Friday, December 7, 2012
[size=150]PHILLIES ACQUIRE YOUNG FROM RANGERS[/size]
Third baseman Michael Young was acquired by the Phillies from the Texas Rangers in exchange for right-handed pitchers Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla, Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today. The Phillies also received cash considerations.
Young, 36, batted .277 with 27 doubles, eight home runs and 67 RBI in 156 games last season for the Rangers. With runners in scoring position, he batted .288 and against left-handed pitchers, he hit .333 with a .423 slugging percentage. Defensively, he played all over the infield, making 40 starts at first base, 25 at third base, 14 at second base and four at shortstop.
“Michael brings a lot to our team, not just on the field, but off it as well,” said Amaro. “He has been one of the premiere hitters in the American League for a decade and is someone who has a tremendous presence in the clubhouse. We couldn’t be happier that he has accepted the assignment to come to the Phillies.”
A seven-time All-Star (2004-09; 2011), Young has had six 200-hit seasons and is second among all major league players in most hits (1,984) over the last 10 years (2003-12), trailing only Ichiro Suzuki (2,156).
In 2008, Young won a Gold Glove award at shortstop, where he has made 775 career starts. During his 13 major league seasons, he’s also made 432 starts at second base, 353 at third base and 76 at first base.
Young was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 1997 First Year Player Draft. He was traded to the Rangers on July 19, 2000. In 1,823 major league games – all with Texas – he has a .301 average with 415 doubles, 177 home runs and 984 RBI. He has appeared in 34 postseason games and is the Rangers’ all-time leader in games, at-bats (7,399), runs (1,085), hits (2,230), doubles, triples (55) and total bases (3,286).
Lindblom, 25, was acquired by the Phillies on July 31, 2012, as part of a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 74 combined games last season, he was 3-5 with one save and a 3.55 ERA. He had 70 strikeouts in 71.0 innings pitched.
Bonilla, 22, pitched for single-A Clearwater and double-A Reading during the 2012 season and went a combined 3-2 with four saves and a 1.55 ERA in 31 games. He averaged 12.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched (64 SO/46.1 IP) and was selected to the World Team in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game.
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Press Releases provided courtesy of the Phillies, Media Relations. Thanks, guys!
