Eric Young Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eric Young Jr. |
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Young with the New York Mets in 2013
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| Seattle Mariners – No. 53 | |||
| Outfielder / Coach | |||
| Born: May 25, 1985 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 25, 2009, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 30, 2018, for the Los Angeles Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .245 | ||
| Home runs | 13 | ||
| Runs batted in | 112 | ||
| Stolen bases | 162 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Eric Orlando Young Jr. (born May 25, 1985) is an American baseball player who used to play as an outfielder. He is now a first base coach for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for several MLB teams, including the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels. In 2013, he was the top player for stolen bases in the National League.
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Baseball Journey
Eric Young Jr. was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He went to Piscataway Township High School in Piscataway, New Jersey. He was offered a football scholarship to attend Villanova University. However, the Colorado Rockies chose him in the 30th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft. He decided to sign with them instead of going to college.
Young started his professional baseball career in 2004. He played for the Casper Rockies (now called the Grand Junction Rockies). This was an advanced rookie team in Casper, Wyoming, part of the Pioneer League. In 2006, Young was amazing at stolen bases. He led all minor league players with 87 stolen bases. After that, he won the Arizona Fall League batting title. He finished with a great .430 average. In 2009, Young played in the Futures Game. He hit a three-run home run, helping his team win 7 to 5.
Playing for the Colorado Rockies
Eric Young Jr. played his first major league game on August 25, 2009. He played center field for the Colorado Rockies. He got his first hit in this game during the 5th inning. His father, Eric Young Sr., who was also a professional baseball player, was there to watch his son's first game. On September 8, 2009, Young Jr. hit his first career home run. It happened in the 6th inning against the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2010, Young was sent to the Rockies' Triple-A team, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. But he was called back up to the Rockies on April 25, 2010. On May 15, 2010, he got a stress fracture and had to go on the disabled list. He came back to play at Coors Field on August 14, 2010. On May 27, 2011, he was called up again. He had a batting average above .300 with the Sky Sox. The Rockies later removed him from their main roster on June 12, 2013.
Time with the New York Mets
On June 18, 2013, Young was traded to the New York Mets. The Mets gave Collin McHugh to the Rockies in return. On July 24, Young was involved in an incident with another player, Tim Hudson. Young accidentally stepped on Hudson's ankle, which caused Hudson to break his ankle. Young was very concerned for Hudson after the play.
On August 2, Young hit his first "walk-off" hit. This means his hit won the game for his team. It was a two-run home run in the 11th inning against the Kansas City Royals. On September 29, in the last game of the season, Young stole his 45th and 46th bases. This made him the leader in stolen bases for the National League that year. He was the Mets' first stolen bases champion since José Reyes in 2007. On December 2, 2014, the Mets decided not to offer Young a new contract.
Playing for Other Teams
Young signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves on February 13, 2015. He was invited to their spring training. On June 5, the Braves removed him from their main roster. While with Atlanta, he had a batting average of .169.
On August 22, 2015, Young was traded back to the New York Mets. The Mets gave cash to the Braves for him. He was removed from the Mets' roster again on November 5. In 2015, playing for both the Braves and the Mets, Young had a batting average of .153.
On January 5, 2016, Young signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was one of nine players trying to become the Brewers' center fielder. However, he did not make the team for Opening Day. On August 31, 2016, the Brewers traded Young to the New York Yankees. The Yankees sent him to their minor league team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
On January 24, 2017, the Los Angeles Angels signed Young Jr. to a minor league deal. He was later called up to the main team when Mike Trout was injured. On May 31, Young hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves. This was his first home run since 2014. The Angels won the game 2–1. He was later removed from the team's main roster on July 13. He was called back up at the end of the season. In 110 times at bat, Young hit 4 home runs, which was a career high for him. He became a free agent after the season. On January 4, 2018, the Angels signed Young again to a minor league deal. He played for the AAA Salt Lake Bees in 2018. He was called up to the Angels again on July 27.
Young also signed minor league contracts with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 and the Seattle Mariners in 2019. He played for the Acereros de Monclova and the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League in 2019 and 2020. The 2020 Mexican League season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Eric Young Jr. started coaching. On January 27, 2021, he joined the coaching staff for the Tacoma Rainiers. This team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. On October 28, 2021, the Rainiers announced that Young would become the first base coach for the Washington Nationals. On November 26, 2024, the Seattle Mariners hired Young Jr. for the same role.
Personal Life
Eric Young Jr. is the son of Eric Young Sr., who was also a professional baseball player and a coach for the Los Angeles Angels. Eric Young Jr. also has a paternal half-brother, actor Dallas Dupree Young.
See also
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
