Michael Young Doesn’t Want to Be Moved From Third Base

With all the hype and talk about the Texas Rangers signing Adrian Beltre, what does Michael Young think about this? Does anyone care? The fans? The Rangers?

Well, apparently, the Rangers must care a little.  According to ESPN, a source claims that the Rangers have actually reached out to the third baseman to find out his thoughts on being moved to another position on the field.

Young’s response?  Well, the 34-year-old would prefer to stay at third base.  Young currently has three years remaining on his contract with $16 million per year salary.

Should the Rangers move Young, it won’t be the first time.  In 2004, the Rangers moved Young to shortstop from second base in order to make room for Alfonso Soriano and then again in 2009 to third base for Elvis Andrus to take his place at shortstop.

The move came shortly after winning a Gold Glove for being the team’s shortstop so of course he was unhappy about the whole ordeal; however, by the time spring training started up, he was content and was determined to focus on improving his skill and capability at third base rather than dwell on the move from shortstop.

So, if Young is moved again –will he remain disappointed or will he get over it and work on improving his skill at his new position? It’s hard to tell to be honest. In fact, I think it might be a good thing for Young to be moved. First base could give Young a lot of potential and allow him to develop skills that third base wouldn’t allow.

More than likely, though, Young would be a utility being able to play all infield positions and could very likely become the designated hitter – after all, they definitely don’t want to lose his bat. I mean, look at his 2010 stats – .284 batting average with 21 homers and 91 RBIs plus an all-time club record for most hits with 1,848 hits. Sure, he may not have that strong power that he needs behind his hits, but it could be developed if he worked hard enough at it during spring training.

Do I think Young should be traded, should this be a true option for the Rangers? No. I think he’s a great player and I think he adds value to the team.

My final thoughts: We don’t even know if the Rangers are going to sign Beltre or not and from the looks of it, even the club officials aren’t very optimistic at this point of signing the free agent third baseman. Beltre would be a great addition to the team, especially defensively, but I also don’t think Young should be traded and that’s that!