Chris Young

Christopher Ryan Young (born May 25, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current president of baseball operations of the Texas Rangers, serving in the team's front office since 2020. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from to for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and the Kansas City Royals. Young was a 2007 National League (NL) All-Star player as a member of the Padres, and was a member of the 2015 World Series winning Kansas City Royals team. After his playing career, he worked for the Major League Baseball front office before becoming the general manager of the Rangers in 2020, and promoted to his current position in November 2024.

At the age of 25, Young made his MLB debut on August 24, 2004 with the Rangers. He had previously excelled in basketball and baseball at Highland Park High School in University Park, Texas, and Princeton University.

Young helped Highland Park reach the Class 4A Region II basketball final in 1997 and the Class 4A Texas state basketball final in 1998. He tossed a no-hitter in 1997 while compiling a 6–0 record, helping Highland Park reach the Class 4A Texas state baseball final. During his senior year, he was District Most Valuable Player in basketball, and led his baseball team to the state championship, while pitching in two no-hitters. That year, he was a first-team All-State selection in basketball and baseball. After a high school career as an athlete and scholar, Young excelled in both baseball and basketball for Princeton University and became the Ivy League's first male two-sport Rookie of the Year.

Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the June 2000 draft, he had brief professional experiences in the Pirates, Montreal Expos, and Texas Rangers minor league systems before debuting with the Rangers in August 2004. Young's professional baseball career took off in the 2006 season, when he was the major league leader in opponent batting average, hits per nine innings and road earned run average (ERA) and was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June. Additionally, he extended his streak of consecutive undefeated games started as a visiting pitcher to 24, and secured the only Padres win in the team's 3–1 series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 National League Division Series. In 2007, he defended his opponent batting average and hits per nine innings titles, but instead of winning the road ERA title he won the home ERA title.

He is , which makes him, along with former pitchers Eric Hillman, Randy Johnson, Andrew Brackman and Andrew Sisco, the second tallest player in baseball history, next to relief pitcher Jon Rauch (who is and Young's teammate on the 2012 New York Mets) and Sean Hjelle. He was elected to the 2007 MLB All-Star Game as a first-time All-Star via the All-Star Final Vote.

Early life Christopher Ryan Young was born on May 25, 1979, in Midland, Texas. Young attended Highland Park High School in University Park, Texas, where he played basketball and baseball. As a junior, his presence was significant enough that one opposing team practiced with a coach holding a broom in the air to simulate playing against him. He helped his team reach the Class 4A-state Region II final. As a junior in baseball, Young threw a no-hitter against McKinney High School in Spring 1997. However, he missed a large part of the season after getting off to a 6–0 start because of a stress fracture in his foot. Nonetheless, he was already considered a top professional prospect, and he was named as one of seven Highland Park players on the all-district team. By the summer of 1997, he was able to play for the Dallas Mustangs who were the defending national champions in the Connie Mack World Series, and he earned the win in the fifth place game of the World Series.

By January of Young's senior season, he had led his basketball team to a district-leading 23–1 (4–0 in district) record and first place in both The Dallas Morning News''' Class 4A area poll and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' state poll. Young developed a reputation as a finesse post player, and that season he led his team to the UIL State Tournament championship game. Highland Park lost to Houston's Waltrip High School and Young was credited with a tournament-high 18 rebounds by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, although The Dallas Morning News'' only credited him with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Young finished his senior season as a Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' first-team All-State selection and the District 9-4A Most Valuable Player. He was later chosen to play in the mid-summer Texas High School Coaches Association's Southwestern All-Star basketball game at the Hofheinz Pavilion.

Young announced he planned to attend Princeton in May 1998. He chose Princeton over Boston College, University of Oklahoma, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University. Young's decision was based on Princeton's rising national profile in basketball and the opportunity to work with baseball coach Scott Bradley, who had played catcher for the Seattle Mariners while 6–10 pitcher Randy Johnson was with the team.

