This is the first big league coaching role for Young, who spent the 2021 season on the coaching staff of the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma.  The 36-year-old is only two years removed from the end of his playing career, as Young played with Triple-A Tacoma and in the Mexican League in 2019.  He was set to return to the Mexican League in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the pandemic.

Young is a veteran of 10 MLB seasons, spending the bulk of his career with the Rockies (313 games from 2009-13) and the Mets (209 games in two separate stints).  While he had only a couple of above-average seasons at the plate, Young was a feared baserunner in his prime, including a 2013 season that saw him lead the National League with 46 stolen bases.

2013 was also Young’s only season as a true everyday player, as he spent much of his career as a part-timer capable of providing speed off the bench and filling in at all three outfield positions, as well as second base early in his career.  Given this track record, it is probably safe to assume that Young will also assume some responsibilities as a baserunning and/or outfield coach in D.C.  Those roles were previously filled by Knorr and former third base coach Bob Henley.

The third base coaching job is the last vacancy remaining on the Nationals’ staff, with Young now in the fold to replace Knorr.  The Nats already made a switch at hitting coach, hiring Darnell Coles after Kevin Long left to assume hitting coach duties with the Phillies.

The speedy Young entered 2019 having logged major league action in each season since he made his debut in 2009. But the 34-year-old never reached the bigs with the Mariners, instead struggling through a nightmarish stint in Tacoma. Young only managed a .236/.296/.362 line, good for a 57 wRC+, with two home runs and three stolen bases in 142 plate appearances before exiting the Rainiers’ roster. Historically, however, Young has been a solid contributor in Triple-A ball. He’s a .289/.371/.413 hitter with 29 HRs and 167 steals across 2,480 PA at that level.

Young has amassed just under 2,000 PA in the majors, where he has combined for 1,926 with the Rockies, Mets, Braves, Yankees and Angels. He has batted .245/.312/.332 with 13 homers and 162 steals in MLB.

Young batted .323/.462/.452 with a homer, a double and a pair of stolen bases through 39 plate appearances in a strong spring showing for the Orioles but was nonetheless left off the Opening Day roster. He’s spent the past two seasons with the Angels, batting a combined .233/.293/.361 with five long balls, nine doubles, a pair of triples and 17 steals over the life of 242 PAs. Statcast shows that even as he enters his mid-30s, Young can still flat-out fly around the bases. His 29.0 ft/sec average sprint speed ranked in the 91st percentile of big leaguers a year ago.

The Mariners’ outfield is set with Domingo Santana in left field, Mallex Smith in center field and Mitch Haniger in right field. Jay Bruce, currently slotted in at first base, figures to still see some time on the outfield grass in 2019 as well. Seattle’s primary 40-man option for a reserve center fielder is Braden Bishop, who made his MLB debut in the second of two season-opening games in Tokyo, so it’s possible that Young could eventually work his way up to the big league level with a solid showing in Triple-A Tacoma. Should that eventually play out, he’d give Seattle three of the league’s fastest players alongside Smith and Dee Gordon.

In parts of 10 MLB seasons split between the Mets, Rockies, Angels and Yankees, Young is a .245/.312/.332 hitter with 13 homers, 67 doubles, 22 triples and 162 stolen bases.

Young, now 33 years old, enjoyed a strong spring with the O’s, hitting .323/.462/.452 with a homer, a double and a pair of stolen bases. With Young no longer in the mix, the O’s will go with Trey Mancini in left field, Cedric Mullins in center and a combination of Joey Rickard and Dwight Smith Jr. in the outfield.

Young spent the 2017-18 seasons with the Angels but, after a solid run in 2017, saw his offensive output crater in 2018. Overall, he hit a combined .233/.293/.361 with five homers, nine doubles, a pair of triples and 17 steals through 242 plate appearances with the Halos. Young paced the National League with 46 stolen bases back in 2013 as a member of the Rockies, and he doesn’t look to have lost much of a step, as his sprint speed of 29.0 feet per second (via Statcast) still ranked in the 91st percentile of big leaguers last season.

YESTERDAY: The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Eric Young Jr. and invited him to Major League Spring Training, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (via Twitter).

