Gerald Young

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=#95322c
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Gerald Young
position=Outfielder
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1964|10|22
debutdate=July 8
debutyear=1987
debutteam=Houston Astros
finaldate=August 11
finalyear=1994
finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
stat1label=Batting Average
stat1value=.246
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=446
stat3label=SB
stat3value=155
teams=
*Houston Astros (by|1987-by|1992)
*Colorado Rockies (by|1993)
*St. Louis Cardinals (by|1994)
highlights=
*2nd in the NL in stolen bases in 1988 with 65

Gerald Anthony Young (born October 22, 1964, in Tela, Honduras) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He was noted for his long strides and blazing speed, and although considered somewhat of a "hot dog" because of what appeared to be a lackadaisical style (including unnecessary basket catches), he was an excellent defensive center fielder.

Young was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft by the New York Mets along with Rafael Palmeiro and Dwight Gooden as part of a draft class that set a major league record for a single team when 12 of those players reached the major leagues.

Young would be traded to, and eventually make his Major League Baseball debut with the Houston Astros on July 8, 1987. He showed promise by hitting .321 and stealing 26 bases for the Astros, finishing 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing less than half a season with the major league club. Young's best season in the major leagues would come the following year, 1988, when he finished 2nd in the NL with 65 steals. 1989 was disappointment for Young offensively, although he did manage to finish 8th in the league in steals (34) and accomplish a rare defensive feat by recording 412 putouts with only one error and adding 15 outfield assists.

Young would spend the next three seasons splitting time between the Astros, their Triple A affiliate the Tucson Toros, and the disabled list (with an assortment of injuries). Although he was successful at the minor league level, always hitting over .300, his batting statistics for the Astros were abysmal.

At the end of the 1992 season, the Astros granted Young free agency and he signed with, and became an inaugural member of the expansion Colorado Rockies team that began play in Major League Baseball in by|1993.

Young appeared in his final game on August 11, 1994, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was released that October by the Cardinals. In January 1995, Young was charged with Cocaine possession when Houston Police Department officers found a crack pipe with cocaine residue in the vehicle that he was driving. He would never play major league baseball again.

Teams

* Houston Astros: 1987-1992
* Colorado Rockies: 1993
* St. Louis Cardinals: 1994

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/y/youngge02.shtml Gerald Young at "Baseball Reference.com"]
* [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/162287.html Sporting News Archives]
* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/Y/gerald-young.shtml Baseball Cube statistics]
* [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-818103.html Cocaine article, Washington Post]