Chris Young

At 45 years old, Chris Young has this physical status:

Christopher Ryan Young (born May 25, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who is now MLB Vice President of On-Field Operations.

With the Texas Rangers and also has Major League experience with the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, and Kansas City Royals, he made his MLB debut on August 24, 2004.

He had previously excelled at basketball and baseball at Highland Park High School in University Park, Texas, and Princeton University. In 1997 and the 1998 Texas state basketball championships, Young helped Highland Park reach the Class 4A Region II basketball final.

When compiling a 6–0 record in 1997, he tossed a no-hitter, assisting Highland Park in the Class 4A Texas state baseball final.

He was the Most Valuable Player in basketball for his senior year and led his baseball team to the state championship, while pitching in two no-hitters.

He was a first-team All-State selection in basketball and baseball this year.

Young excelled in both baseball and basketball for Princeton University, earning him the Ivy League's first male two-sport Rookie of the Year after a high school career as a student and scholar. He had brief stints in the Pirates, Montreal Expos, and Texas Rangers minor leagues before making his debut with the Rangers in August 2004. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the June 2000 draft.

Young's professional baseball career flourished in 2006, when he was the league leader in opponent batting average, hits per nine innings, and road earned run average (ERA) and was named National League Pitcher of the Month for June.

In addition, he extended his streak of undefeated games started as a visiting pitcher to 24, winning the team's first game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 National League Division Series, winning the first Padres victory.

In 2007, he defended his opponent's batting average and hits per nine innings titles, but instead of winning the road ERA title, he captured the home ERA championship. He is 6 foot 10 inches (2.08 m), making him, alongside former pitchers Eric Hillman, Randy Johnson, Andrew Brackman, and Andrew Sisco the second tallest player in baseball history, after losing to relief pitcher Jon Rauch (6 foot 11 inches (2.11 m) and Young's teammate on the 2012 New York Mets) in second place.

Via the All-Star Final Vote, he was selected as a first-time All-Star to the 2007 MLB All-Star Game.

Personal life

Elizabeth Patrick, Young's mother, was the great-granddaughter of Lester Patrick, who was the namesake of the National Hockey League's Patrick Division and the Lester Patrick Trophy. Dick Patrick, the President of the Washington Capitals and a minority owner, is her father. She was also a member of the Princeton University class of 2002, and she attended law school in Washington, D.C. The couple have three children together.

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College career

Young was the first male athlete to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in two sports —basketball and baseball — in his freshman year at Princeton University, and he was unanimous choice for both awards. In addition, Young was named second-team All-Ivy in basketball and named Basketball Rookie of the Week each of the last six weeks and seven weeks. Basketball Weekly's annual All-America honors to his season were capped with Ivy League Player of the Year and freshman All-America honors. Young led Princeton Tigers men's basketball freshman records for points (387) and rebounds (160) by averaging 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in a game with the 1998-19 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team. In three games at the Rainbow Classic basketball tournament, hosted by the University of Hawaii, he had 39 points, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists. In a National Invitation Tournament victory over the NC State Wolfpack, he scored a season-high 24 points. Young was a hit in baseball and the Ivy League with a 2.38 ERA. He allowed only one home run out of a total of 150 batters faced during his appearance, and was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice.

Young completed his college basketball career by playing every game with the 1999–2000 squad. Among his accomplishments this season were 22 double-digit scoring games, breaking his own single-season school record for blocked shots with 87, and the team's 13.8 points per game, 87 blocked shots, and 40 steals. He finished second on the team with 105 assists. Young had the best rebounding average of any Princeton player since 1978, and he was also the 13th player in school history to reach 100 assists in a season. Young had 801 points, 350 rebounds, and 142 blocks in his college basketball career. His best game results included a 20-point victory against the 11th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, a career-high 30 points against Harvard, and a school record of nine blocked shots against the Ohio Bobcats, as shown by he.

Young was the Ivy League's top pitcher in his sophomore season in 2000, with a 1.82 ERA overall and a 1.05 figure in conference games. In eight appearances, he had an impressive record of 5–0, with 52 strikeouts in 49+13 innings. Young was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League baseball pick, and the Tigers won their first Ivy League title since 1996. In the 5–2 victory over Dartmouth in the championship series opener, Young pitched a complete game and struck out seven batters. In 2000, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Young was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 2000 amateur draft and agreed to a $1.65 million deal with Pittsburgh on September 6, after holding out until he received promises that he would complete his collegiate training. His athletic career as an upperclassman was not entirely on hold, and he was able to have some basic league experience before completing his degree at Princeton in June 2002 and becoming a full-time professional athlete. Since his junior year, he played in the class A minor leagues. When commuting on minor league buses as a player for the Hickory Crawdads, Young completed his senior thesis, "The Impact of Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball on Racial Stereotypes in America: A Quantitative Content Analysis of Stories about Race in the New York Times." In 2002, Princeton alum and Kings president Geoff Petrie negotiated a two-year deal to play basketball for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association.

