pro ball offered a glimpse of both the upside and the work ahead. In a brief five-game stint last season, Young managed just two hits in 17 at-bats while striking out nine times. The sample size was minimal, but it reflected the challenge that comes with harnessing such a power-driven profile.

The Twins have already begun addressing those concerns. Young spent the offseason at the team’s complex focusing on simplifying his offensive approach. With his 6-foot-6 frame, there will likely always be some swing-and-miss in his game, but the organization has emphasized reducing unnecessary movement and creating a more direct path through the zone. The goal is to give his power a better chance to show up in games.

Defensively, Young continues to develop as well. While he still sees time at shortstop, most projections point toward a future at third base. During the 2026 season, he has played both positions. His arm strength is a clear asset and should translate well to the left side, even if his size eventually limits his range up the middle.

“A player comp for me would be Elly De La Cruz,” Young said. “We’re both around 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, really tall and quick on the infield. We both have a lot of power. I’m probably not as fast as him, but I definitely think I can be as fast as him at some point.”

“I think that’s the biggest goal I have, just to stay at shortstop for as long as I can,” he said. “I feel like if I keep putting the work in and keep staying at that position for a long time, I feel like I could definitely play it as well as other players.”

The start of the 2026 season has followed a familiar developmental arc. Young opened the year in the Florida State League, where he is over two years younger than the average age of the competition. The early results were rough, as he went 8-for-50 (.160 BA) over his first 13 games. More recently, though, there have been signs of progress. However, he’s gone 13-for-45 (.288 BA) over his last 11 games with two doubles and a homer. This past Sunday, he had the first four-hit game of his career. On Tuesday, he hit his second homer of the year.

It is far too soon to draw sweeping conclusions, but the recent stretch offers a glimpse of what adjustments can look like when they begin to take hold. Young was always viewed as a long-term project, one built on elite raw power that would require time and refinement to fully emerge.

That reality has not changed. Development for a player with his profile is rarely linear, and there will be more ups and downs ahead. But if the recent improvements are tied to the work he put in during the offseason, the Twins may be starting to see the early stages of an offensive corner being turned.

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What stands out about Young so far? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[tony&rodney]

What stands out? Young has physical talent: strong arm, power, fast, quick - can't teach that. Now, Young needs to learn the difficult skills that come from experience.

[Dman]

Kid has easy power.  Still looks like he is growing into that body so he is gonna need some time.  I am not a huge fan of players with hit tool issues.  Still his athletic traits are loud.  When he gets a hold a ball he scorches it.  Gonna be interesting to see how he turns out.

[jkcarew]

Been absolutely abysmal in the field, as well. Agbayani’s floor looks infinitely higher than Young’s, in the field and the batter’s box…a mile ahead of Young right now. But yeah, Young’s power looks undeniable already.

[Linus]

I wish all up and coming power hitters would watch video of Harmon (yes I’m old). He obviously had tremendous power but had a concise, no nonsense swing that gave him a great chance to barrel the ball. I can remember him in a relaxed athletic stance with his bat on his shoulder while the pitcher got the sign. He simply lifted the bat when he was ready and pulled the trigger. No ridiculously high hands or big leg kick. Balanced stride and boom. 

[arby58]

Where is he going to play that he doesn't butcher defensively? So far this year, 66 chances at SS and 9 errors. 13 chances at 3B and 3 errors. Combined, 79 chances, 12 errors. That has permanent DH written all over it.

[dxpavelka]

10 hours ago, arby58 said:

Where is he going to play that he doesn't butcher defensively? So far this year, 66 chances at SS and 9 errors. 13 chances at 3B and 3 errors. Combined, 79 chances, 12 errors. That has permanent DH written all over it.

If the power is elite, I'm fine with that.  It's not like the guys we've spent years rolling thru the the DH sport have put up stand out numbers.  Might be nice to pencil a professional hitter onto the lineup card in that spot and laminate it.

[jmlease1]

12 hours ago, arby58 said:

Where is he going to play that he doesn't butcher defensively? So far this year, 66 chances at SS and 9 errors. 13 chances at 3B and 3 errors. Combined, 79 chances, 12 errors. That has permanent DH written all over it.

I think he can become credible at 3B. I might respect his desire to keep playing SS and try and grow there, but it's not going to happen. But if it doesn't happen at 3B, a big target at 1B who has the nimbleness to show more range than we've seen in a while wouldn't be a bad thing if he's also unlocked that power potential.

He's crazy young and it's going to be a while. The tools are for real, but I've always thought that ranking him #14 on the prospect list is overhyped. Talk to me when he shows he can translate those tools into production. But mostly, I think as fans we put him out of mind for a while; he could spend 2 seasons in Ft. Myers and still be well on track. He's got a lot of developmental work to do and he's still just a big kid.

[Trov]

12 hours ago, arby58 said:

Where is he going to play that he doesn't butcher defensively? So far this year, 66 chances at SS and 9 errors. 13 chances at 3B and 3 errors. Combined, 79 chances, 12 errors. That has permanent DH written all over it.

Yeah he reminds me of his uncle for sure.  The swing looks a ton like Delmon, and neither Delmon or Demitri could field.  However, if the kid learns to make solid contact he will have a place in the league.  He has had a hot stretch, but that K-Rate is beyond terrible, over 50% right now.  

[arby58]

On 5/8/2026 at 6:58 AM, dxpavelka said:

If the power is elite, I'm fine with that.  It's not like the guys we've spent years rolling thru the the DH sport have put up stand out numbers.  Might be nice to pencil a professional hitter onto the lineup card in that spot and laminate it.

Right now his OPS at A ball Fort Myers is .602, and he has 2 HRs in 115 PAs, with 55 Ks and 11 BBs. I'd say he's far from proving himself to be a professional hitter at this point.

[dxpavelka]

7 hours ago, arby58 said:

Right now his OPS at A ball Fort Myers is .602, and he has 2 HRs in 115 PAs, with 55 Ks and 11 BBs. I'd say he's far from proving himself to be a professional hitter at this point.

Don't think anything was said about him being such "at this point."  Maybe this is a swing and a miss but i tend to think that 137 professional plate appearances might be a little to early to expect a fella to have proven anything. 

[arby58]

5 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

Don't think anything was said about him being such "at this point."  Maybe this is a swing and a miss but i tend to think that 137 professional plate appearances might be a little to early to expect a fella to have proven anything. 

 

6 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

Don't think anything was said about him being such "at this point."  Maybe this is a swing and a miss but i tend to think that 137 professional plate appearances might be a little to early to expect a fella to have proven anything. 

If it's too early to start quoting stats, isn't it too early to suggest he might be a 'professional hitter' DH?

[dxpavelka]

4 minutes ago, arby58 said:

 

If it's too early to start quoting stats, isn't it too early to suggest he might be a 'professional hitter' DH?

"might" is a solid qualifier.  

[arby58]

23 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

"might" is a solid qualifier.  

"Might be nice" is not that solid a quaifier.

[dxpavelka]

22 hours ago, arby58 said:

"Might be nice" is not that solid a quaifier.

matter of opinion

 

[Possumlad]

Are there any examples of players who turned in to useful big leaguers after striking out 67 of their first 133 minor league at bats? Genuine question - I don't think I've ever seen a 50%+ K rate with more than 100 ABs.

To this article's point, I will say he's been better so far in May (albeit small sample size). After yesterday he's at 12ks in 33 ABs in May with an 0.916 OPS.