Jays' pitching prospect learned sidearm delivery from YouTube

Danny Young, left-handed pitching prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays, sits on a bench at the Jays spring training facility. He was taking some time to work on his changeup grip. Photo Credit: Anthony Amador

By Anthony Amador

Canadian Baseball Network

DUNEDIN, Fla.— If you ever wonder if professional athletes are just like the rest of us, talk to Danny Young of the Blue Jays.

He will tell you how he learned to throw sidearm just by watching YouTube.

“Really, I just typed on YouTube ‘sidearm left guys,’ and you see your Andrew Millers and Chris Sales,” said Young, sitting in the sun at the Englebert complex. “But those guys are kind of freaks.

“So, I kind of just watched Randy Choate a little bit. Javy Lopez, too,”

The Boynton Beach, Fla., native didn’t officially start throwing sidearm until the spring training of 2016. He says he’s gotten better every year.

“I was never really a sidearm guy until ’16 spring training, so this is really my first full season as a sidearm pitcher.”

Young enters spring training with some pitching concerns, mostly on his struggles throwing the changeup, but he is confident with this past offseason that he has answered all the doubters when it comes to that pitch.

“Yes. I think throughout this past offseason I made a really big jump with it and improved it,” said Young, with a little smile.

He split the 2017 season between the Dunedin Blue Jays of the class-A Advanced Florida State League and the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Eastern League. He finished with a combined 3.73 earned-run average over 63 innings and 50 strikeouts to finish the year 4-1. He hopes to start the year strong with New Hampshire.

It’s too early into spring training to know what the future holds for Young this year, but said he is happy to play at any level that needs him.

“I’m just here to play, where ever I go, I go. Obviously, I’ll make the most of that opportunity when it comes, but it’s also really early into spring to know. I’m just going to be the best that I can, and pitch the best I can, and hopefully move up.”