Michael Young

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Full Name: Michael Brian Young Primary Position: SS Height/Weight: 6' 0"/175 First Game: September 29, 2000 Birthdate: October 19, 1976 MLB Experience: 8 years Birthplace: Covina, California College: UC-Santa Barbara Bat/Throw: Right/Right

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[edit] Biography

Michael Young (Michael Brian Young) was born on October 19, 1976 in Covina, California. He made his Major League debut on September 29, 2000 for the Texas Rangers. In 2001, his rookie year, he hit .249 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. Young played for the Texas Rangers for his entire 8 year career.

Most people believe that Michael Young's best season was 2004, when he slugged 22 home runs, hit for a .313 average and knocked in 99 runs.

[edit] Scouting Report

[edit] Hitting

Young is one of the better pure hitters in the game. He's aggressive and sprays line drives all over the field, and is capable of hitting the ball out of any part of any park. He has a great eye at the plate, rarely chasing pitches out of the strike zone and attacking pitches that cross the plate. He's an ideal three-hole hitter due to his approach and aggressiveness.

[edit] Baserunning and Defense

Young has the speed to be a stolen base threat but the philosophy of Rangers manager Buck Showalter keeps him from running much. He's a heady player on the basepaths and will rarely get caught making a mistake. He's capable of and willing to take the extra base when he can and perenially sits toward the top of the American League runs-scored leaderboard.

Defensively, Young was brought up as a second baseman but volunteered to move to shortstop when the Rangers made the deal for Alfonso Soriano, despite the fact that Young had solidified himself as one of the best players in baseball at second. He has good range going both ways and is capable of making all the throws despite his arm strength being merely average for the position.

[edit] Overall

Young has shown himself to be one of the premier middle infielders in all of baseball. He's a great hitter and a borderline Gold Glove-caliber defender and, at 29 years old, is just entering his prime. He is consistently among the hits leaders in the American League and is a constant 20-home run threat. Young is deservedly one of the more feared hitters in the league.

[edit] Statistics

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[edit] Awards

• MLB All-Star 2004-07
• MLB All-Star MVP 2006
• American League Batting Champion 2005

[edit] Transactions

• Selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 25th round of the free-agent draft - did not sign (June 2, 1994).
• Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round of the free-agent draft (June 3, 1997 - signed June 13, 1997).
• Traded by the Toronto Blue Jays with Darwin Cubillan to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Esteban Loaiza (July 19, 2000).

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