What has become of Chris Young? Where is the perennial 30/30 gold glove center fielder that we all thought we were getting after his rookie year? What happened to the man that was once the D-Backs’ best ever center field prospect? These questions are being asked by all D-Backs fans as we see our center fielder slowing descending down the road to being classified a bust.

At the height of his career, his rookie season, Chris Young was a streak hitter who could carry an offense when hot, had good power and was a threat on the base paths. He was a plus center fielder that we all felt had a few Gold Glove awards coming his way. All he had to do was learn how to work the count more and get on base and we had ourselves a perennial all star in center field. Chris Young was going to be the second coming of Steve Finley.

What happened? Pitchers found out that Chris Young never learned plate discipline. Throw a curve ball away or a fastball high and you are probably going to strike him out. When an opposing pitcher absolutely has to get Chris Young to strikeout, usually in a situation where there is a runner on third and less than one out, he can. I have zero confidence in Young; he is way too easy to pitch to. Even though his average and OBP were better in 2008 than they were his rookie year, he still regressed. This year is an absolute disaster. He is hitting .176 and is on pace for 181 strikeouts. He can’t do anything at the plate. It has become depressing to watch.

The most frustrating thing about Young’s struggles is that his ability on the base paths, a strength of his game, is completely neutralized. The dude can’t get on base. He gets on base so rarely that he doesn’t want to run himself off the base paths, therefore he attempts far fewer steals.

The only positive of Chris Young’s game is his defense. The guy will always be a very good centerfielder because he has good instincts and his speed allows him to cover all types of ground. I always feel confident with Young patrolling centerfield, he plays the position with the kind of silky smoothness that Steve Finley did. The question becomes, how much longer can Chris Young get by on defense alone? At some point you have to become a competent hitter.

Do we have any solutions? What if the D-Backs brought Steve Finley in to mentor him? Finley could teach him how to hit, work the bases and the count. Couldn’t hurt right? I’ll just go ahead and file Steve Finely as Chris Young’s mentor in the “things that will never happen” file.

Something’s gotta give with Chris Young.