Professional career

In the third round of the 2000 MLB draft, Young was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. On September 6, he was bound to a contract. He was traded to the Montreal Expos' group after a few years of minor league service. For whom he later made his major league debut, the Expos traded him to the Texas Rangers. He was traded to the San Diego Padres after less than two seasons with the Rangers.

Young made a 4.12 ERA in 12 starts for the Hickory Crawdads in the Class-A South Atlantic League in 2001, including two complete games. Young led the Crawdads to the league championship in 2002 with an 11–9 record and a 3.11 ERA in 26 starts. Young got his first decision in fifteen straight starts from April 16 to July 4. In just two of 26 starts, he allowed more than three earned runs. Opposing batters batted.234. In a postseason trade, he was traded to the Montreal Expos with Jon Searles for pitcher Matt Herges. Young spent the 2003 season on the disabled list before joining the Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League near the end of April. He set a 5.62 ERA on a 5–2 record and led to an 8.150 batting average in eight starts. On May 11, his season was highlighted by an eight-inning, one-hit, no-walk, eight-strike out victory over the Fort Myers Miracle. This was the start of the season with a 3–0, 0.47 ERA.

Young was promoted to the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-Aether League in June 2003. In 15 starts, he went 4–4 with a 4.01 ERA. In July, he went 3–0 and finished with an ERA of 3.03 over five starts. On August 30, his season was highlighted by an eight-strike out final outing against the Norwich Navigators and a triumph over the Reading Phillies on July 27 in which he threw seven shutout innings. On April 3, 2004, he was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Texas Rangers organization in a preseason contract along with Josh McKinley for Einar D'az and Justin Echols. He started the 2004 season with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas League, where he went 6-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 18 starts. The RoughRiders' final 12 starts and 61 innings were against Round Rock on July 3, the only two home runs he allowed in his final 12 starts and 61 innings. On May 9, he struck out a season-high eight batters against El Paso.

Young was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks of the Pacific Coast League in late July and finished as a top 3–0 with a 1.48 ERA in five starts. During his brief tenure as a batter, he allowed only nine walks after compiling 34 strikeouts and holding opposition batters to a.189 average. He got four excellent starts, but only allowed two runs in his fifth start. In his first PCL appearance, the club was 4–1. Young allowed no earned runs in a game in which Young allowed no earned runs. The only loss was due to a blown save with a 4–2 ninth-inning lead on August 7 against the Tacoma Rainiers. After his last game against the Memphis Redbirds on August 18, he was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for August 16 to 22, he was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for August 16 to 22. Young got his second Triple-A debut against the Sacramento River Cats on August 2 in sixth innings.

Young made his Rangers debut against the Minnesota Twins on August 24, 2004. He pitched 5+2/3 innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs, while throwing out three batters and walking three batters. Young had left the game trailing 3–0, but was rescued by a comeback walk-off 5–4 win.

Young was the first Princeton baseball player to start a major league game since Dave Sisler (son of Hall of Famer George Sisler and brother of Dick Sisler) gave up six earned runs in just over four innings against the Detroit Tigers in the second game of a doubleheader. The game was also his first appearance in a major league game by a Princeton baseball player since Bob Tufts' last game for the Kansas City Royals on May 6, 1983. Moe Berg, Homer Hillebrand, King Lear, Dutch Meier, Dutch Sterrtt, and Bobby Vaughn are among the Princeton baseball players who have scored either 50 innings pitched or 130 at bats (the prerequisites to qualify for Rookie of the Year) in the major leagues. Princetonian Ross Ohlendorf, a native of Princeton, has been involved in the major leagues since making his New York Yankees debut on September 11, 2007. Tim Lahey, another Princetonian, was on the Philadelphia Phillies' roster from the team's Opening Day in 2008 to April 5, 2008, but not one of the team was on the team's roster until that date.

