Matthew Earl Young (born October 3, 1982) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. Prior to playing professionally, Young attended

Plano East Senior High School Plano East Senior High School (commonly known as East, Plano East, or PESH) is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas, serving grades nine through 12. It is part of the Plano Independent School District. Students at Plano East attended one of ...

and the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

Amateur career

In 2002, as a freshman at the

, Young hit .385 with 17 stolen bases in 55 games, and was named the school's 2002 Male Athlete of the Year. In 2003, he hit .327 with 10 stolen bases in 56 games. In 2004, he hit .381 with 16 stolen bases in 56 games. Before he could return to UNM for his senior year, Young was signed by the Braves.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

In his first professional season, Young played for the

Rome Braves The Rome Emperors are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2023, the team wa ...

and hit .312 with six home runs, 52 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 114 games. The following season, he hit .274 with two home runs, 58 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases in 131 games between the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of the National League in Major League Baseball. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games a ...

and

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

. He played for the Pelicans and Mississippi Braves again in , hitting a combined .269 with one home runs, 33 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 98 games. With Mississippi again in , Young hit .289 with three home runs, 50 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 135 games. On June 27, 2008, he went 4-5, and set a new Southern League record of 11 consecutive hits. The previous mark of 10 consecutive hits had stood for 32 years. The Mississippi Braves won the Southern League Championship in 2008, and Young followed that by hitting .370 (40-for-108) with 10 doubles, three triples, one home run, and 24 RBIs in 29 games for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. Young split between Mississippi and the

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

, hitting a combined .284 with five home runs, 36 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases in 137 games. He also earned his 2nd consecutive Southern League "Best Hustler" award. With Gwinnett in , Young hit .300 with three home runs, 35 RBIs and 39 stolen bases in 134 games. On March 27, after performing well in the

Spring Training camp, Young was informed that he had made one of the final bench spots on the major league club, placing him on the 25-man roster. In the third game of the season, Young made his Major-league debut, pinch-running for

Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall p ...

and scoring a run.

Detroit Tigers

On January 22, , Young signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He began the year with the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. On June 3, the Tigers selected Young's contract, adding him to their active roster. In five appearances for Detroit, he went 1-for-10 (.100) with one RBI. Young was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

following the promotion of Darin Downs on July 3. Young was released by Detroit on August 10.

St. Louis Cardinals

On August 17, 2012, Young signed a minor league contract with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. In 13 appearances for the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

, he batted .442/.478/.488 with five RBI and two stolen bases. Young elected free agency following the season on November 2.

Los Angeles Angels

On November 20, 2012, Young signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

. In 41 appearances for the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

, he slashed .208/.327/.300 with two home runs, 13 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Young was released by the Angels organization on June 26, 2013.

Piratas de Campeche

On July 2, 2013, Young signed with the

Piratas de Campeche The Piratas de Campeche (English: Campeche Pirates) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. History In 1980, the Alacranes de Durango moved to Campeche, and played their home games at Ven ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 22 appearances for the Piratas, Young batted .286/.343/.407 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and five stolen bases.

Coaching career

In 2019, Young was hired by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

organization as a

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Matt 1982 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Temple, Texas Detroit Tigers players Gwinnett Braves players Major League Baseball outfielders Mat-Su Miners players Memphis Redbirds players Mexican League baseball center fielders Mississippi Braves players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players New Mexico Lobos baseball players Piratas de Campeche players Plano East Senior High School alumni Rome Braves players Salt Lake Bees players Toledo Mud Hens players