"That's one of the reasons why I am so adamant I have to play all the time," Young said. "I know what my Dad went through to work and to provide for us. I don't treat my career in the big leagues as a little summer league job. It's something I have to do the way my Dad had something to do when I was growing up."

Mike's Mom, Anna, is Mexican-American, and some of his athleticism no doubt comes from her side of the family. Anna's nephew, Zachary Padilla, was the WBO Jr. Light-Welterweight champion from 1993–94. 

Another cousin, Johnny Chavez, also boxed professionally.

Another cousin, from his Dad's side, Jason Young is a former minor league infielder for the San Francisco Giants.

When Michael was 13 years old, he tried out for a Southern California travel team, but was cut and was stunned. He made the squad a year later. And after the season he wrote a letter to one of the coaches, Bob Lamb, who is the father of Astros' infielder Mike Lamb, a high school teammate of Young's. Michael respectfully pointed out that he should have been on the team a year earlier.

Young is a real clown. He loves movies and he brings up different quotes from movies.

Michael and Blue Jays OF Vernon Wells are very close friends, and so are their wives.

"My wife, Cristina, and Vernon's wife, Charlene are like sisters. Vernon and I, well ... we're very close, we're family."

Midway through 2000, Young was dealt to the Rangers for the redoubtable pitcher Esteban Loaiza. Young called his fiance, his parents, and Wells -- in that order. In May 2001, Young was promoted to the Rangers and lived in Wells' Arlington home. Young accidentally wrecked Wells' coffee table and scraped Wells' Cadillac Escalade with his car.

"Not only did he not charge me a cent for rent," said Young, "all he did was laugh when I told him of the damage."

Michael was named by media folks who follow the Rangers as winner of the 2003 Harold McKinney Good Guy Award for his on-field performance, clubhouse presence, and media accessibility.

FAMILY

Mike's wife's name is Cristina (Barbosa). They were married November 25, 2000. She has known Michael since he was a scrawny 5' 9", 145-pound high school sophomore. Even then, she says that "Mike never had a Plan B. It was always going to be baseball."

Cristina is an Ivy Leaguer who majored in economics and East Asian studies at Columbia.

On June 22, 2005, Mike and Cristina celebrated the birth of their first child, son Mateo Young.

Michael chose the name because "my wife is 100 percent Mexican and I'm half Mexican, so we wanted a name that was 75 percent Mexican." The Dallas Morning News reported on September 30, 2011 that Mike and Cristina named their son after former Rangers OF Ruben Mateo.

Their second child was born in October 2009.

Cristina says her husband is a positive guy to be around. "He's a half full kind of guy. He always sees the positive in people and in situations," she said.

Evan Grant, another writer for the Dallas Morning News, asked Young what his name would be if he were a pro wrestler:

"Delving into both sides of my heritage, Irish and Mexican, I’d be the Pale Matador," Michael said.

Former Rangers Manager Buck Showalter said the Young "is everything that is right about baseball."

Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, a former Rangers bench coach, calls Michael "as good a kid as you'll ever find."

Vernon Wells, who came up through the Blue Jays system with Young, went so far as to name his second child Christian Michael Wells, in honor of his former teammate.

Young's even-keeled nature and dry sense of humor are what drew the equally laid-back Wells to him in Toronto. The two met as minor leaguers, roomed together while in the Florida Instructional League and have remianed tight. They were groomsmen in each other's weddings. (Chris Ballard-Sports Illustrated-5/8/06)

July 19–20, 2007: Michael missed a couple of games to attend the funeral of his wife's grandmother.

In January 2009, Young and the Rangers had a rift. The club announced they were moving Michael to third base, making room for Elvis Andrus at shortstop. Young, who voluntarily moved to shortstop five years before to make room for Alfonso Soriano, was rightfully offended that Jon Daniels gave him no say in the decision and said he would like to be traded.

But after just a few days, and after a few conversations with club president Nolan Ryan, Michael said he would be willing to switch positions.

"He was probably, in my opinion, surprised that it came at this time," Ryan said. "He was probably thinking that it was a decision that would come one or two years later than it did. He didn't anticipate this, especially coming off the year he had as an All-Star and winning the Gold Glove."

Michael is a good person. He cares about everyone whether you are a veteran with 15 years in or a rookie. He's a professional in every sense of the word.

In May 2011, Young's teammate, Mike Napoli, passed out T-shirts to his offensive teammates.

On the front it had the message: "Walk the Dog."

On the back, it said, "Hit like Mike."