Young's debut, which happened in a home game at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, served as a homecoming for the young, who grew up in nearby Dallas, Texas, and attended Highland Park High School. Young made his debut in Major League Baseball, but only an inch less than Jon Rauch, who was 6-foot-11-inch (2.11 m). Sandy Johnson, Andrew Sisco, and Eric Hillman, three other top and former pitchers, are all 6 foot (10.08 m). He became Rangers' highest pitcher, defeating 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) right-handed pitcher Mike Smithson. He made seven starts and compiled a 3–2 record with a 4.71 ERA after being a part of the starting rotation. On November 19, Young agreed to a three-year contract through 2007.

Young's first major league decision came during his second appearance in the Baltimore Orioles' loss on August 29. On September 4, the Boston Red Sox won his first match in his third season. In a 1–0 victory over the Anaheim Angels on September 19, his fifth start was a six-inning effort. This was the first Rangers 1–0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays since August 25, 2000, in a series of 669 games. During his brief 2004 season with the club, he went 5–2 when he got off his first game.

Young was one of three rookies on the Opening Day roster. He made 31 starts with the Rangers in 2005, compiling a 12–7 record with a 4.26 ERA. Kevin Brown's record for the most victories by a Rangers rookie tied tied for the most wins by a Rangers rookie. His season got off to a slow start, with seven earned runs allowed in 7+13 innings pitched (8.59 ERA) over his first two starts. However, he lowered his ERA by going 6–2, 2.18 in 7013 innings pitched over a span of 11 starts from April 17 to June 13. He went 3–0 in five starts with a 1.42 ERA that was third-best in all qualifying major leaguers for the month. This was his season-best 13+293-less innings records from May 3-9. He had hot and cold streaks in nine starts from June 20 to August 2, followed by a 2.53 ERA in his final nine starts. He closed out the season by winning his final four votes, which was a personal record.

May 9 was one of two times Young came within an inning of a shutout by pitching eight scoreless innings; the Cleveland Indians' August 17 was the other. In a seven-inning no-decision at Detroit on June 2, Young had his personal best eight strikeouts. In a road game against the Houston Astros on June 25, Young came nearest to a no-hitter, with 5+2/3 innings of hitless pitching, eventually allowing a Craig Biggio single in the sixth inning. Young was the beneficiary of the second-highest run support in the majors over the course of the season, trailing only Boston Wells. In 22 of 31 starts, he surrendered three runs or less. He had a 3.31 ERA in 11 games during the day and 7–8 with a 5.70 ERA in 20 games at night, beating a 5.01 record in 13 day games and 7–8 with a 5.05 record in 23 games at night.

Young was ranked in the top five among qualifying major league rookies in several key statistics: strikeouts (second, 137), victories (tied for third, 12), ERA (fourth, 2.26), and innings pitched (fifth, 164+2/3). He also tied for the first time in Rangers' rookie club records (12, Edwin Correa in 1986 and Kevin Brown in 1989) and the pre-All-Star break wins (8, Jeff Zimmerman in 1999 and 1986), as well as José Guzmán. Young was ranked fifth in all American League pitchers with 7.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Despite this triumph, however, he was a vital part of an offseason trade that sent Terrmel Sledge and Adrián González to the San Diego Padres for starting pitcher Adam Eaton, middle reliever Akinori Otsuka, and minor-league catcher Billy Killian.

Young's breakout season came in 2006. His ERA continued declining, with his lowest start in the National League at 3.46 over 31 starts, good enough for sixth place in the National League, and he had career-high 169 strikeouts. He had an 11-five record, led all major league pitchers with a 2.41 road ERA, allowed a league-leading 6.72 hits per 9 innings pitched, and a.206 opponent batting average. He had 15 no decisions in 2006, the most among MLB starting pitchers. He was the first major in stolen bases allowed during 2006, with 41. Young earned a National League Pitcher of the Month award during the season, put a no-hitter into the sixth inning or more than three times and his undefeated road streak streak to 24 games. Young became one of the youngest three pitchers in major league history to start at least 23 straight road starts without a loss, with Allie Reynolds putting the record at 25 road starts between 1948 and 1949 seasons, with Russ Meyer falling just short of that.

He went from a 3–3 run ERA to a 7-3 ERA in his first six starts after Memorial Day by allowing only four earned runs over 382 runs. He was one of five candidates from the National League for Major League Baseball's "All-Star Final Vote" to determine the final official picks for the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game; however, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra was elected. Despite this, his good June results, in which he allowed 16 hits and 13 walks over 30+2/3 innings, earned him the National League Pitcher of the Month award, winning him the National League Pitcher of the Month award. His five starts in June were highlighted by his career-best 12-strikeout victory over the Florida Marlins and his Texas Rangers' victory over June 9 against the Florida Marlins and a 2-1 victory over his former team, the Texas Rangers.

