Any chance that last night's all-star game game-winning triple, MVP performance gets Michael Young the credit he deserves as one of the top players in the game?
Unfortunately, I don't think so either.
It was an exciting conclusion to a rather drab game. But come one year, maybe one month, heck one week from now, people aren't going to remember it. And likely most will forget about Young.
He's buried down there in Texas, and if you are without the MLB Extra Innings package (pity you) you hardly see him play. And now with the unbalanced schedule, he only comes to most parks in the AL once a year. But the people in LA, Seattle and Oakland know about him.
I've liked him for a long time. Might have been the night I saw him hit his first major league homer, in an interleague game at Dodger Stadium. I remember Vin Scully saying it was a nice moment for the young kid in a game close to his childhood home.
Since that time, he's become a run producer in the middle of the Texas order. Last year, he led the AL in hitting and drove in 91 while hitting 24 homers. He finished 11th in the MVP voting. The guys in front of him were mainly deserving, and he does share the spotlight (or did last year) with Mark Teixeira. He has been an all-star the last 3 years, but I'll bet there were a lot of casual baseball fans last night, who were really questioning who this guy was.
Well now he has the All-Star MVP to add to his resume. And the resume continues to grow. He isn't the best player in the game. But there aren't too many position players I'd take over him. Vlad, ARod and maybe Ichiro from the American League. Certainly, Pujols and maybe Derrek Lee or David Wright in the NL. But that's about it. He's just entering those prime years at a top position.
Maybe last night gets him some of the credit he deserves. But somehow I doubt it.
Tags: Major League baseball, Young, All-Star game, Pittsburgh
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