MICHAEL YOUNG, #10, All-Star shortstop

Greg Ellis speaks about his Pro Bowl Season

Born: 10/19/1976
Birthplace: Covina, CA
Height: 6'1" Weight: 200
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
College: Cal-Santa Barbara
Seasons as a Ranger: 8

Last season: .315 batting average (201 hits in 639 at-bats), 94 runs batted in, 9 home runs, 37 doubles,
13 stolen bases, 267 total bases, .418 slugging percentage

Career: .302 batting average (1,305 hits in 4,315 at-bats), 570 runs batted in, 103 home runs, 239 doubles, 59 stolen bases, 1,931 total bases, .448 slugging percentage

All-Star shortstop Michael Young is the Rangers' most consistent performer and popular player. He finished last season with 201 hits, his fifth consecutive year with at least 200 hits. If Young can reach the 200-hit plateau again in 2008, he will become only the third major league player since 1900 to record 6-or-more straight seasons with 200 or more hits (Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and Ichiro Suzuki are the other two). One of Young's many career highlights was his selection as the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player in 2006 after driving in the winning runs with a two-run triple in the 9th inning. Another career highlight came a year earlier when he led the American League in batting average in the 2005 season by hitting .331, ten points higher than the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. Young has been selected to four consecutive All Star games.

During his 8 seasons in the major leagues as a Ranger, Young has set numerous team records. He is the fastest Ranger to record 1,000 careers hits in club history achieving the milestone in his 827th career game (old record: Buddy Bell, 869 games). In 2006, Young set a Rangers record for doubles in a season (52), breaking the old mark held by Juan Gonzalez. He owns four of the top six single-season hits records in club history including a career-high 221 (team record) hits in 2005. He also holds the Rangers' team record for single-season plate appearances and at-bats.

Defensively, Young is tremendous. His career fielding percentage is .976 as a shortstop, and .987 as a second baseman.

Young joined the Rangers following a trade in July, 2000 with the Toronto Blue Jays and was the Rangers "Rookie of the Year" in 2001.

Off the baseball diamond, Young and his wife, Cristina, are active in Arlington and the surrounding community. For the past six seasons, Young has been an ambassador for Wipe Out Kids' Cancer. He also is a volunteer for the national youth initiative administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America. The local chapter of the Baseball Writers of America Association voted Young as recipient of the Harold McKinney "Good Guy Award". Michael and Cristina have one son, Mateo, who will turn 3 years old this summer.

A native of California, Young grew up rooting for a baseball team on the opposite coast: the New York Mets. But his favorite player starred for the other New York team: Don Mattingly of the Yankees. Now that Young is a major leaguer, his favorite ballpark to visit is Fenway Park in Boston.

DID YOU KNOW?

Michael Young represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic.