Categories: Minor LeaguesNews

Intriguing 7-foot-tall Phillies prospect retires from baseball

One of the most interesting and physically-towering prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies organization retired from baseball earlier this week.

Kyle Young voluntarily retired early this week. (Cheryl Pursell)

Kyle Young, a 7-foot-tall left-handed pitcher, was added to the voluntarily retired list on Thursday. The 22-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm last May and had been in the recovery process.

Young found a lot of success in the lower minor leagues after being selected by the Phillies in the 22nd round of the 2016 draft. From 2016-2018, he posted an ERA of 2.74 in 151 1/3 innings across three levels, reaching Low-A Lakewood in that 2018 season.

The left-hander limited damage by keeping the number of walks and home runs he surrendered to a minimum. Young walked just 26 batters in 35 outings through those first three seasons, and gave up only three home runs in that same stretch.

In 2019, Young pitched for the High-A Clearwater Threshers, but did not make an appearance after April due to the elbow injury. He was going through rehab for the injury before deciding to retire.

Young would have been the tallest pitcher in major-league history if he had made the majors. He finished his professional career with a 2.92 ERA in parts of four minor-league seasons.

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Ty Daubert

Ty is a writer for Phillies Nation, covering the minor-league system and Phillies news.

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