Young had a no-hitter through 8+1/3 innings of the Pittsburgh Pirates game on September 22, before pinch hitter Joe Randa hit a two-run home run. This would have been Padres' first no-hitter ever. It was the first time a Padre had taken a no-hitter into the ninth inning since Andy Ashby against the Atlanta Braves on September 5, 1997. Through 5+2/3 innings, the youngster had been preparing for a spectacular game. Young also put a no-hitter in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies on May 30 as a precursor to his June appearance. Brad Hawpe, a co-worker in the 1997 Connie Mack World Series, surrendered a double to Brad Hawpe in his eighth inning and 99th of the game, marking the first time a pitcher took a no-hitter into the eighth inning during the 2006 season. During Young's next game at Pittsburgh on June 4th, he did not allow a hit for the first 5+1, making him one of only two pitchers (Steve Trachsel – June 20-25, 2002) to have at least five hitless innings since the 2000 season.

He started the season right by winning his first postseason appearance, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3–1 in Game 3 of the 2006 National League Division Series. He pitched 6+2/3 shutout innings, struck out nine, walked two, and allowed four hits. The Padres lost the series from three games to one. Young's 6–0 road record in 2006 was one of 49 undefeated road seasons with at least five victories by a pitcher since post-season play began in 1903. However, it was the first to be followed by a postseason road victory.

He traveled to Japan in November to compete in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series. Young was the starter in an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, which was a highlight for the major leaguers' three-run ninth-inning rally to earn a tie. This game was the precursor to the five-game series that began with three games at the Tokyo Dome and was followed by games in Osaka and Fukuoka. Young pitched the fourth game in the series. During the trip, Young also blogged on behalf of mlb.com about daily life. He travelled on the Bullet Train and spoke with US Ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer, time in the Harajuku, and travelling on the Bullet Train.

Young became the 435th different pitcher to give up a home run against Barry Bonds in his season's debut on April 4 against the San Francisco Giants. He was the first of the season and his seventh in his career. Young's 25th straight road start without losing money was the game. Young was 9–0 during the streak, which culminated in his subsequent road appearance at Dodger Stadium on April 15 in a 9–3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Greg Maddux, the last of the nine other pitchers to go 20 straight road starts without losing, was the last of the nine other pitchers to go 20 straight road starts without losing, going 22 starts without a single game between 1997 and 1998. On June 25, 2005, Young's streak began.

Young signed a four-year deal with the Padres through the 2010 season, with a club option for 2011.

Young threw a pitch that struck Chicago Cubs All-Star first baseman Derrek Lee on the back of his upper left arm on June 16. Alfonso Soriano homered off David Wells, and the Padres thought Soriano displayed poor sportsmanship by admiring and celebrating his home run the day before the fracas. Lee's left hand was nicked by the pitch near his surgically repaired wrist. As the 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) started walking towards first base, Lee and Young, 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), exchanged terms, and a bench-clearing altercation ensued. Both Young and Lee were suspended from the game, as well as Jake Peavy and Cubs bench coach Gerald Perry. Young and Lee were banned five games each for their participation in the brawl on June 18, and Perry was suspended three games. Both suspended parties, as well as Peavy and Brian Giles, were fined. Young and Lee also appealed their suspensions, which were scheduled to begin the next day. Both pitchers were working on no-hitters at the time of the scuffle in the fourth inning. Young was ejected during the game, and he was awarded a no-decision in the case, which the Padres later won 1–0.

Jake Peavy lost three runs in five innings on June 24, causing his ERA to climb from 1.98 to 2.14. Young, who had a 2.08 ERA, was the National League's highest average for a single day. Brad Penny's first day allowed just one earned run over eight innings to take the lead with a 2.04 ERA.

Young was nominated for the All-Star Final Vote on July 1, competing against Tom Gorzelanny, Roy Oswalt, Brandon Webb, and Carlos Zane. Young won by 1–0 over the Florida Marlins on July 4, not only did they reclaim the National League ERA lead, but they also took the major league lead over Brad Penny by a slim margin (1.9968 to 1.9970). Young was voted out of office on July 5 by defeating the four opposing pitchers for his first career All-Star Game pick. Young was chosen for the sixth Ivy League player to join the All-Star team (joining Lou Gehrig, Red Rolfe, Ron Darling, Brad Ausmus, and Mike Remlinger).

