Michael Young (baseball)
Versatile infielder, batting champion, and Rangers Hall of Famer.
Michael Brian Young is an American former professional baseball infielder who played 14 MLB seasons for the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers. A five-time All-Star and the 2005 American League batting champion, he later joined the Rangers' front office as a Special Assistant to the General Manager. His number 10 was retired by the Rangers in 2019.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Infielder
- Bats
- Right
- Born
- 19 October 1976
- Birthplace
- Covina, California, U.S.
- Debut league
- MLB
- Debut date
- September 29
- Debut year
- 2000
- Debut team
- Texas Rangers
Facts from the source article.
Early life and education
After high school at Bishop Amat Memorial in La Puente, California, Young played college ball at UC Santa Barbara, later funding a renovation of its baseball field. The Baltimore Orioles picked him in the 1994 draft’s 25th round, but he didn’t sign. Toronto then drafted him in the fifth round in 1997, and he signed with the Blue Jays, who traded him to the Rangers in 2000 with Darwin Cubillán for Esteban Loaiza while he was still in the minors.
Playing career
Young made his professional debut in 1997 with the St. Catharines Blue Jays of the New York–Penn League, where he had a 16-game hitting streak and tied for fifth with 48 RBIs. In 1998, playing for the Hagerstown Suns, he led all second basemen in fielding percentage. With the Dunedin Blue Jays in 1999, he earned midseason and postseason all-star honors by leading the league in doubles and finishing fourth in batting average (.313) and hits (155). After being traded to the Rangers in July 2000, he made his MLB debut that September as a pinch runner. He became a regular in 2001, hitting .249 in 106 games. In 2002 he placed second in fielding among second basemen with a .988 percentage. In 2003 he led all second basemen with a .306 batting average and had 204 hits. Young won the AL batting title in 2005 with a .331 average, led MLB with 221 hits, and set a career high with 24 home runs. In 2006 he was named All-Star Game MVP after hitting a game-winning two-run triple, led AL shortstops in fielding percentage (.981), and played all 162 games with 217 hits and over 100 RBIs. He signed an $80 million contract extension in March 2007.
Post-playing career
After retiring, Michael Young returned to the Texas Rangers as a special assistant to the general manager in November 2014, and helped bring Ian Desmond to the team in 2016. That same year, he entered the Rangers’ own Hall of Fame. His number 10 was retired by the club in 2019. Young’s bid for the National Baseball Hall of Fame ended quickly when he received less than five percent of the vote in 2019, removing him from future ballots. In 2024, he managed the National League squad in the All-Star Futures Game.
Personal life
Young's mother is of Mexican descent. He met his wife Cristina, also Mexican-American, in high school; they have three sons named Mateo, Emilio, and Antonio. He is a cousin of former WBO Light Welterweight boxing champion Zack Padilla and of minor league baseball player Jason Young. Young and his wife sponsor the Wipe Out Kids' Cancer campaign. In 2006 he began the Young Heroes Scholarship Program, and in 2010 the Michael Young Family Hispanic Scholarship Program was established. In July 2011 they launched the Michael Young Family Foundation. Young is a two-time winner of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award (2008 and 2011). In 2021 he donated $50,000 to restore the Reverchon Park Ball Field in Dallas. His hobbies include billiards and golf.
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