Former Vanderbilt shortstop Carter Young was selected with the 497th overall pick in the 17th round in the 2022 MLB draft. Following the 2022 season, Young announced his intention to transfer to LSU for his final two years of eligibility. After being drafted, it is unclear whether Young will elect to return to college or get his professional career started early. 

Coming to Vanderbilt as the 26th-ranked shortstop in the country, Young hit the ground running as a Commodore in his freshman year. In the pandemic-shortened season, Young was one of two Commodores to start in all 18 games, finishing second on the team in hits (20) and RBIs (12) and third on the team with a .328 batting average. 

Fortunately for the Commodores, Young picked up in his sophomore season right where he had left off, becoming an essential player on Vanderbilt’s roster throughout their 2021 College World Series run. In 61 starts, Young went on to lead the team in home runs (16) and place second in RBIs (52), while slashing .252/.341/.559. The Selah, Washington, native also came up big for the Commodores in the postseason, driving two of Vanderbilt’s four runs home in their NCAA Super Regional-clinching win over East Carolina. 

Despite two productive years for the Commodores, Young was not able to replicate his earlier success in his junior season. The shortstop saw his batting average drop to .207 and his total bases come down to 72 from 133 the year prior. Young also struggled to find consistency in the field, committing 11 errors across his 56 appearances. Shortly after the season’s end, Young entered the transfer portal.

With a new opportunity in front of Young at LSU, it remains to be seen if the shortstop will head to Baltimore to start his professional career. 

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