Dmitri Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dmitri Young |
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Young with the Washington Nationals
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| First baseman / Left fielder / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: October 11, 1973 Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 29, 1996, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 11, 2008, for the Washington Nationals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .292 | ||
| Home runs | 171 | ||
| Runs batted in | 683 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Dmitri Dell Young (born October 11, 1973) is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 13 seasons. Dmitri played as a left fielder, first baseman, and designated hitter. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Washington Nationals. He was an All-Star two times. He also won the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. His younger brother, Delmon Young, also played in MLB.
Contents
Dmitri Young's Early Baseball Career
High School Success
Dmitri Young went to Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California. He was a fantastic hitter in high school. His batting average was never below .400. In his senior year, he was named a USA Today High School All-American. Young first planned to play college baseball for the Miami Hurricanes.
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The St. Louis Cardinals chose Young in the first round of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. He was the fourth player picked overall. Early in his career, some people worried about his weight. In 1994, a Cardinals team official said they were concerned he might "eat himself out a major league career." At that time, he weighed about 109 kilograms (240 pounds).
In 1995, Young was suspended from the Texas League. This happened after he punched a fan who was yelling insults at him.
In 1996, Young had a great year playing for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. He batted .333 and was chosen as a Triple-A All-Star first baseman. He was also named the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. He then played a few games with the Cardinals in the major leagues at the end of that season.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Cardinals and Reds: 1996–2001
Young's first full season in MLB was with the Cardinals in 1997. He hit .258 that year. After the season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He was briefly picked by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in an expansion draft. But he was quickly traded back to the Reds.
While with the Reds, Young batted over .300 each year. In 1998, he was second in the league for doubles. In 2001, he hit 21 home runs. During these years, he mostly played in the outfield and at first base.
Detroit Tigers: 2002–2006
After the 2001 season, the Reds traded Young to the Detroit Tigers. In 2003, he hit .297 with 29 home runs. He also had 7 triples, which was 10th in the league. He was the only Tigers player chosen for the 2003 MLB All-Star Game. However, he did not play in the game.
On May 6, 2003, Young had an amazing game against the Baltimore Orioles. He got 5 hits in 5 tries. He hit two home runs, two triples, and a single. In his last turn at bat, he needed a double to hit for the cycle. Instead, he hit his second triple of the night. Young said that winning the game was more important than his personal achievement.
On April 4, 2005, Young made history on Opening Day. He hit three home runs in Detroit's 11-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. He joined only two other players to hit three home runs on Opening Day. Young is one of only a few players to hit three home runs in one game at Comerica Park. This stadium is known for being a difficult place to hit home runs. Tigers fans sometimes called him "Da Meat Hook" or "The Big D."
In 2006, Young was diagnosed with diabetes. He spent three days in the hospital's intensive care unit. Since then, Young has worked to manage his diabetes. He encourages others to do the same. He has appeared on a show called dLife to share his story.
Washington Nationals: 2006–2008
In late 2006, the Washington Nationals needed a first baseman. Their player, Nick Johnson, broke his leg. The Nationals invited Young to try out for the team. Young earned the starting role. In his first game with the Nationals, on Opening Day, he hit two doubles.
He had a fantastic first half of the season. By the All-Star break, he was batting .340. This was third-best in the league. He was chosen for his second All-Star game, as the Nationals' only representative. He got a single hit in his only turn at bat. He then scored a run on a home run by Alfonso Soriano.
In June 2007, Young received his 2006 American League Championship ring. He got it when the Tigers played the Nationals. On July 4, Young hit a grand slam against the Chicago Cubs. This was his sixth grand slam in his career. He finished the year batting .320, which was his highest career batting average. It was also ninth-best in the National League. Young signed a two-year contract extension. At the end of the season, he won the Player's Choice National League Comeback Player of the Year award.
In 2008, Nick Johnson started the season as the Nationals' first baseman. But on June 24, Johnson needed wrist surgery. Young then became the starting first baseman again. On September 17, Young was out for the rest of the season due to his diabetes.
Retirement and Comeback Attempt
After playing in the minor leagues in 2009, Young announced his retirement on March 18, 2010. On the same day, he became the Vice President and Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations for the Oakland County Cruisers. He also became a special hitting and fielding instructor for the team. After the 2011 season, Young said he wanted to try playing baseball again. However, no team signed him.
Life After Baseball
Collecting Baseball Cards
Young started collecting baseball cards in 2000. He and his Reds teammate Danny Graves were offered money to appear at a card show. Young saw a Pete Rose rookie card and asked for it instead of the cash. In 2002, his Tigers teammate Robert Fick introduced him to Dave Bailey, a collector. Together, Young and Bailey built a huge collection of rookie cards. Young estimated he spent $5 million of his baseball earnings on his card collection.
From 2010 to 2011, Young co-hosted Card Corner Club Radio. This was a weekly show about sports cards and collectibles.
In 2012, Young decided to sell almost 500 of his mint condition rookie cards. He planned to use the money to open a baseball school and a nonprofit foundation. These would be in Ventura County, California. The cards were sold one by one at an auction. The collection earned a total of $2.4 million. His 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente card sold for the highest price. It went for $432,690, setting a record for a post-World War II card. Six different cards in his collection sold for over $100,000 each.
Health and Foundation Work
At his heaviest during his playing career, Young weighed about 134 kilograms (295 pounds). He was the third-heaviest player in MLB history. By July 2014, he had lost over 45 kilograms (100 pounds) from his highest weight.
Dmitri is now the President of The Dmitri D. Young Foundation, Inc. This is a non-profit group. It offers baseball and life skills camps for young athletes in Southern California. They focus on Ventura County and his old high school, Rio Mesa High School.
In August 2020, Young became the head baseball coach at Adolfo Camarillo High School in Camarillo, California.
Dmitri Young's Family
Dmitri's younger brother is Delmon Young. Delmon was the first player chosen in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. He was also a runner-up for the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year Award. Delmon played his first major league game on August 29, 2006. This was exactly ten years after Dmitri's first game.
Dmitri's sister, DeAnn, played college softball for the Oregon State Beavers.
Dmitri and Delmon's father, Larry Young, was from Mississippi. He was one of the United States Navy's first African American F-14 fighter pilots. Later, he worked as a pilot for Delta Air Lines.
