Who is Chris Young? Life and career of Texas Rangers GM explored

Chris Young has been the Texas Rangers’ general manager since 2020. His career on and off the field has been impressive. The current front office executive in Texas has had many positions with various teams as well as with the MLB too. Let’s take a closer look into Young’s career and life:

Young is a former MLB pitcher. Born in 1979 in Dallas, Texas, he excelled in baseball since his high school years, where he also played basketball. He later attended Princeton University, where he continued to play both sports.

Chris Young was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 2000 MLB draft. After several years in the Pirates’ minor league system, he finally made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2004. During his 13-year career, Young played for the likes of San Diego Padres, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals. He was selected for the All-Star game twice and won the World Series with the Royals in 2015.

Young’s MLB career stats are not shy of impressive, having finished with a 94-83 record, a 3.95 ERA in 1565.1 innings pitched and 1062 strikeouts.

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Chris Young’s off-field career

Young was a World Series champion with the 2015 Kansas City Royals

After his MLB retirement, Chris Young joined the MLB office as vice president for on-field operations, where he was responsible for overseeing umpires and other on-field matters. He also worked on improving the pace of play and other initiatives to enhance the sports while making it more appealing to younger fans.

In December 2020, Young was named the general manager of the Texas Rangers, becoming one of the few former players to hold that position. He inherited a team in the midst of a rebuild, and his first piece of business was to trade away several players in exchange for prospects to build the future.

The Texas Rangers have gone on a spending spree this off-season, signing the likes of Jacob DeGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Corey Seager. They now have one of the highest paid rosters in the MLB but are in one of the toughest divisions in the major leagues, with reigning World Series champions Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners and Shohei Ohtani’s LA Angels.

Young's background as a former player and experience working in the league office have given him a unique perspective on the game. As GM of the Rangers, he will be tasked with leading the team back to competitiveness and building a sustainable winning culture.