The T-shirt was a tribute to Rangers infielder Michael Young, who at the time was third in the American League with a .340 batting average. He was second with 64 hits.

"Walk the dog ... it's a term I've been using since the Minor Leagues," Young said. "It's like ... tough pitch on the outside corner ... stay with it. Anytime in batting practice someone gets a tough pitch and they stick with it, I say, 'Walk the dog.' Napoli just took it and ran with it."

Julio Borbon said "Walk the Dog" means do anything to get a hit.

"Just like Mike, he always finds a way to get a hit," Borbon said. "He's gotten so many hits ... you just find a way to get your knocks, whether it's a line drive or a blooper."

August 23, 2012: Michael's wife, Cristina gave birth to their third son, Antonio.

May 19, 2013:  Michael Young has his first baseman's mitt in his locker every time he goes to the ballpark, but until May 19, it had not had a purpose during a game.  Young had practiced at first base in Spring Training, but had not played there until then. 

"I've used my hand, and banged my fist in [my first baseman's mitt], but that's the most action it's seen," said Young, who had not played first base since October, 2012, when he was with the Rangers.

Michaelhas played every infield position besides pitcher and catcher in his career, but he had only played third base in his time with the Phillies.  Young noted that he told manager Charlie Manuel that he could play first base if needed before the season started. "I'm not concerned about it at all," Young said. "The first two months of the season, third base wasn't an issue, I feel the same about first base."

At the time, in his 14th Major League season, Young had played a lot of baseball and said the most important thing about the quick transition to first base will be to anticipate plays. When asked if he would have any jitters moving to the right side of the infield after a long time away, Young had a simple response.  "I don't get nervous playing baseball," he said.

Young is also a philanthropist. He and his wife are sponsors of the Wipe Out Kids' Cancer campaign. In 2006, Young began the Young Heroes Scholarship Program, and in 2010, the Michael Young Family Hispanic Scholarship Program was established.

In July 2011, Young and his wife announced the launch of the Michael Young Family Foundation, a charity which supports the involvement of children's health in all areas: physical social, mental, and educational.

Young is a two-time winner of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award winning in 2008 and 2011. He is one of only three players who have won multiple times (John Smoltz and Jim Thome).

Young's hobbies include billiards and golf.

August 31, 2013:  "I was totally impressed with Michael Young," Phillies interim manager Ryne Sandberg said when Young was traded to the Dodgers. "The way he came to the ballpark every day and prepared himself, he was was positive, he was all about winning and helping to win a game that day for the Philadelphia Phillies.

"His name was out there for about two months now as a possible guy that might [draw interest] elsewhere. You wouldn't have known that. He was able to separate that and concentrate on what he was doing on the field.  He was a pleasure to have around and one of the leaders on the team."

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said that the downside to Young's moving to another team is that his example for some of the younger players on the team goes with him.

"I'm happy for Michael," Amaro said. "He is one of the most professional people I've ever been around. … The one downside other than [his] not playing for us is that our younger guys can learn a lot from him, and hopefully they did."

One of those younger players, rookie Darin Ruf, said Young was a leader and always looked to help younger players whenever he could.  "Anytime you get a guy like [Young] on your team, you try to watch him as much as you can and talk to him as much as you can," Ruf said. "He was the type of guy to come up to a younger guy like myself or Cody [Asche] and tell us a thing or two about what he thinks we need to do and how he thinks we could prolong our careers. He was just a great teammate to have around."

Michael hasn't played for the Rangers since 2012, but his presence is still felt on the team.  "No doubt," third baseman Adrian Beltre said. "Sometimes when you get to a team, you really know there is a leader on the team who has everything under control and everybody follows. We still follow the rules that Mike put in place here. When he comes in here, he is still one of the guys."

The Rangers are inducting Young into their Hall of Fame on July 30 before hosting the Royals.  A seven-time All-Star, Young played for the Rangers from 2000-12 and earned the club's Player of the Year Award five times. He won the American League batting title in 2005, the Most Valuable Player Award in the 2006 All-Star Game and the AL Gold Glove Award at shortstop in 2008.

"It means a lot," Young said. "Obviously nowadays it's rare that a player spends as much time with a team but it was a great time for me ... reaching new heights. To be in one place like that for a long time and have the relationship with the fans, it's very special."  

"[On the Rangers] We had a lot of good leaders," Young said. "There were a lot of guys wired right who showed up ready to roll. We expected to kick the tails of the other team. It was a good vibe to have. So many guys were great friends and wired the same way I was. It was a good feeling."  