On May 9, 1998, Young was involved in a combined no-hitter when he pitched into the fifth inning against Moisés E. Molina High School and was relieved by Mike Matthews. Highland Park won this game, which was the clinching Region II best-of-3 bi-district series game, by the 10-run rule. Young displayed home run power as a senior, and in some games, he played designated hitter. Later that month, Young pitched another no-hitter in another 10-run rule victory, this time against Carthage High School. Young was the starting pitcher at UFCU Disch-Falk Field during the Texas state 4A championship game victory against Calallen High School, and he clinched the game with a successful pickoff move. He was selected to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association 1998 All-State baseball team as well as The Texas Sports Writers Association third-team Class 4A all-state baseball.

College career In his freshman season at Princeton University, Young was the first male athlete to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in two sports—basketball and baseball—and was a unanimous selection for both awards. In addition, Young was named second-team All-Ivy in basketball and was basketball Rookie of the Week each of the final six weeks and seven weeks overall. He posted a season-high 24 points in a National Invitation Tournament win against the NC State Wolfpack. In baseball, Young led Princeton and the Ivy League with a 2.38 ERA. During this performance he allowed only one home run over the course of 150 batters faced, and was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Young had the highest rebounding average of any Princeton player since 1978 and was also the 13th player in school history to record 100 assists in a season. His best game performances included a 20-point game on the road against the 11th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, a career-high 30 points against Harvard, and a school record of nine blocked shots against the Ohio Bobcats.

During his sophomore baseball season in 2000, Young was the Ivy League's leading pitcher with a 1.82 ERA overall and a 1.05 figure in conference games.

Young was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 2000 MLB draft and signed a $1.65 million contract with Pittsburgh on September 6 after holding out until he gained assurances that he would be able to complete his collegiate education. He completed his degree at Princeton in politics in June 2002, during his stint in Minor League Baseball. Young was also offered a two-year guaranteed contract to play basketball for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association in 2002 by fellow Princeton alum and Kings president Geoff Petrie. He was signed to a deal on September 6. After a few years of minor league service, he was traded to the Montreal Expos' organization. The Expos traded him to the Texas Rangers, for whom he eventually made his major league debut. After less than two seasons with the Rangers, he was traded to the San Diego Padres. In 2002, Young helped the Crawdads to the league title with an 11–9 record and 3.11 ERA in 26 starts. Young earned decisions in fifteen straight starts from April 16 and July 4. He allowed more than three earned runs in just two of 26 starts. Opposing batters batted .234. He was traded to the Montreal Expos with Jon Searles for pitcher Matt Herges after the season. Young began the 2003 season on the disabled list before joining the Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League towards the end of April. He posted a 5–2 record with a 1.62 ERA, and held opposing batters to a .150 batting average in eight starts. This capped a 3–0, 0.47 ERA start to the season. He was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Texas Rangers organization on April 3, 2004, in a preseason deal along with Josh McKinley for Einar Díaz and Justin Echols. He struck out a season-high eight batters on May 9 against El Paso.

Young was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks of the Pacific Coast League in late July and went a perfect 3–0 with a 1.48 ERA in five starts. He was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for August 16 to 22 after his last start on August 18 against the Memphis Redbirds. Young took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his second Triple-A start on August 2 against the Sacramento River Cats.

Texas Rangers (2004–2005) 2004 Young debuted with the Rangers on August 24, 2004, against the Minnesota Twins. He pitched innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs, while striking out four and walking three batters. Young exited the game trailing 3–0, but was rescued by a comeback walk-off 5–4 win.

This debut made Young the first Princeton baseball player to start a major league game at any position since Dave Sisler (son of Hall of Famer George Sisler and brother of Dick Sisler) gave up six earned runs in just over four innings on August 27, 1961, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Other Princeton baseball players who have recorded either 50 innings pitched or 130 at bats (the requirements to qualify for Rookie of the Year) in the major leagues are Moe Berg, Homer Hillebrand, King Lear, Dutch Meier, Dutch Sterrett, and Bobby Vaughn. Young has been joined in the major leagues by Princetonian Ross Ohlendorf who debuted for the New York Yankees on September 11, 2007. Another Princetonian, Tim Lahey, was on the Philadelphia Phillies roster from the team's Opening Day on March 31, 2008, until April 5, 2008, without making an appearance.

