Not many baseball players put up careers comparable in quality to that of Michael Young. Not many ballplayers get to stick around for more than a decade, compiling hits and runs scored while leadership oozes from every pore in their Good Face. Michael Young was not a perfect player, even at his best. He posted dramatic splits between home and away and created an odd cult of personality during his time in Texas.
That said, damning a player as a creation of his ballpark might be true but when his team extends his contract in such a way as to continue to reap the benefits of that creation, it is hard to fault them – over-payment or otherwise.
After suiting up for the Texas Rangers more than any other player in the history of the franchise, the Michael Young era comes to a close today, as Young agreed to waive his no-trade clause to complete his move to the Philadelphia Phillies. Not quite the storybook ending for long-time heart and soul of the Rangers, as the only Major League club Michael Young has ever known basically just paid the Philadelphia Phillies ten million dollars to make him go away.
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