Eric Young (baseball)

Eric Orlando Young Sr. (born May 18, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman and left fielder. He played college baseball and college football for Rutgers University.

This article is about the former MLB player. For his son, see Eric Young Jr.
Eric Young
Young as a first base coach for the Colorado Rockies in 2015
Atlanta Braves – No. 2
Second baseman / Coach
Born: (1967-05-18) May 18, 1967
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 30, 1992, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 19, 2006, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Batting average.283
Home runs79
Runs batted in543
Stolen bases465
Teams

As coach

Career highlights and awards

Raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Young attended New Brunswick High School, where he played basketball and football, in addition to baseball.[1]

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 an 11-4 home win over the Montreal Expos.[2] 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. Young officially retired as a member of the Colorado Rockies on September 12, 2008.[3] He was honored during a pregame ceremony that same day at Coors Field before the Rockies took on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Post-playing career

Young's son, Eric Young Jr., has also played professional baseball. Eric Jr. graduated from Piscataway Township High School in 2003 and on August 25, 2009, made his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies when Dexter Fowler was put on the disabled list. Young Jr. currently serves on the coaching staff for the Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.

Young was 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. [4]

Young served as a running instructor for the Houston Astros and helped with their outfield and base running.[5] He was named the Arizona Diamondbacks first base coach on October 17, 2010.[6]On October 17, 2012, Young was fired from the position.[7][8] He joined the Rockies as the first base coach for the 2014 season.[9] He was fired after the 2016 season.[10] He was hired to be the first base coach of the Atlanta Braves for the 2018 season.[11][12] Young opted out of traveling with the Braves during the 2020 season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14]

See also

References
  1. Curry, Jack. "A Tough Decision For Rutgers Player", The New York Times, August 22, 1988. Accessed June 28, 2019. "Playing more than one sport is a situation Young is accustomed to. He played football, baseball and basketball all four years at New Brunswick (N.J.) High School without any hitches."
  2. Klis, Mike (9 April 2020). "EY on leadoff homer 27 years ago: "I didn't realize what it meant"". KUSA.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-09-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Colla, Nino (17 June 2008). "Baseball Tonight: Losing Credibility by the Pitch". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. Stalnaker, Michelle (27 January 2012). "Homegrown Homecoming: Eric Young". Rox Pile. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  6. "Eric Young named first-base coach for Diamondbacks, son says". The Denver Post. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. McLennan, Jim (17 October 2012). "Young, Valera Not Returning As D-backs Coaches". AZ Snake Pit. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. "D-backs fire 1B coach Young, reassign Vallera". ESPN. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. Gilbert, Steve (26 November 2013). "Rox finalize '14 staff with additions of Doyle, Young". MLB.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. Saunders, Patrick (August 8, 2016). "Rockies don't renew contracts of 4 coaches, including Tom Runnells and Eric Young". Denver Post. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  11. "Terry Pendleton, Eddie Perez out as Braves coaches, Walt Weiss in". Atlanta Journal Constitution. November 10, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  12. McCartney, Cory (10 November 2017). "Braves add Walt Weiss, Eric Young Sr. to coaching staff; remove Terry Pendleton, Eddie Perez". FOX Sports. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  13. "Freddie Freeman among four Braves players to test positive for coronavirus". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  14. Burns, Gabriel (July 4, 2020). "Braves coach Eric Young Sr. opts out of 2020 season". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved July 4, 2020.

Preceded by
Matt Williams		 Arizona Diamondbacks First Base Coach
2011–2012		 Succeeded by
Steve Sax
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