Eric Young (baseball)
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| Eric Young | ||
|---|---|---|
| Second Baseman / Outfielder | ||
| Born: May 18, 1967 New Brunswick, New Jersey |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| July 30, 1992 for the Los Angeles Dodgers |
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| Final game | ||
| September 19, 2006 for the Texas Rangers |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .283 | |
| Hits | 1,731 | |
| Stolen bases | 465 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Eric Orlando Young (born May 18, 1967 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is a former second baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball. He played college baseball for Rutgers University.
Eric Young was in his prime in the mid-1990s. One of the original Colorado Rockies, he hit a home run in the Rockies' first ever home at-bat. He helped Colorado to its first post-season appearance in 1995, which they lost. His best seasons came with the Rockies where he was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger award winner in 1996 at second base, when he hit .324, with 8 home runs, 74 RBIs and 53 stolen bases, still a Rockies record.
Young is also the Rockies career leader in stolen bases and is in the top 10 in many other offensive categories. In 1997 fan favorite Young was traded back to Los Angeles for pitcher Pedro Astacio. While in Los Angeles during 1998-1999 he continued his consistency by stealing bases and hitting for solid averages. In the 1990s Young was one of the top base stealers in the major leagues.
[edit] 2000-present
Eric Young was traded by the Dodgers to the Cubs in 1999. In 2000 he had one of his best seasons, hitting .297 with 6 home runs, 98 runs, and an impressive 54 steals. In 2001 he enjoyed a similar season. In January of 2002 he 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. While with the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres, he was mainly used as a pinch runner. On August 1, 2006, Eric Young was released by the San Diego Padres. He was subsequently reacquired by the Rangers and joined the team later that month.
Eric's son, Eric Young, Jr., is now following in his father's footsteps. Eric Jr. graduated from Piscataway Township High School in 2003 and is now a member of the Colorado Rockies minor league system.
Young is now an analyst for ESPN.
[edit] See also
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 stolen bases
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
| Preceded by Quilvio Veras |
National League Stolen Base Champion 1996 |
Succeeded by Tony Womack |
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