Young, now 33 years old, spent the 2017-18 seasons with the Angels but, after a solid run in 2017, saw his offensive output crater in 2018. Overall, he hit a combined .233/.293/.361 with five homers, nine doubles, a pair of triples and 17 steals through 242 plate appearances with the Halos. Young paced the National League with 46 stolen bases back in 2013 as a member of the Rockies, and he doesn’t look to have lost much of a step, as his sprint speed of 29.0 feet per second (via Statcast) still ranked in the 91st percentile of big leaguers.

Baltimore currently projects to have Trey Mancini, Cedric Mullins and DJ Stewart line up as the primary outfielders, with Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Austin Hays, Anthony Santander and Rule 5 pick Drew Jackson all potentially factoring into the mix as well. Young, though, would bring an element of speed to the O’s that is largely lacking outside of Mullins and infielder Jonathan Villar, so perhaps that’ll hold some appeal to the Orioles’ new leadership as Young vies for a bench job this spring.

More from the majors’ two West divisions:

• When Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery a year ago, general manager Billy Eppler was unwilling to rule him out for all of 2017. Now, there’s a good chance Heaney will indeed take the hill this season, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Heaney threw a 90-pitch simulated game Saturday and could embark on a rehab assignment later this month, and manager Mike Scioscia believes the 28-year-old has made “remarkable” progress. “I would say that his rehab has gone as well as you could hope for,” Scioscia said. “For him to throw the ball the way he did this afternoon, on the one-year anniversary of his surgery, is incredible. It’s very promising where he is.”
• Mike Trout’s return from the disabled list later this month could create a dilemma for the Angels, who might have to decide between fellow outfielders Ben Revere and Eric Young Jr., writes DiGiovanna. Revere is the far pricier player, raking in $4MM to Young’s minimal salary; however, Young has slashed .275/.353/.418 with three home runs and 11 steals in 104 plate appearances to trump Revere’s output (.223/.237/.311, one homer, five steals over 152 PAs).
• Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez won’t return until after the All-Star break, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). The back troubles Gonzalez has dealt with for years continue to pose a problem, and he still hasn’t resumed baseball activities since going on the DL in the first half of June. “He’s not where he wants to be,” noted manager Dave Roberts.

The 31-year-old Young spent most of the 2016 season with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate, where he batted .263/.338/.339 and swiped 23 bags in 29 attempts over the course of 116 games (329 plate appearances). Young hooked on with the Yankees in September and served as a pinch-runner down the stretch, appearing in six games and scoring two runs despite logging just one plate appearance in the Majors.

Last season was the first since Young’s 2009 debut in which he didn’t appear in at least 30 Major League games. He’s been a regular only once in his career (in 2013 with the Rockies and Mets when he led the National League with 46 steals) but has consistently found work as a bench piece due to his excellent speed. Overall, he’s a .246/.314/.327 hitter in 1684 Major League plate appearances.

Young will bring a depth option to the Angels this spring and, quite likely, early in the year in Triple-A. He’s spent most of his Major League career playing left field but does have about 400 innings in center field as well. He also spent more than 250 innings in right field last season at Triple-A. Young has some experience at second base, too, but it’s been six seasons since he put in significant work there. The Halos likely view him as an outfielder, but with Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, Cameron Maybin, Ben Revere and Jefry Marte all on the 40-man roster, Young seems likely to be bound for Triple-A if he sticks with the organization.

Young, 31, is a veteran of seven big league seasons and is known for his standout speed. He’s a career .247/.314/.328 hitter in 1683 big league plate appearances and has 144 steals in 179 attempts over the course of 557 Major League contests (an 80.4 percent success rate). This season, he’s spent the entire year with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, batting .263/.338/.339 with 23 steals in 29 attempts over the life of 116 games. He’ll give the Yankees an option as a pinch-runner off the bench late in games in September as the club hopes to remain afloat in the race for the second American League Wild Card spot. New York is currently 3.5 games behind the division-rival Orioles for that spot, but they’d have to leapfrog the Royals, Astros and Tigers in addition to Baltimore in order to secure a postseason berth.

