Michael Young is flanked by Texas GM Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington as he announces his retirement Friday at Rangers Ballpark.
Longtime Texas infielder Michael Young formally announced his retirement at a press conference last week in Arlington while wearing the uniform of the team for which he played all but one of his 13 big-league seasons.
Like Ivan Rodriguez two years ago, Young decided to return to the Lone Star State and don a Rangers cap as part of his farewell to baseball, ending a solid career which included seven A.L. All-Star appearances, a batting title and two World Series runs.
Young, who was traded to Philadelphia last winter, retires as the Rangers’ all-time leader in several offensive categories, including games (1,823), at-bats (7,399), runs scored (1,085), base hits (2,230), doubles (415) and triples (55).
“He was an ultimate teammate,” manager Ron Washington said. “What that means is that he’s a person that came to the ballpark every single day and performed to the best of his ability within a team concept. That’s exactly what Michael was about.”
Young, 37, received marginal interest on the free-agent market this offseason, and while he could have returned for another year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he ultimately chose to stay home and spend time with his family.
The versatile infielder expressed gratitude Friday toward local fans as well as the Rangers organization, which acquired Young from Toronto as part of a July 2000 deal in exchange for right-hander Esteban Loaiza.
He was the team’s regular second baseman for the next three seasons, then was moved to shortstop when Texas traded Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano prior to the 2004 campaign.
Young switched positions again in 2009 when he transitioned to third base in order to make room for Elvis Andrus at short, and two years later he was asked to shift to a super utility/designated hitter role after the club signed Adrian Beltre and traded for Mike Napoli.
While Young initially balked at the proposed move and requested to be traded, he eventually accepted the new role and helped Texas win its second straight pennant, although the ordeal led to admittedly strained relations between himself and general manager Jon Daniels.
On Friday, Young also discussed the team’s back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and ’11, noting that he still does not feel the best team won the 2011 Fall Classic when Texas was defeated by St. Louis in seven games.
“I mean no disrespect by it, but we were the better team,” he said. “Flat out. I can say that now that I’m retired.”
Bard, Galarraga among Pre-Camp Additions
The Rangers announced Monday that they had signed right-handed pitchers Daniel Bard and Armando Galarraga to minor-league contracts, with Bard getting an invitation to big-league camp in Surprise, Ariz.
Bard is not expected to be ready to throw when spring training begins later this month as he is recovering from surgery to repair Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which limited him to just two games with the Red Sox last season.
For his career, the 28-year-old Bard has made 211 appearances across part of the last five seasons for Boston, posting a record of 10-19 with a 3.67 earned run average and more than two strikeouts per walk in that span.
Galarraga, 32, made his major-league debut with Texas back in 2007 before becoming a footnote to baseball history while pitching for Detroit. In a June 2010 game against Cleveland, Galarraga retired the first 26 batters he faced, but he was denied a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce blew the call on what should have been the final out at first base.
Korean Hurler Yoon Throws for Rangers
Right-handed pitcher Suk-Min Yoon has drawn interest from a handful of MLB clubs this offseason, and the international free agent threw a bullpen session in front of Texas (and Chicago Cubs) brass in Surprise on Tuesday.
Yoon was transitioned from a starter into a reliever following shoulder surgery last season, but the Rangers, who have not yet added an outside pitcher to fill the rotation while Derek Holland rehabilitates from knee surgery, would almost certainly utilize him as a starter.
The 27-year-old Yoon, a Scott Boras, client won the Korean Baseball Organization MVP award in 2011 (as well as the pitching triple crown) with a record of 17-5, a 2.45 ERA and 178 strikeouts for the Kia Tigers.
Nate's Notes 
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