PHOENIX — Around 200 of the nation's top baseball prospects are in the Valley this week for the third annual MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field.
Participants listed with Arizona ties include Hamilton High School product Roch Cholowsky and Pinnacle High School product Duce Robinson in addition to several players out of Arizona State and UArizona.
But it is not just the young talent bringing the star power to the ballpark in downtown Phoenix. Former big league players like longtime Diamondbacks outfielder Chris Young and six-time All-Star Prince Fielder were among the MLB Network talent taking a walk down memory lane at Chase Field.
Young, who was with the D-Backs from 2006-2012, told 12Sports he hadn’t played in Arizona’s ballpark in over a decade.
“It's still a little weird. I came back one time when I was with the Mets but I didn't have the opportunity to play on the field, but this place is always nostalgic for me,” Young said. “It's a special place to me. Seeing some of the fans showing up and seeing the same clubhouse crew, a lot of the same grounds crew. You still have the same circle of people here so that makes me feel good being back home… I mean, I lived here 15 years. I have a lot of memories. I loved being a part of the Phoenix community.”
The player known to friends, teammates, and fans as “C.Y.” is now working as on-air talent for MLB Network. In January of 2022, Young earned his business administration degree from ASU. Young was a key player in Arizona’s postseason appearances in 2007 and 2011.
The D-Backs last made the postseason in 2017 but Young says this 2023 squad has similar qualities to the playoff teams he was on.
“I remember our playoff runs, you know, the few playoff runs that we had when I was here with the team and the young core that we had. It reminds me so much of the team now. You see this young core that has developed here with the Corbin Carroll and the [Geraldo] Perdomos and all these young players, it reminds me of me and Justin Upton and Stephen Drew and Carlos Quentin,” Young said. “I'm not trying to take everybody down memory lane, but that entire team reminds me so much of the team now and it's great to see the success that they're having.”
Six-time MLB All-Star Prince Fielder never played for Arizona, but he created some lasting memories at Chase Field. The former first baseman faced the Diamondbacks in the 2011 playoffs as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers and was named MVP of the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix.
“That was a big one, you know. My kids were here. That was a lot of fun,” Fielder said. “The Home Run Derby, then I got the MVP. Anytime I get to bring my kids on the field and you know, my family to enjoy with me, that's always a good memory.”
Fielder’s sons, Haven and Jadyn, were little ones during that 2011 Midsummer Classic but now they’re talented teenagers aspiring to play baseball at the highest level just like their dad.
The MLB Draft Combine continues this week in downtown Phoenix with a draft beginning on July 9 in Seattle.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, email Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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