Eric Young Sr.
- This article is about the former MLB player. For his son who plays for the Colorado Rockies, see Eric Young, Jr.
Eric Young | |
---|---|
Second Baseman / Left fielder | |
Born: New Brunswick, New Jersey | May 18, 1967|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
debut | |
July 30, 1992, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
Last appearance | |
September 19, 2006, for the Texas Rangers | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .283 |
Hits | 1,731 |
Runs batted in | 543 |
Stolen bases | 465 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Eric Orlando Young (born May 18, 1967 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and left fielder and current first base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played college baseball and college football for Rutgers University.
Baseball career
1990s
Young began his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992, but soon became one of the original Colorado Rockies in 1993. He hit a home run in the Rockies' first-ever home at bat on April 9, 1993, as part of a 11-4 home win over the Montreal Expos.[1] He helped Colorado to its first postseason series appearance in 1995, which they lost to the Atlanta Braves, three games to one. His best seasons came with the Rockies, where he was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1996 at second base. In 1996, he hit .324, with 8 home runs, 74 RBI and 53 stolen bases.
During the 1990s, Young was one of the top base stealers in the major leagues. He is the Rockies career leader in stolen bases and is in the top 10 in many other offensive categories. On June 30, 1996, he managed to steal second base, third base, and home plate in one inning in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1997, fan favorite Young was traded back to Los Angeles for pitcher Pedro Astacio. While in Los Angeles during 1998-1999, Young continued his consistency by stealing bases and hitting for solid averages.
2000s
Young was traded by the Dodgers to the Chicago Cubs in 1999. In 2000, while a member of the Cubs, he hit .297, with 6 home runs, 98 runs and 54 steals. In 2001, he enjoyed a similar season. In January 2002, Young signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2003, he hit 15 home runs, a career-high that almost doubled his previous best of 8 home runs. Young went on to play with the Texas Rangers and the San Diego Padres, where he was mainly used as a pinch runner. On August 1, 2006, Young was released by the Padres. He was subsequently reacquired by the Rangers and joined the team later that month. In late October, he declared free agency, but did not end up playing in the Majors again.
Post-playing career
Young's son, Eric Young, Jr., is following in his father's footsteps. Eric Jr. graduated from Piscataway Township High School in 2003 and on August 25, 2009 made his major league debut with Colorado Rockies when Dexter Fowler was put on the disabled list.
Young officially retired as a member of the Colorado Rockies on September 12, 2008.[2] He was honored during a pregame ceremony that same day at Coors Field before the Rockies took on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Young is also an analyst on the sports program Baseball Tonight. He is often mentioned in the term "Souvenir City Chamber of Commerce, Eric Young President" which is the term used by host Steve Berthiaume when showing a home run. He also calls out "Souvenir City!" when showing footage of a home run.[3]
Young served as a roving instructor for the Houston Astros and helped with their outfield and base running.[4]
Young was named the Arizona Diamondbacks first base coach on October 17, 2010.[5]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
References
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070721&content_id=2101421&vkey=news_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col
- ^ http://cbs4denver.com/sports/Rockies.young.retire.2.809861.html
- ^ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/30213-baseball-tonight-losing-credibility-by-the-pitch
- ^ http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20091218&content_id=7830334&vkey=pr_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101017&content_id=15681092&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Major League Baseball second basemen
- San Diego Padres players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Colorado Rockies players
- Chicago Cubs players
- Milwaukee Brewers players
- Texas Rangers players
- San Francisco Giants players
- Arizona Diamondbacks coaches
- Major League Baseball first base coaches
- Baseball players from New Jersey
- African American baseball players
- National League stolen base champions
- Gulf Coast Dodgers players
- Vero Beach Dodgers players
- San Antonio Missions players
- Albuquerque Dukes players
- Salem Avalanche players
- New Haven Ravens players
- Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
- San Bernardino Stampede players
- Portland Beavers players
- Oklahoma RedHawks players
- Rutgers University alumni
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights baseball players