Young said there were many great moments from his time in Texas, but going to the 2010 World Series was at the top of the list.  "That wasn't our best team," Young said. "Our best team was in 2011, but that whole season. ... I never saw so many red and blue hats all over town like that. To be in the middle of that was a lot of fun."  

Young retired after spending '13 with the Phillies and Dodgers. He is back now with the Rangers as a special assistant. He said he doesn't have the time to be a coach or think about managing, but he loves what he is doing.

"This gig has been great," Young said. "I feel I have a valuable role in the organization. I still communicate with the guys on the team and I have a mentorship role with the guys in the Minor Leagues. I love it."  (Sullivan - MLB.com - 6/3/16)

TRANSACTIONS

June 1997: Young was drafted by the Blue Jays in the fifth round, out of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

July 2000: The Rangers sent P Esteban Loaiza to the Blue Jays to acquire Mike and P Darwin Cubillan.

April 5, 2004: Young signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Rangers.

March 1, 2007: Michael signed a five-year, $80 million contract extension, that actually keeps him in Texas through 2013. He was already signed for $3.5 million for 2007, and the club picked up his $5 million option for 2008. Texas then added five more years at $16 million per season.

In addition, Young received complete no-trade protection through 2009. In 2010 and for the first two months of 2011, the club will receive a list of eight clubs to which Young would accept a trade. In early 2011, Young would gain the right to veto any trade under the "10-and-5" clause of the collective bargaining agreement, which protects players with 10 years of service and the last five consecutive with one club.

December 8, 2012: The Phillies sent RHP Josh Lindblom and RHP Lisalverto Bonilla to the Rangers, acquiring Young.

Michael left the Rangers as the franchise's all-time hits leader with 2,230, breaking Pudge Rodriguez's mark in June, 2010. He also tops the club's career numbers in games played (1,823), at-bats (7,399), runs (1,085), singles (1,583), doubles (415), triples (55), total bases (3,286), multihit games (651), strikeouts (1,152) and sacrifice flies (70).

September 1, 2013: The Dodgers sent LHP Rob Rasmussen to the Phillies, acquiring Young.

When Young joined the Rangers he worked with coach Rudy Jaramillo, adding a toe tap, which helps Michael stay back, establish a rhythm, and increasing his power.

"Michael is a great student of hitting and very coachable," Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo said in 2005. "He's a smart kid with a strong work ethic. Whether he's in the batting cage or the video room, he is always striving to get better. You have to love his approach and how he goes about his business every day."

In 2006, Young became just the 26th player since 1903 to accumulate at least 200 hits, 50 doubles, and 100 RBIs in a season. It was last done by Albert Pujols in 2003, but two of Young's former double-play partners also accomplished it with other teams. Alfonso Soriano did it with the Yankees in 2002 and Alex Rodriguez did it with the Seattle Mariners in 1996.

Ten members of the Hall of Fame also accomplished it, including twice by Joe Medwick and Charlie Gehringer. The others were Frank Robinson, Stan Musial, George Kell, Tris Speaker, Harry Heilmann, Chuck Klein, KiKi Cuyler, and Lou Gehrig.

"That right there means a lot to me," Young said. "I'm a huge fan of the game. I appreciate the history. When you're talking about Hall of Famers, you're talking about great individual players who were usually great teammates and had longevity. That's what means a lot to me—playing at a high level for a long period of time. In my mind, my career is only getting started."

In June 2010, Young passed the Texas Rangers' all-time hits leader, Ivan Rodriguez, and Michael now holds that title. He also has the most triples in Rangers history, passing Ruben Sierra with 45 career triples later in June 2010.

Entering the 2014 season, Young had a career batting average of .300. He had 185 home runs and 1,030 RBI in 7,918 at-bats.

June 19, 2013 --Michael Young drove in his 1,000th RBI.

"It's not an easy thing to play shortstop in the Major Leagues," Rangers infield coach Steve Smith said. "Even though Michael had played it in the past, it has been a few years. Michael is one of the few people who could make that change in the manner that he has."

Smith said Young had to break one habit while making the transition in spring training. "At second base, you can lay back on some balls, but at shortstop, you have to be more aggressive," Smith said. "Once he had confidence in that, everything else seemed to be fine. You can't just rely on your arm. You have to use your feet. His footwork has become very good."

Overall, Young gets to less balls than almost any shortstop in the Major Leagues. He tends to play to far to his right. And that also keeps him from taking full advantage of his great arm.

In 2008, Young was awarded his first Rawlings Gold Glove. He played shortstop that year.