Jared Young Bio
Jared Michael Young (born July 9, 1995) is a Canadian professional baseball utility player for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). A versatile right-handed hitter who can play multiple positions, he has also spent time in MLB with the Chicago Cubs and in the KBO League with the Doosan Bears. Young made his MLB debut in 2022 after progressing through the Chicago Cubs organization as a 15th-round selection in the 2017 MLB draft.
Over his professional career, Young has earned recognition for his bat at every level, including being named the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2018. His path from Canadian high schools to American colleges, and through the minor leagues, KBO, and now a major league roster, has made him a steady and adaptable contributor to multiple organizations.
Early Life and Background
Jared Michael Young grew up in British Columbia and attended Prince George Secondary School in Prince George before completing his secondary education at Kelowna Secondary School in Kelowna. His Canadian roots and multi-school upbringing shaped his early athletic development and gave him exposure to a wide range of baseball competition before he crossed the border to pursue college ball in the United States.
Young began his college career at Minot State University, where he hit .398 with 5 home runs and 35 RBI for the Beavers and earned all-conference second-team honors. After his freshman year, he transferred to Connors State College, where his sophomore season was spectacular: a .480 batting average, 11 home runs, and 54 RBI. Following Connors State, he enrolled at Old Dominion University, playing for the Monarchs and posting a .367 average with 7 home runs and 34 RBI, which earned him ABCA/Rawlings All-American Third Team honors.
His strong college production and All-American recognition drew professional attention, and the Chicago Cubs selected him in the 15th round, with the 465th overall pick, of the 2017 MLB draft.
Path to Baseball
Young entered professional baseball with the Eugene Emeralds in 2017, hitting .257/.311/.336 with 1 home run and 15 RBI in his first pro season. He split 2018 between the South Bend Cubs and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, batting a combined .300/.357/.485 with 16 home runs and 76 RBI, a performance that earned him the Cubs’ 2018 Minor League Player of the Year award.
The 2019 season sent him to the Tennessee Smokies, where he hit .235/.287/.319 with 5 home runs and 47 RBI, and afterward he played in the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox. The canceled 2020 minor league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic kept him off the field, but in 2021 he returned to split time between Tennessee and the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, slashing .290/.361/.471 with 9 home runs and 40 RBI and re-establishing himself as a steady middle-of-the-order bat.
Jared Young Career
Early Career (2017–2021)
Young’s first four professional seasons moved him steadily up the Cubs’ minor league ladder, from short-season Eugene through Low-A South Bend, High-A Myrtle Beach, Double-A Tennessee, and Triple-A Iowa. His 2018 breakthrough, in which he combined for 16 home runs and 76 RBI across two affiliates, signaled the offensive upside that would define his career trajectory.
After his development year in 2019 and the lost 2020 season, Young responded in 2021 with a combined .290/.361/.471 line and 9 home runs, convincing the organization that he was close to major league ready.
Chicago Cubs Era (2022–2023)
Young spent 2022 at Triple-A Iowa, appearing in 109 games and hitting .230/.311/.420 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI. On September 14, 2022, his contract was selected by the Cubs, and two days later he made his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies, collecting his first career hit, a double off Justin Lawrence. He was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Iowa on November 11.
He returned to Iowa to open 2023 and excelled, batting .326/.426/.605 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 52 games. On June 27, 2023, his contract was selected to the 40-man roster, taking the active spot of Miles Mastrobuoni. In 16 games for the Cubs that year, Young hit .186/.255/.465 with 2 home runs, 8 RBI, and 2 stolen bases before being removed from the 40-man roster and placed on outright waivers on November 2.
St. Louis Cardinals and Doosan Bears (2023–2024)
On November 6, 2023, Young was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals and optioned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds for the start of 2024. He was later removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Memphis on March 27, 2024. In 74 games for Memphis, he batted .285/.411/.506 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI, and 6 stolen bases.
On July 23, 2024, Young signed a $300,000 contract with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. He made an immediate impact on July 31, going 5-for-6 with two home runs and eight RBI in a 30-6 victory over the Kia Tigers, tying the record for most RBI in a game by a foreign player. For the season, he batted .326/.420/.660 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI in 38 games before becoming a free agent.
New York Mets Era (2024–Present)
On December 16, 2024, Young signed a one-year, major league contract with the New York Mets. He was optioned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets to begin the 2025 season. On May 24, 2025, the Mets selected his contract and added him to the big league roster. On June 15, 2025, Young pitched in a Major League game for the first time, allowing 1 hit in one-third of an inning during a blowout loss against the Tampa Bay Rays, before being sent back to Syracuse on June 27. He was recalled again on July 11, 2025.
Driving Style and Strengths
Young is a right-handed hitting utility player whose value comes from positional flexibility and consistent on-base production. His track record of high batting averages, slugging numbers, and on-base percentages in the upper minors has translated into power-output seasons in both Triple-A and the KBO League, and his willingness to pitch in an emergency speaks to his team-first approach.
Notable Events and Milestones
His MLB debut double against Colorado’s Justin Lawrence on September 16, 2022, marked his arrival in the majors, and his five-hit, two-home-run, eight-RBI game for Doosan against Kia in 2024 tied a KBO record for foreign players. His 2018 Cubs Minor League Player of the Year award stands as one of the earliest signs of his offensive ceiling.
Jared Young Career Wins
Jared Young’s professional resume is built on offensive milestones and individual accolades rather than traditional win totals. Across the Cubs minors, Triple-A affiliates, the KBO League, and limited MLB action, he has consistently delivered at the plate and earned recognition as a Minor League Player of the Year and an All-American.
Minor League and KBO Highlights
In 2018, Young combined for 16 home runs and 76 RBI across South Bend and Myrtle Beach to win Cubs Minor League Player of the Year honors. He followed that with a strong 2021 showing of 9 home runs and 40 RBI between Tennessee and Iowa, then posted 17 home runs and 59 RBI at Iowa in 2022 and an .860 OPS with 13 home runs in 52 games at Iowa in 2023. With Memphis in 2024, he added 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 74 games.
In the KBO League with Doosan, Young batted .326/.420/.660 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI in only 38 games, highlighted by his record-tying eight-RBI game against the Kia Tigers.
Other Performances
Young’s amateur accolades include ABCA/Rawlings All-American Third Team recognition at Old Dominion and a .480 batting average at Connors State College. His MLB highlights feature a debut double in 2022 and two home runs in 16 games with the Cubs in 2023.
Jared Young Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public details about Jared Michael Young’s immediate family are limited, and his personal background is best understood through his Canadian upbringing in British Columbia and his multi-school educational journey.
Personal Life
Young’s personal life, including marital status, spouse, and children, is not publicly documented in the available records.
2025 Season Performance
Jared Young opened 2025 at Triple-A Syracuse before earning a promotion to the Mets on May 24, 2025. His recall came as the club needed versatile depth, and he appeared in a major league game as a pitcher for the first time on June 15, 2025, against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing one hit in one-third of an inning during a blowout loss.
He was optioned back to Syracuse on June 27 before being recalled again on July 11, 2025, signaling the organization’s continued belief in his bat and positional flexibility. His role as a right-handed utility option has been central to the Mets’ bench construction, with on-base skills and corner-infield plus outfield experience making him a frequent late-game substitution.
Looking ahead through the rest of 2025, Young will look to convert his MLB chances into regular at-bats and solidify a long-term role with the Mets, while continuing to provide rare positional flexibility that includes emergency pitching.