The debut, which occurred in a home game at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, served as a homecoming for Young who grew up in nearby Dallas, Texas and went to Highland Park High School. Three other current and previous pitchers—Randy Johnson, Andrew Sisco and Eric Hillman —are also . He became the tallest pitcher in Rangers history, surpassing the right-handed pitcher Mike Smithson. His first win came in his third start on September 4 against the Boston Red Sox. His fifth start was a six-inning performance in a 1–0 win against the Anaheim Angels on September 19. This was the first Ranger 1–0 victory since August 25, 2000 against the Toronto Blue Jays, a stretch of 669 games. He made 31 starts in 2005 with the Rangers, compiling a 12–7 record with a 4.26 ERA. However, over the course of 11 starts from April 17 – June 13, he lowered his ERA to a season-low 2.78 by going 6–2, 2.18 in innings pitched over that stretch. He had subsequent hot and cold streaks, with a record of 2–4 and a 9.07 ERA in nine starts from June 20 – August 2, followed by a 2.53 ERA over his final nine starts. Young recorded a personal-best eight strikeouts in a seven-inning no-decision on June 2 at Detroit. The closest Young came to a no-hitter was innings of hitless pitching in a road game against the Houston Astros on June 25 before allowing a Craig Biggio single in the sixth inning. Over the course of the season, Young was the beneficiary of the second-highest run support in the majors, trailing only David Wells of the Boston Red Sox. 2006 marked Young's breakout season. His ERA continued its downward trend, falling to 3.46 over 31 starts, good enough for sixth best in the National League, and he recorded a career-high 169 strikeouts. He finished with an 11–5 record, allowed a league-leading 6.72 hits per 9 innings pitched, and a .206 opponent batting average. During 2006 he led the majors in stolen bases allowed, with 41. During the season, Young won a National League Pitcher of the Month award, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning or beyond three times, and extended his undefeated road start streak to 24 games. Nonetheless, his strong June performance – during which he allowed 16 hits and 13 walks over innings, maintained a 1.17 ERA and struck out 34 – earned him the National League Pitcher of the Month award.

On September 22, Young had a no-hitter through innings of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates before pinch hitter Joe Randa hit a two-run home run. This would have been the first no-hitter in Padres history. Young had been on pace for a perfect game through innings. Young also took a no-hitter into the eighth inning on May 30 against the Colorado Rockies as a prelude to his June performance. During Young's next start on June 4 at Pittsburgh, he did not allow a hit for the first innings, making him one of only two pitchers (Steve Trachsel – June 20–25, 2002) to have consecutive starts with at least five hitless innings since the 2000 season.

He ended the season by winning his first career postseason start; on October 7, he earned a 3–1 victory in Game 3 of the 2006 National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched shutout innings, struck out nine, walked two and allowed four hits.

In November, he traveled to Japan to take part in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series. Young was the starter in an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, which was memorable for the major leaguers' three-run ninth-inning rally to earn a tie. This game was the prelude to the five-game series which began with three games at the Tokyo Dome and was followed by games in Osaka and Fukuoka. Young pitched the fourth game of the series. Young also blogged on behalf of mlb.com about daily life during the trip. He detailed visits with United States Ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer, time in the Harajuku, and travels on the Bullet Train. The game marked Young's 25th consecutive road start without a loss. The last of the nine other pitchers to go 20 consecutive road starts without a loss was Greg Maddux who went 22 starts without a loss during 1997 and 1998. Young's streak began on June 25, 2005.

