2022 Atlanta Braves Season in Review: Danny Young

Danny Young was a lefty reliever that made a one-game cameo appearance for the Atlanta Braves, mopping up a blowout win over the Mets. He finished the season at Gwinnett and re-signed with the club at the end of the 2022 season as a minor league free agent.

How Acquired

Atlanta acquired Young off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners on August 6. He was designated for assignment 10 days later and was outrighted to Gwinnett, where he would remain for the rest of the season.

What were the expectations?

Young put up solid numbers (2.61 FIP, 3.40 xFIP) while pitching for the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate and the Braves took a flyer that he could serve as depth at Gwinnett.

As a sidewinding sinker-slider lefty, Young presents a different look to most relievers. But, the Braves are his fourth organization in seven years — it’s a hard thing to do so well that you keep a spot on a roster.

2022 Results

Young appeared in 29 games for Triple-A Tacoma where he put up a 3.86 ERA, 2.61 FIP, and 3.40 xFIP in 28 innings. The Braves claimed him off of waivers from the Mariners on August 6 and optioned him to Gwinnett. He was recalled to the majors on August 15 as the team shuffled in a fresh arm. Atlanta blew out the Mets 13-1 that night and Young ended up finishing the game, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing four hits to go along with one strikeout.

Young’s stay on the major league roster was a short one, as the Braves optioned him after the game and then designated him for assignment the next day in order to make room for infielder Ryan Goins. He finished the season with Gwinnett. He appeared in 11 games for the Stripers, allowing five hits and three runs in 8 1/3 innings.

What went right? What went wrong?

Young didn’t get a lot of opportunities, but made it to the majors and appeared in three games between Seattle and Atlanta. His stay with the Braves was short-lived, but he gave them exactly what they were looking for closing out a blowout game.

Because of the score, he really didn’t collect any appreciably-positive WPA. But here’s him getting a groundout for his first “third out” as a Brave, which is the highest still-rounds-to-zero WPA play of his Braves tenure so far.

2023 Outlook

Young became a minor league free agent at the end of the season, but was among a small group of players that re-signed with the Braves. He is still just 28 years old and will go into the spring in search of an opportunity and could again provide some left-handed depth at Gwinnett. The projections don’t think much of his arsenal or minor-league track record, so he’ll need to show something cool to get a shot.