Chris Young, the former outfielder (and not the former pitcher), is MLB Network’s latest studio analyst. The network announced the hiring on Tuesday.
Young, a first round pick of the White Sox who played in the majors for six different organizations, will make his debut on the Memorial Day edition of MLB Tonight next Monday.
Earlier this month, he did some remote analysis for MLB Network.
.@CY24_7 on what makes a good hitting coach: #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/FTMhMna6H9
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 6, 2021
During his career, Young made the All-Star team in 2010, and finished fourth in 2007 NL Rookie of the Year voting (behind Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, and Hunter Pence, who you may have heard of). After being drafted by the White Sox, he was traded to the Diamondbacks as part of the Javier Vazquez deal, eventually spending seven seasons in Arizona. He followed that up with stints playing for the A’s, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels.
Young is MLB Network’s third addition of the year, following Alanna Rizzo and Yonder Alonso. In something of an odd note, he’s only the second former outfielder in MLB Network’s roster of analysts, joining Cliff Floyd (though Mark DeRosa was a utility guy who played a lot of outfield). Like Alonso, he’s a recent retiree (Young’s last MLB season was 2018, Alonso’s was 2019) and that proximity to today’s game could result in some more insightful takes and thoughtful breakdowns on the air.
