Texas Rangers hire former MLB pitcher Chris Young as GM

The Texas Rangers hired 13-year MLB veteran Chris Young as executive vice president and general manager on Friday.

On Friday, the Texas Rangers announced the hiring of former MLB pitcher Chris Young as the club’s newest executive vice president and general manager. Young will work closely with Jon Daniels, the Rangers’ president of baseball operations.

The 41-year-old Young brings an impressive resume to the Rangers front office. Of course, Young spent 13 years in the big leagues pitching for five different franchises including the Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, and most recently the Kansas City Royals.

Young hails from Dallas, Texas, and excelled as a two-sport athlete in high school. The 6-foot-10 athlete went on to play both baseball and basketball for two years at Princeton University.

Following his 13-year stint in the MLB, Young went on to work as the league’s senior vice president of on-field operations since May of 2018. According to The Associated Press, he worked closely with the Rangers on baseball issues related to the construction of Globe Life Field. To note, Globe Life Field opened this past season and played host to the 2020 NLDS, NLCS, and World Series.

“As a Dallas native who grew up rooting for the Rangers, I recognize what a special opportunity this is and how much the Rangers mean to this community,” said Young.

While both the opening of Globe Life Field and the hiring of Young fuel excitement, the Rangers still find themselves in the middle of a full rebuild. Texas finished dead last in the AL West last season with a 22-38 record.

The Rangers finished with the worst offense in the AL, averaging 3.73 runs scored per game. It wasn’t much better on the mound, either. Texas ranked 23rd in team ERA (5.02) and 21st in WHIP (1.384).

Despite a subpar year last season, the Rangers display some talented pieces. Isiah Kiner-Falefa wowed fans with his gold glove performance at third base, before the Rangers announced he would potentially move over to shortstop. This probably signals the beginning of the end for Elvis Andrus.

Another Rangers’ mainstay is Joey Gallo, who also took home a gold glove at first base last season. While Gallo hit only .181, he launched 10 home runs and a .378 slugging percentage.

One interesting note about Young joining the Rangers’ front office? The 6-foot-10 righty faced three current Rangers during his 13-year career: Andrus, Rougned Odor, and Gallo. Young only allowed one hit, a home run to Andrus, in 13 at-bats.