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Nationals first baseman
Dmitri Young is living proof of what a person can do if given a
second chance.
After being released by the
Tigers near the end of the 2006 season -- a year in which he was
going through a divorce, as well as being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes -- Young
has made a remarkable return to the Majors. He is currently the
Nationals' leading hitter with a .340 batting average and .392
on-base percentage.
And now, he is an All-Star.
Young, 33, was selected by
Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa -- his first big-league manager --
to be on the National League squad for the second time in his
career on Sunday, punctuating an already successful season.
Young's first All-Star
selection came in 2003 as a member of the Tigers, but he did not
get a chance to play in that game as the American League edged the
National League, 7-6. Young said he would like to get at least one
at-bat in this year's All-Star Game, which will be played July 10
at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
"This is a great
feeling. I've come full circle and this pretty much made it
official," Young said. "Let this be a lesson to people
who deal with adversity that you never quit. Keep fighting,
believe in the Lord, keep working and day-by-day, you can realize
dreams."
"I never thought [about
being an All-Star]," he added. "I looked at the season
as getting my swing back, being able to go out there and play and
show I had something in the tank. This is a bonus for me. I'm
fortunate. This is my second one. It's definitely rewarding for
everything I've been through. I will continue to work."
Young received the word
early Sunday morning from general manager Jim Bowden, the man who
gave Young a second chance. Bowden acknowledged that he had a tear
in his eye when he told Young the news.
"It was an emotional
phone call. I really care about Dmitri. I'm just so happy for
him," Bowden said. "He did this all by himself and he
turned his life around all by himself. He made the most of his
second opportunity."
Young is planning to take
his parents, three children and high school pal/teammate Robert
Fick to the All-Star festivities.
"I'm so proud of him.
He has turned into a man. He is a great dad, teammate and a great
hitter," Fick said.
The 78th Major League
Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports,
in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised
around the world by Major League Baseball International, with
pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide
exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide
extensive online coverage. XM will provide satellite radio
play-by-play coverage of the XM All-Star Futures Game.
Young thought his career was
over after the 2006 season. His plan was to drive his camper
across the country and watch his siblings, including Devil Rays
outfielder Delmon Young, play sports. But Delmon and his father,
Larry, told him he had too much left in the tank to quit.
The Nationals were the only
team interested in Young. He had a history with Bowden, as the two
worked together when both were with the Reds from 1998-2001.
Bowden wasn't convinced that
Larry Broadway and Travis Lee would provide the consistency with
the bat, so he invited Young to Spring Training. The Nationals
told him there was a no-tolerance policy if Young had problems off
the field again. They would release him the moment he got himself
in trouble.
With Young out of shape, the
Nationals let him work with the top prospects in the accelerated
camp and it was those Minor Leaguers that pumped him up to play
again.
"Those kids down there,
man, they are the future and they brought life back in me,"
Young said. "I was not sure that I still had it. They had
that little profound way to get it out of me. They asked innocent
baseball questions and they made me feel good to answer them. They
just wanted to hear about the big leagues."
Young is playing like a
youngster again. His .423 batting average (63-for-149 ) in his
last 40 games since May 17 leads the Major Leagues and is the
leader in the clubhouse.
"He went through a
lot," first baseman Nick Johnson said. "He is a good
player swing the bat. He hits the ball extremely hard. He has a
great spray chart working."
How long will Young continue
to hit for the Nationals? He is on the trade block and the
Nationals would love to get prospects for him. Young has made it
clear that he wants to stay with the Nationals.
"I was given a chance
over here. I love the guys over here. I love what they are going
to do with the organization. I don't want to go," Young said.
After the fans selected the
starters, the Players' Ballot determined eight reserves and eight
pitchers per league.
The 2003 season marked the
introduction of the Player Ballot to the All-Star selection
process. Each league's players, managers and coaches elect eight
position players and eight pitchers from their league. Catchers
and infielders who finish in the top two at their position on the
Player Ballot, and outfielders among the top six, are assured of
making the All-Star Team. In instances where the winners of the
Player Ballot are also fan-elected starters, the player with the
next highest amount of votes on the Player Ballot makes the
All-Star Team. Eight pitchers -- five starters and three relievers
-- become All-Stars through the Player Ballot. The manager of each
World Series team from the prior season --in this year's case,
Detroit's Jim Leyland and La Russa -- then fills the remaining
slots on their respective teams, ensuring that one player from all
30 clubs is named to the All-Star Game.
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| Dmitri
Young 21 | 1B
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