| Eric Young Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Young with the New York Mets in 2013 | |
| Seattle Mariners – No. 53 | |
| Outfielder /Coach | |
| Born: (1985-05-25)May 25, 1985 (age 40) New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 25, 2009, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2018, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Home runs | 13 |
| Runs batted in | 112 |
| Stolen bases | 162 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Eric Orlando Young Jr. (born May 25, 1985) is an American professionalbaseball formeroutfielder and current first basecoach for theSeattle Mariners ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for theColorado Rockies,New York Mets,Atlanta Braves,New York Yankees, andLos Angeles Angels from 2009 to 2018. He led theNational League instolen bases in 2013.
Young was born inNew Brunswick, New Jersey and graduated fromPiscataway Township High School inPiscataway, New Jersey.[1] He had a football scholarship to attendVillanova University. TheColorado Rockies selected Young in the 30th round of the2003 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed rather than attend college.[2]
Young began his professional career playing in 2004 for theCasper Rockies, an advanced rookiePioneer League team inCasper, Wyoming. In 2006, Young led all minor leaguers with 87 instolen bases.[3] He then won theArizona Fall League batting title, finishing with a .430average.[4] Young appeared in the 2009All-Star Futures Game, hitting a three-run home run.[5]
Young made his major league debut on August 25, 2009, for theColorado Rockies playing center field. He had his first career hit in this game during the 5th inning and ended the game 1–4. His father,Eric Young Sr., was in attendance for his debut. On September 8, Young hit his first career home run in the bottom of the 6th inning against theCincinnati Reds. He came off the bench in the only two postseason appearances of his career, batting 0-for-1 in theNational League Division Series.[6]
Duringspring training in 2010, Young was optioned to the team's Triple-A affiliate, theColorado Springs Sky Sox.[7] On April 25, he was recalled to the Rockies. On May 15, he suffered a stress fracture in his right tibia and was placed on the60-day disabled list.[8] He would return from the DL toCoors Field on August 14. On May 27, 2011, he was called back up to the Rockies with an above .300 batting average with the Sky Sox. He was on the Rockies' 2012opening day roster. He went on the disabled list with a left intercostal muscle strain on August 20.[8] Young wasdesignated for assignment by the Rockies on June 12, 2013.
On June 18, 2013, Young was traded to theNew York Mets for pitcherCollin McHugh.[9] On July 24, Young was involved in a season-ending incident for pitcherTim Hudson. Hudson was covering the first base bag, and Young attempted to beat the groundout. When Young stepped late on the bag, his cleat dug hard into Hudson's ankle full stride, unnaturally rolling it. This incident broke Hudson's ankle and ultimately ended Hudson's last season with the Braves. Young expressed extreme concern for Hudson after the play ended.[10] On August 2, Young hit the firstwalk-off hit of his career, a two-run home run, in the 11th inning against theKansas City Royals.[11]
On September 29, 2013 in the final game of the season, Young stole his 45th and 46th bases against theMilwaukee Brewers, becoming the National League stolen base leader.[12] He is the Mets' first stolen bases champion sinceJosé Reyes in 2007. On December 2, 2014, Young wasnon-tendered by the Mets.
Young signed a minor league contract with theAtlanta Braves on February 13, 2015. The deal included an invitation to spring training.[13][14] On June 5, the Braves designated Young for assignment.[15] With Atlanta, he batted .169/.229/.273.
On August 22, 2015, Young was traded back to the Mets in exchange for cash.[16] He was removed from the 40-man roster on November 5, making him a free agent.[17] Young had a batting average of .153 with no home runs, five RBIs and .217 on-base percentage with both the Braves and the Mets in 2015.
On January 5, 2016, Young signed a minor league contract with theMilwaukee Brewers, with an invitation to spring training.[18] He was one of nine players competing to be the Brewers center fielder for the 2016 season.[19] Center field was one of the last positions the Brewers decided,[20][21] but Young did not make theOpening Day roster.[22]
On August 31, 2016, the Brewers traded Young to theNew York Yankees for cash considerations. The Yankees assigned him to theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.[23] He played in 6 games for the Yankees, primarily as a pinch runner, scoring twice, stealing one base, and batting 0-for-1.[24][25]
On January 24, 2017, theLos Angeles Angels signed Young to a minor league deal, later calling him up to replace the injuredMike Trout. On May 31, Young hit a game-winning solo home run in the eighth inning to give the Angels a 2–1 lead against theAtlanta Braves. This was his first home run since 2014. The Angels went on to win by that score.[26] He was outrighted on July 13. He was called back up during the end of the season. In 110 at bats, Young tied a career high by hitting 4 home runs; he was outrighted and elected free agency after the season.
On January 4, 2018, the Angels re-signed Young to a minor league deal. He was assigned to AAASalt Lake Bees for the 2018 season. He was recalled on July 27.[27] In 109 at bats, he batted .202/.248/.303.
On February 9, 2019, theBaltimore Orioles signed Young to a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training. He was released on March 22.[28]
On March 26, 2019, Young signed a minor league deal with theSeattle Mariners. He was released on July 23.
On July 28, 2019, Young signed with theAcereros de Monclova of theMexican League.[29] He was released on January 24, 2020.
On February 12, 2020, Young signed with theGuerreros de Oaxaca of theMexican League. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[30] On November 18, Young was released by the Guerreros.
.jpg)
On January 27, 2021, Young was announced to be part of the coaching staff of theTacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of theSeattle Mariners.[31] TheWashington Nationals announced hiring Young as their first base coach on October 28, 2021.[32] The Nationals did not retain Young after the 2023 season.[33]
On November 26, 2024, Young was hired by the Mariners for the same role.[34] Several Mariners players credited him with helping them steal bases.[35][36]
Young is the son of former professional baseball player andAngels third base coachEric Young Sr. and the paternal half-brother of actorDallas Dupree Young.[37][38][39]
Young and his wife's first child, Eric Young III, was born prematurely in January 2017 and died one day later.[1][40][41]
· Baseball Almanac