On June 16, Young threw a pitch that hit Chicago Cubs All-Star first baseman Derrek Lee on the back of the upper left arm. The day before the fracas, Alfonso Soriano homered off David Wells, and the Padres believed Soriano showed poor sportsmanship by admiring and celebrating his home run. When the Lee began walking towards first base, both he and Young, , exchanged words, and a bench-clearing altercation ensued. Young and Lee appealed their suspensions, which were to begin the following day. At the time of the scuffle in the fourth inning, both pitchers were working on no-hitters. Young was ejected in the game, and he earned a no-decision in the game which the Padres ultimately won 1–0.

On June 24, Jake Peavy surrendered three earned runs in five innings, which caused his ERA to rise from 1.98 to 2.14. This gave Young, who had a 2.08 ERA, the National League-leading average for one day. The next day, Brad Penny allowed only one earned run over eight innings to take the lead with a 2.04 ERA.

On July 1, Young was nominated as a candidate for the All-Star Final Vote, contending against Tom Gorzelanny, Roy Oswalt, Brandon Webb and Carlos Zambrano. In a bid for the final spot on July 4, Young posted seven scoreless innings in a 1–0 victory over the Florida Marlins to not only retake the National League ERA lead, but also assume the major league lead over Brad Penny by a slim margin (1.9968 to 1.9970). The voting ended on July 5, with Young defeating the four opposing pitchers to earn his first career All-Star Game selection.

Young entered the All-Star break with the major league lead in ERA and opponent batting average as well as an undefeated streak extending back to a May 12 loss to the Cardinals. Prior to the announcement of his election, Young dropped his appeal of the five-game suspension. Young served his suspension during the final four games before the All-Star break and the first game afterwards, yet was allowed to play in the All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. In the fifth inning of the 5–4 American League victory for which Young was the losing pitcher, he surrendered the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history to Ichiro Suzuki.

He was placed on the disabled list after he incurred a strained oblique muscle during his July 24 start. On August 9, he was activated off the disabled list to make a scheduled start. He took a 12-start (five-decision) undefeated streak, dating back to a May 12 loss to the Cardinals, Young ended the 2007 season as the major league leader in opponent batting average and hits per nine innings, but also in stolen bases allowed (with 44). He battled injuries late in the season and surrendered the ERA leadership to Jake Peavy in his August 30 start.

2008

Young started the season in the second spot in the Padres rotation between ace Peavy and Maddux. He pitched his first three turns from the second spot in the rotation. On April 18, he missed his turn and Maddux moved into the second spot in the rotation. Young has since been pitching in the third spot in the rotation. The number three spot in the rotation is the only one that was not scheduled to start during the Padres visit to Wrigley Field May 12–15, 2008. Young, thus, did not make a start against the Cubs with whom he had an altercation in 2007. On May 21, 2008, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Young was hit in the face by a line drive from Albert Pujols. Young was sitting on the ground for several minutes but was able to leave the field under his own power as he only sustained a nasal fracture and a laceration on his nose. Later in the same inning, Pujols would also sprain the ankle of Padres catcher Josh Bard while sliding into home plate. Young returned to the mound on July 29 with five shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Young then did not pitch between August 10 and September 1 due to another disabled list stint and returned to the lineup to take the loss in a game where Greg Maddux, who had become a Los Angeles Dodger, earned his 354th victory to tie Roger Clemens for eighth on the all-time list.

Then, on September 7 he came within four outs of perfection when Milwaukee Brewers' Gabe Kapler hit a one-out home run in the eighth inning. He allowed two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five, en route to 10–1 victory at Milwaukee's Miller Park. Young did not get his first perfect game or first no-hitter, but he did end up with the first complete game of his career after 114 starts. Two starts later he hit his first home run as a major league batter. For the 2009 season, he was 4–6 with a 5.21 ERA.

2010 Young pitched six shutout innings in the second game of the season before being pulled with a right shoulder strain. He missed almost the entire season except for three starts near the end of the season, finishing the season 2–0 with a 0.90 ERA. He became a free agent following the season.

