Michael Young Accepts Move to Hot Corner
Submitted by Imaginary Diamond Blog
Michael Young didn’t have to like it, but he accepted the Texas Rangers’ plan to move him to third base, the Dallas Morning News reported on its blog
Thursday. This clears the way for young Elvis Andrus to debut at shortstop and for Hank Blalock to shift into the primary designated hitter role.
A very professional move by Young, who came to terms with a position change after taking an adamant stance against it. He cited pride for his initial resistance to the idea, then duties to his teammates and talks with team president Nolan Ryan as reasons for coming around.
For fantasy purposes, this is the best possible solution to a potentially trying situation. Young maintains his shortstop eligibility and picks up another position at third base; Andrus brings excellent speed and a quality bat to the bottom of the Rangers’ order; and Blalock gets a better chance to stay healthy and reach his vast potential, a la Milton Bradley in 2008.
If Young were to be at short, Blalock would have played a backup role to Travis Metcalf at third base and to Chris Davis at first. Now, it seems the most action he will see on the field will be at first, with the rest coming as the DH.
Blalock has played in just 123 games over the past two seasons, but in those limited at-bats has posted two of the three highest slugging percentages of his career. If he can sustain that production and stay healthy, the 28-year-old Blalock will be in for a big rebound season.
Andrus was part of the package the Atlanta Braves traded to Texas in the Mark Teixeira deal in 2007. Since arriving in the organization, Andrus has hit .296 with 6 home runs, 77 RBIs and 68 stolen bases in 145 games between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Frisco. In 2008, he recorded career-highs with a .300 average and 53 steals.
