Michael Young (baseball)

Michael Brian Young (born October 19, 1976) is an American former professional baseball infielder who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Since 2014, Young has worked in the Rangers’ front office as a Special Assistant to the General Manager. Originally a second baseman, the versatile Young was a five-time All-Star at shortstop, once at third base, and once as a combination designated hitter / utility infielder. He was the 2005 American League (AL) batting champion. Young played baseball in high school at Bishop Amat Memorial High School and in college at University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara). He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1994, but elected to return to college and was eventually drafted in 1997 by the Toronto Blue Jays. After spending several seasons in the minor leagues with the Blue Jays, Young was traded to the Rangers, where he spent over a decade. While with the Rangers, Young set several club records in offensive statistical categories, including runs scored and total bases. In 2016, Young was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. In 2019, Young's No. 10 was retired by the Rangers.