New York Mets (2011–2012) 2011 On January 17, 2011, Young signed a contract with the New York Mets worth $1.1 million with the ability to reach up to $4.5 million through incentives. In his first career start with the Mets on April 5, 2011, Young went five and a third innings while striking out seven batters, recording the victory in a 7–1 Mets win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He also went three for three at the plate with two runs batted in against Phillies starter Cole Hamels. In that game, Young became the first Mets pitcher in team history to record two hits in a single inning. Shortly after the start of the season, Young sustained an arm injury which forced him to miss the remainder of the 2011 season on the disabled list. Following the season, he was a free agent.

2012

On March 26, 2012, Young signed on a minor league deal with the Mets. He had recently undergone surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. He spent the first 33 days of the season on the triple A Buffalo Bisons' disabled list before being activated on May 10. Young subsequently made three starts with the single A St. Lucie Mets on May 11, May 16 and 25 before being promoted back to Buffalo on May 27. He compiled a 1–0 record with 3.18 ERA in 17.0 innings during the three starts. The Mets announced on June 4 that they would call Young up to the major league roster on June 5. On June 5, 2012, Young made his return against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park with the Mets, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings in a game that was eventually decided in 12 innings. On June 6 his wife gave birth and he was placed on a paternity leave, which was not intended to interfere with his June 10 scheduled start. The move was for the purpose of freeing up a roster spot during Young's off days under a Major League Baseball rule that allows for a three-day leave. Young made his next start on June 12 against the Tampa Bay Rays, earning his first win in over a year. He became a free agent following the season.

Washington Nationals On February 21, 2013, Young signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals and an invitation to training camp. On March 26, 2013, he was granted his unconditional release by the Nationals after opting out of his contract. He was re-signed by the Nationals on April 4, 2013. He was then assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. He made his season debut on April 23 against Rochester, giving up 6 runs in 4.2 innings. He made 6 additional starts before going on the disabled list with a neck injury on May 28, 2 days after leaving a start against Columbus after the first inning. He made 2 starts at the end of the year in the Gulf Coast League and with Short-Season Auburn before the end of the injury-marred season. In 9 total starts, he went 1–2 with a 6.81 ERA, striking out 21 in 37 innings. After experiencing pain in his shoulder and neck, he had surgery to repair what was diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome. This condition is a nerve problem that puts pressure on a pitcher's shoulder. On November 19, 2013, Young re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league deal. He was released on March 25, 2014.

Seattle Mariners (2014) 2014

On March 27, 2014, Young signed a highly incentivized one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners. Young was scheduled to debut as a starter for the Mariners on April 4. However, the Oakland Coliseum had its first rainout since 1998. As a result, after 159 Major League starts and 102 Minor League starts, Young made his first appearance as a relief pitcher (other than the 2007 All-Star Game) and he pitched two shutout innings on April 6 against the Oakland A's later in that series. He made his first Major League start since September 9, 2012 on April 13 against Oakland. He posted six scoreless innings, while scattering 4 hits and 3 walks. By early June, Young was in the conversation for Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award, with a 5–2 start and 3.27 ERA, according to MLB.com's Adam Lewis. In helping to stabilize a rotation battered by injuries and ineffectual fifth starters, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon praised the right-hander at the time, calling him a "godsend". Young finished the season with a 12–9 record and a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts. His 7.8 hits per nine innings was the sixth in the AL. Following the season, Young was recognized with the Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award, The Sporting News American League Comeback Player of the Year Award, and Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year Award. At the conclusion of the season, Young became a free agent.

