Eric Young Sr.
| Eric Young | |
|---|---|
 Young with the Braves in 2022 | |
| Los Angeles Angels – No. 85 | |
| Second baseman / Coach | |
| Born: May 18, 1967 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. | |
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 runs | 79 |
| Runs batted in | 543 |
| Stolen bases | 465 |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Eric Orlando Young Sr. (born May 18, 1967) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, and San Diego Padres. He is the current third base coach for the Los Angeles Angels. He previously served as the first base coach for the Atlanta Braves. He played college baseball and college football for Rutgers University.
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
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 was 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 Colorado 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] On November 12, 2023, Young confirmed that he would be leaving the Braves to join the Los Angeles Angels coaching staff as their new third base coach under newly appointed manager Ron Washington.[15]
Personal life
As a high school student, Young welcomed his oldest son and namesake, Eric Young Jr., with high-school sweetheart Paula Robinson. Eric Jr. followed him into professional baseball and made his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies on August 25, 2009.[16] On December 10, 2005, he married Beyonka Jackson and they welcomed their son Dallas Dupree Young, who is an actor.[17][18][19]
See also
- List of Colorado Rockies team records
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
References
- ^ 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."
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Cbs4denver.com - Young Will Retire as Member of Rockies on Sept. 12". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ Colla, Nino (17 June 2008). "Baseball Tonight: Losing Credibility by the Pitch". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Stalnaker, Michelle (27 January 2012). "Homegrown Homecoming: Eric Young". Rox Pile. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "Eric Young named first-base coach for Diamondbacks, son says". The Denver Post. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ McLennan, Jim (17 October 2012). "Young, Valera Not Returning As D-backs Coaches". AZ Snake Pit. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "D-backs fire 1B coach Young, reassign Vallera". ESPN. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Gilbert, Steve (26 November 2013). "Rox finalize '14 staff with additions of Doyle, Young". MLB.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Terry Pendleton, Eddie Perez out as Braves coaches, Walt Weiss in". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. November 10, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Freddie Freeman among four Braves players to test positive for coronavirus". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Burns, Gabriel (July 4, 2020). "Braves coach Eric Young Sr. opts out of 2020 season". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Crosby, Lindsay (12 November 2023). "Eric Young Sr. to leave Braves and join Ron Washington with Angels". Braves Today. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Eric Young Jr. BB". NJSports.com. Upper Case Editorial Services, LLC. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ Cooney, Mike (March 27, 2018). "Eric Young Sr". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ Yates, Clinton (November 5, 2021). "Braves' Eric Young Sr. gets redemption". Andscape. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (February 14, 2021). "Eric Young Sr. proud of son, a budding actor". MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet