Nationals Star Jacob Young Loses Out on Gold Glove Award Once Again

For the second time in a row, the Washington Nationals elite defensive outfielder came up short for the Gold Glove Award.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

While the overall season for the Washington Nationals this year wasn't good, there were still some bright spots when it came to young players taking the next steps in their careers.

James Wood looked like a future superstar. MacKenzie Gore performed like an ace early in the season before he faded late. CJ Abrams followed up his strong 2024 campaign with a year where he put up similar numbers. And Daylen Lile emerged as a potential cornerstone in the outfield.

Some players are up for hardware, too, which is a great sign that this future core is emerging when it comes to performing at a high level compared to their peers around the league. On the defensive side of things, only Jacob Young was up for the Gold Glove Award in center field.

Finalists Alongside Jacob Young

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Young was facing some stiff competition, with breakout phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs and Victor Scott II of the St. Louis Cardinals also named finalists. Still, when it comes to highlight-reel plays, it's hard to think of anyone else out in center field on the National League side besides Young.

He has been an incredible defender since he arrived in The Show. That will always be his calling card. But what will allow him to become an everyday player so he can continue going after these awards is figuring things out at the plate.

That's for a later date, though. In 2025, Young stacked up well against his competition, which was laid out in the numbers below.

	Jacob Young	Pete Crow-Armstrong	Victor Scott II
Outs Above Average	14	21	16
Defensive Runs Saved	13	15	12
Fielding Run Value	13	21	11
Assists	4	5	4
Putouts	278	427	325
Errors	0	2	6

Unfortunately for Young, he came up short once again, getting beat out by Crow-Armstrong. That has to be a frustrating pill to swallow for Young. He's been sensational in center field, and he has some of the best defensive plays that were made all year.

However, the statistics above do favor Crow-Armstrong, with him having higher marks in outs above average, defensive runs saved and fielding run value. He also had more assists and putouts than Young, with only the zero errors Washington's center fielder recorded being the lone edge he had.

It's hard to imagine Young won't continuously be a finalist for this award going forward. But like mentioned above, what could hold him back is if the Nationals view his offense as too unplayable to keep him in the lineup every day.

Because of that, this is a huge offseason for the 26-year-old as he tries to keep himself in the mix of a crowded outfield.