Eric Young Jr. Should Make Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Roster

In early February, the Baltimore Orioles brought MLB veteran Eric Young Jr. into camp on a minor league deal. Few outside of Baltimore noticed because the O’s are firmly in rebuild-mode and when fringe veterans get signed at the beginning of the process, they’re rarely are around when things are solid again. Eric Young Jr. is also the fringiest of fringe veterans, last making an Opening Day roster in 2015 with the Atlanta Braves.

Despite his up-and-down track record at the MLB level, I liked the move right off the bat; Baltimore is young, inexperienced, and in desperate need of veteran leadership. Young, though he likely wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster anywhere else, looked like a great candidate to fill that role going into camp: he’s been around professional baseball for his entire life and regularly gets tagged as a great clubhouse guy.

Eric Young Jr.’s dad, Eric, had a 15-year MLB career which included an All-Star appearance in 1996.

Fast forward three weeks and I think more people are on board with the Orioles putting Eric Young Jr. on their big league roster. Not only does he bring a wealth of knowledge to the table but he’s also looked great so far in spring training. The 2013 NL leader in steals is slashing .417/.563/.750 thus far, including one home run through six games.

Those numbers will come down to earth eventually, yet Young Jr. has proved over his 10-year MLB career that he can put it together for an extended period of time. Just two years ago in 2017, the speedster hit .264 in 47 games with the Angels while stealing 12 bases and hitting four home runs. For his career, he’s hit .245 at the MLB level.

Primarily an outfielder, Eric Young Jr. can also play infield; between the minors and majors, he’s played over 600 games at second base.

Moving forward, the O’s can definitely use someone like Eric Young Jr. in their clubhouse. He’s self-aware at this point and wants to help, telling The Baltimore Sun recently how much he enjoys helping young guys improve.

“It’s a passion of mine, coming in to work with the younger players,’’ he said. “I’m going to do that naturally, even if they didn’t ask me to do that. I’m going to do that naturally because I love this game of baseball, and I definitely want to see everybody reach their full potential when the opportunity [comes] because it’s not easy being a professional and it’s definitely not easy as long as I have.”

(via The Baltimore Sun)

With a first-year manager, Young Jr.’s value shouldn’t be discounted. He won’t embarrass himself out there, he can play multiple spots, and he can be an extension of the coaching staff.

EY for Opening Day!