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Texas Rangers: Michael Young, MLB’s forgotten star of the 2000s

By Wayne Cavadi

Jul 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Former Ranger Michael Young is inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame before the game between the Rangers and the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeat the Royals 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Former Ranger Michael Young is inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame before the game between the Rangers and the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeat the Royals 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michael Young holds nearly every Texas Rangers record in the offensive stat book. Yet for some reason, he is often overlooked when discussing stars of the 2000s.

I was recently in Dallas covering the DII Baseball Championship. One of the nights, the skies opened and the day game was cancelled. Luckily, the rains cleared and I was able to see Dallas Keuchel and Yu Darvish duel at Globe Life Park.

I saw a lot of great things at that game. Adrian Beltre got two more hits on his road to 3,000. Carlos Correa launched an early three-run bomb. Keuchel went six strong to continue his undefeated season.

And then there was the Hall of Fame in the outfield pavilion.

Ted Williams and Nellie Fox from their coaching days. Nolan Ryan. Rafael Palmeiro. Toby Harrah. Billy Martin. Michael Young.

Whoa. How did I forget about Michael Young?

That’s when it dawned on me that Michael Young may be the most underappreciated star of the first decade of the 2000s.

Young is arguably the greatest Rangers player to ever suit up, and that’s including the Washington Senators era. He’s the franchise’s leader in nearly every statistical category including hits (2,230), runs (1,085), doubles (415), triples (55) and total bases (3,286). Young was as steady as they come.

Perhaps that was his problem. When the Rangers needed a shortstop, he switched from second to short. When they needed a third baseman, he once again switched positions. By the tail end of his career, he was playing first base and DH. Instead of becoming the best second baseman (or whatever position you choose) for any period of his career, he simply became a highly reliable infielder.

Another problem that Young ran into? He was often overshadowed. It wasn’t simply better players than Young that got his name lost in the crowd. It was some of baseball’s biggest weapons. Take Young’s first 200-hit season, for example. That lineup featured a young rookie name Mark Teixeira, the best shortstop in baseball named Alex Rodriguez and two MVP-caliber veterans in Juan Gonzalez and Palmeiro.

Young? He quietly hit .306 that season, with 204 hits. It was the first of five straight seasons eclipsing the 200-hit mark.

Think about that. Young had 1,059 hits in five seasons. That’s a career for some people. Except when Young was ringing up 200-hit season after 200-hit season, Ichiro was stealing the show as the hit king.

A few years later, Young became the veteran leader of the back-to-back American League champions. Now at third base after yet another position switch, Young was once again overshadowed by the league MVP in Josh Hamilton, and former MVP Vlad Guerrero was having a comeback season for the ages.

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Young had a 2011 to remember at the ripe age of 34. He registered his sixth 200-hit season, leading the majors with 213. He slashed .338/.380/.474 one year after posting career lows and hearing the murmurs that he was getting old. Young also drove in a career-best 106 runs while striking out 78 times in 689 at bats.

Young was traded twice in his final season, splitting time between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. His numbers weren’t bad, but nowhere near the level at which Young had become known.

Here’s the ultimate kicker. Young played 14 seasons. That means everyone in the 3,000 hit club played at least four more seasons than Young. Twenty-five of the 30 members played more than 20 seasons, some barely holding on at the end of their Hall of Fame runs.

Sure, it’s a big hypothetical, but Young is a guy who got 145 hits at age 36 in his “worst” year. It isn’t out of the question that a few more years helps him change his legacy.

Next: Griffey, Jr. and Biggio go in same round 30 years ago

I’m not here to tell you Michael Young is a Hall of Famer. I’m not here to tell you Michael Young is one of the all-time greats. But in an era marred with blemishes, Young was a model of consistency, putting up some of the best numbers in the game for a long stretch of time.

If the cliched Hall of Very Good does indeed exist, I hope Young is the president.

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