Kansas City Royals (2015–2017) 2015

On March 7, 2015, Young signed with the Kansas City Royals. Young entered the season in the long reliever role with the Royals. He appeared in the Royals' sixth game on April 12 against the Los Angeles Angels with two scoreless innings as the Royals started the season 6–0. Young made his first start with the Royals on May 1. He tossed five no-hit innings against the Detroit Tigers. On June 16, Young posted 7 shutout innings and 3 runs batted in against the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming the first Royals pitcher to tally 3 RBI in a game since 1972. After achieving a record of 8–6 with a 3.25 ERA through the end of July, Young was returned to the bullpen on July 31 after posting a 5.11 ERA over a 5-game stretch. On September 27 (one day after his father died), Young made his first start since July 28 and pitched 5 no-hit innings against the Cleveland Indians. On October 20, Young started and pitched 4 2/3 innings in a game 4 victory in the 2015 American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was Young's first postseason start since the 2006 National League Division Series. He earned the win in the October 27 game 1 of the 2015 World Series when he shut down the New York Mets, giving up a walk and no hits while striking out 4 over the final three innings, to help the Royals win 5–4 in 14 innings.

2016 On December 7, 2015, the Royals announced that they had signed Young to a two-year $11.75 million contract with mutual third-year option. After beginning the 2016 season with a record of 1–5 in 7 starts, Young was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm from May 12 to 28. After his DL stint, Young continued to serve the Royals as a swingman out of the bullpen, finishing the season appearing in 34 games, 13 starts. He was 3–9 and registered a 6.19 ERA, his highest ERA over a full season to that point in his career. He was 0–0 with a 7.50 ERA in 14 games.

San Diego Padres On December 29, 2017, Young signed a minor league contract with the Padres. He was released on March 31, 2018.

Post-playing career Major League Baseball Young moved into administration effective May 14, 2018 as the vice president, on-field operations, initiatives & strategy under MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre, reporting directly to senior vice president, on-field operations Peter Woodfork.

In May 2018, Young became an MLB executive when he was promoted to serve as vice president of on-field operations, initiatives and strategy. In February 2020, Young was promoted to senior vice president to replace Joe Torre as the MLB's enforcer of discipline action, such as deciding fines and suspensions. He also oversaw the On-Field Operations and Umpiring Departments. Under Young's general managership, the Rangers slowly became championship contenders culminating in the Rangers winning the 2023 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 5 games.

On September 13, 2024, Young and the Rangers agreed to a multi–year contract extension. In addition, Young was given the additional title of President of Baseball Operations.

Player profile Pitching style Young was not a traditional power pitcher. He was said to be a control pitcher in a power pitcher's body—his pitching style was more like Greg Maddux's than that of five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson, who is the same height as Young. Young was traded three times partly because of the low velocity of his fastball, which was in the 83–87 miles per hour (133.6–140 km/h) range. Young learned how to use precise location to make his fastball effective. He had also been compared to another control pitcher, Jim Palmer, because Young similarly induced popups and fly ball outs with deceptive late movement on his high fastballs. Over 50% of the balls put in play against him were fly balls. Of the flyballs hit off Young in 2007, 3.8% were home runs. while the average was about 11%. Former Ranger pitching coach Orel Hershiser said Young had the ability to throw his fastball to all locations effectively which gave him a chance at success. Hershiser described Young's pitches as sneaky fast because his methodical delivery and size gave him deception. This delivery also left him susceptible to stolen bases due to the relatively long time it took for him to deliver a pitch from the stretch. By 2012, nearly all of his pitches were fastballs or sliders.

Batting Throughout his career, Young had a career .150 batting average, including 31 hits, eight of which were extra base hits (six doubles, one triple, and one home run). He never recorded a stolen base. Only a handful of former Princeton players have hit a major league home run. Before Young's home run in 2008, Moe Berg had been the last Princeton alumnus to hit one (1939).

Personal life Young's wife, Elizabeth Patrick, is the great-granddaughter of Lester Patrick, who was the namesake of the National Hockey League's Patrick Division and the Lester Patrick Trophy. Her father is Dick Patrick, the president of the Washington Capitals and a minority owner. Her brother is Chris Patrick, the team’s general manager. She also graduated from Princeton in 2002 and attended law school in Washington, D.C.