Here’s some news from around the NL Central…

• The Brewers announced several roster moves today, including the news that Will Middlebrooks, Eric Young Jr., Josmil Pinto, Shane Peterson, Manny Pina and Jake Elmore were told they won’t be making the Major League roster (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the rundown of all the transactions).  All six players will remain in the Brewers’ camp.  Five of the six were new arrivals this winter — Pina was part of the Francisco Rodriguez trade with the Tigers, Pinto was a waiver claim from the Padres, and Middlebrooks, Young and Elmore were all minor league signings.
• Jeff Samardzija told ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers that he met with Theo Epstein this winter to explore a possible return to the Cubs,  though not much came from the talks.  “From where we were at, it takes a lot more to get a deal done. I think Theo had an idea of what they wanted and what they were looking for this year,” Samardzija said.  The new Giants rotation member also discusses his previous stint with the Cubs and how the club’s rebuilding process has seemed to pay off.
• The Pirates reinvested in their bullpen this winter, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, a strategy that makes an increasing amonut of financial and statistical sense, particularly for mid-market payroll clubs like the Bucs.
• Now that Eric O’Flaherty has been traded to Atlanta, it looks like Cory Luebke is going to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.  The 31-year-old has reportedly clocking in at 94mph with his fastball and 87mph with his curve this spring.  Luebke has an opt-out on Tuesday but it sounds like the Bucs won’t give opposing teams a chance to snatch him up.
• Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that the team’s decision on Rule 5 right-hander Matt Bowman “could come down to the final hour,” as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes.  The Cardinals selected Bowman off of the Mets’ roster in December, making him their first Rule 5 selection in four years.  Roughly two weeks ago, ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin reported that Bowman was “more likely than not” to make the cut in St. Louis.
• Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo will be taking a medical leave of absence to recover from offseason knee surgery, the club told reporters today (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).  Manager Mike Matheny said the Cards are preparing as if Oquendo will miss the entire season, and several members of the St. Louis coaching staff have shuffled positions.
• The Reds have some decisions to make before Opening Day, as C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer project the club’s 25-man roster.

Young, 30, spent the 2015 season with the Braves and Mets, hitting just .153/.217/.247 in 94 Major League plate appearances but .249/.351/.315 in 307 PAs at the Triple-A level. Young doesn’t have much power in his bat, but his speed is a game-changer; the second-generation big leaguer led the National League with 46 stolen bases back in 2013, and he’s swiped 144 bags in 179 tries at the Major League level. Young has experience at second base and in the outfield, but he’s seen most of his recent work in left field and center field. He’ll presumably compete for a bench spot in Milwaukee, where his father spent the 2002-03 seasons in the later stages of his 15-year Major League career.

The 30-year-old Young collected 80 plate appearances with the Braves this season and hit .169/.229/.273 before being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he hit .248/.349/.312. Young played for the Mets in much of 2013 and in 2014 before heading to Atlanta, and he has a career big-league line of .248/.316/.329.

As those numbers suggest, Young doesn’t hit well. He can, however, play all three outfield positions, and he has 26 stolen bases against just three caught stealings between the Majors and Triple-A this year. He could, therefore, conceivably be useful on the Mets’ bench once rosters expand in September.

• Catcher Jordan Pacheco has accepted his outright assignment with the Diamondbacks and will head to Triple-A Reno, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. The D-backs designated Pacheco for assignment last week after he hit .242/.333/.333 in 78 plate appearances.
• As expected, the Blue Jays have selected the contract of lefty Phil Coke, per a club announcement. Coke worked out of the Cubs bullpen earlier in the year, showing a big fastball and strong peripherals (8.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 63.6% GB%) but struggling nonetheless to keep runs off the board. Toronto will hope that Coke can provide a useful southpaw component in the pen as the team assesses its  options heading into trade season.
• The Braves have outrighted outfielder Eric Young Jr. to Triple-A, the club’s top affiliate announced on Twitter. Young, 30, has slashed just .169/.229/.273 in 85 big league plate appearances this year. After opening the season with a significant role, Young’s playing time dwindled to a trickle with his struggles and the resurgent play of late addition Cameron Maybin.
• Also headed to Gwinnett is righty Alex White, who has signed a minor league deal with the Braves just days after being released by the Astros. The 26-year-old, former top-100 prospect has not lived up to his pedigree in recent seasons. His stock had already fallen by the time Houston acquired him from the Rockies before the 2013 season, and Tommy John surgery caused him to miss that whole year. Since then, White has allowed over six earned runs per nine innings at the Triple-A level. This season, he struck out only 18 batters in 43 2/3 frames.

Young, who turned 30 roughly two weeks ago, made the Braves’ roster out of Spring Training after being in camp as a non-roster invitee on a minor league contract. He was expected to see significant time in the outfield due to Melvin Upton’s foot injury, but the Braves’ late acquisition of Cameron Maybin in the trade that sent Upton and Craig Kimbrel to the Padres cut into his potential playing time. Maybin has been excellent in his first season in Atlanta, while Young has batted just .169/.229/.273 in 85 trips to the plate with the Braves.

As MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets, Terdoslavich hasn’t played much yet on his rehab assignment, but the Braves have been looking to bolster their bench for quite some time. In fact, Bowman further tweets that Young likely would have been designated in May had it not been for an oblique injury to Kelly Johnson — another veteran whose strong performance cut into Young’s expected playing time.

Terdoslavich, 26, hasn’t hit much in his limited Major League career to date, but he’s batted .261/.328/.419 in 1135 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of three seasons and had stronger numbers than that when cutting his teeth at the Double-A level.

• The Orioles will purchase catcher Ryan Lavarnway’s contract on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. The 25-man roster that the Orioles announced today included Caleb Joseph and Steve Clevenger at catcher, but not Lavarnway, who they had reassigned to the minors.
• The Padres have announced that they’ve purchased the contract of catcher Wil Nieves. With Tim Federowicz out with a knee injury, Nieves will back up Derek Norris. As we noted when Nieves signed, his big-league salary will be $850K.
• Ryan Madson has made the Royals’ Opening Day roster, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Madson caps his comeback from multiple elbow injuries and his first appearance for Kansas City will be his first in the Majors since 2011.
• The Nationals have announced on Twitter that second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielder Reed Johnson have made their Opening Day roster.
• The Braves announced they have officially purchased the contracts of outfielders Eric Young, Jr. and Kelly Johnson, left-hander Eric Stults, and right-hander Cody Martin. The Braves cleared space on their 40-man roster by placing right-hander Arodys Vizcaino and outfielder Dian Toscano on the restricted list.
• One name missing from the Braves’ roster is Pedro Ciriaco, who was reported yesterday to have made the club. This is likely a procedural move, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (Twitter links), because the Braves placed Josh Outman on the 25-man roster instead of releasing him after the left-hander complained of shoulder tenderness. The move will also buy the Braves some time to look for an upgrade over Ciriaco, tweets Bowman.
• The Phillies have announced outfielder Jeff Francoeur and infielder Andres Blanco have made the team. Francoeur is just one of four outfielders on Philadelphia’s Opening Day roster, so he could see time as Grady Sizemore’s platoon partner in right field. The Phillies are now at their 40-man limit.
• The Marlins have selected the contract of utility player Don Kelly, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Kelly earned his spot with solid Spring Training line of .270/.357/.324 in 42 plate appearances. Frisaro reports the 35-year-old will backup both the corner infield and outfield spots, as well as serving as the team’s emergency third catcher.

Here’s some more from around the NL East…

• Also from Carig’s piece, he hears from two rival executives that Murphy will draw a lot of interest on the free agent market.  “There will be a nice line of suitors for him.  Some will want the bat and accept the below-average glove if necessary.  He’s young enough, the bat is strong enough to warrant a multi-year [deal],” one official said.
• The Marlins made a multi-year offer to Francisco Rodriguez before he agreed to terms with the Brewers, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports (on Twitter). However, McCalvy spoke to one of K-Rod’s teammates and was told that Rodriguez “likes it a lot” in Milwaukee and was hoping to return to the club. The amount that was offered to Rodriguez isn’t known, though previous reports had indicated Miami was comfortable with something in the two-year, $10MM range.
• Yunel Escobar wasn’t happy to be traded away from the Rays, nor was he pleased about moving from shortstop to second base, James Wagner of the Washington Post writes.  The veteran infielder changed his mind after discussions with Nationals management, however, and is looking forward to playing for a contender.  “I want to help them win a World Series. If the missing piece is me playing second base, then I’m here for anything,” Escobar said.
• Non-roster invitees in camp on minor league deals could play a significant role in the Braves’ plans this year, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Asked about the team’s collection of NRIs, manager Fredi Gonzalez listed Eric Stults, Jose Veras, Matt Capps, Brady Feigl, Kelly Johnson, Eric Young and John Buck as players with a legitimate chance, noting that he was probably leaving a few out. Gonzalez seemed particularly excited about Young. “I think the world of Eric Young,” Gonzalez said. “He can really bring a different dynamic that we haven’t had here since Michael Bourn, leading off against right-handed pitching or whatever you want to do. So that’s an exciting non-roster invitee, really.”
• In NL East news from earlier today on MLBTR, we shared some Phillies notes.