Young, the major league leader in ERA and opponent batting average, as well as an undefeated streak dating back to the Cardinals' defeat on May 12. Young's appeal of his five-game suspension was dismissed prior to his election's declaration. Young served his suspension for the final four games before the All-Star break and the first game after, but he was allowed to participate in the All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Young lost the 5–4 American League in the fifth inning, when Ichiro Suzuki surrendered the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history.

During the third inning of his July 24 debut, he was put on the disabled list after suffering a strained oblique muscle. He was activated off the disabled list on August 9 to get to a scheduled start. He started his undefeated streak, dating back to a May 12 loss to the Cardinals, on his first appearance off the disabled list, but the Cardinals lost 5–0, but the Cardinals responded. Young finished the 2007 season as the major league leader in opponent batting average and hits per nine innings, but also in stolen bases allowed (with 44). In his first appearance on August 30, he battled injuries late in the season and handed over the ERA's leadership to Jake Peavy.

Young debuted in the Padres' rotation in a second slot, behind ace Peavy and Maddux. He came from the second place in the rotation for his first three turns. On April 18, he skipped his turn, and Maddux moved into the second position in the rotation. Young has been pitching in the third position in the rotation. The number three slot in the rotation is the only one that was not scheduled to begin during the Padres' visit to Wrigley Field on May 12–15, 2008. Young, therefore, did not get off to the Cubs with whom he had an altercation in 2007. Young was struck in the chest by a line drive from Albert Pujols on May 21, 2008. Young had been sitting on the ground for several minutes, but was able to leave the field under his own power after he only suffered a nasal fracture and a laceration on his nose. Pujols would also sprain the ankle of Padres catcher Josh Bard as they advanced to home plate later in the game. Young was back on the mound on Saturday, with five shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Young then did not pitch between August 10 and September 1 due to another injury-plagued stint, but he was able to return to the lineup for the fourth time on the all-time list, beating Roger Clemens for eighth.

Gabe Kapler of the Milwaukee Brewers came within four outs of perfection on September 7 in the eighth inning. En route to a 10–1 win at Miller Park in Milwaukee, he allowed two hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out five out five. Young did not get his first flawless game or first no-hitter, but he did get his first complete game of his career after 114 starts. He made his first home run as a big league batter two weeks later.

Young made his first four appearances before spending the remainder of the season on the disabled list after beginning the season with a 4–2 record. On June 14, he got his last start. He was initially listed on the 15-day disabled list on June 19, but on July 31, he was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. He had season ending arthroscopic surgery in August to fix partial tears in his labrum. He had been hospitalized with shoulder pains. He was 4–6 with a 5.21 ERA in 2009, his highest rank in 2009 was 5–6.

In the second game of the season, Young pitched six shutout innings before being suspended with a right shoulder injury. Except for three starts near the end of the season, he missed almost the entire season, ending the season 2–0 with a 0.90 ERA. The Padres refused to select the option for 2011.

Sporting News named him as the eighth-smartest celebrity in sport in 2010.

Young signed a $1.1 million deal with the New York Mets on January 17, 2011, with the ability to earn up to $4.5 million through incentives. Young won by seven batters in his first appearance with the Mets on April 5, 2011. With two runs batted in against Phillies starter Cole Hamels, he was also three for three at the plate. Young was the first Mets pitcher to win two hits in a single inning in the game. Young suffered an arm injury early in the season, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2011 season on the disabled list. He was a free agent after the season.

Young agreed to a minor league contract with the Mets on March 26, 2012. He had recently undergone surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. He was on the triple A Buffalo Bisons' disabled list for the first 33 days of the season before being activated on May 10. Young then got off to a three-strong A St. Lucie Mets on May 11, May 16 and 25, before being promoted to Buffalo on May 27. During the three years, he posted a 1–0 record with a 3.18 ERA in 17.0 innings. He went 6 scoreless innings for the Bisons against the Columbus Clippers on May 31. On June 4, the Mets announced that Young will be called up to the major league roster for the first time. Young was playing for the Washington Nationals with the Mets on June 5, 2012, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings in a game that was eventually decided in 12 innings. His wife gave birth on June 6 and he was put on a paternity leave, but not meant to interfere with his June 10 planned date. The move was done for the purpose of freeing up a roster spot during Young's off days under a Major League Baseball rule that allows for a three-day suspension. Young got off to a winning start against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 12 in his first game in over a year.

Young signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on February 21, 2013 as well as a warm welcome to training camp. Since opting out of his employment, the Nationals granted him unconditional release on March 26, 2013. On April 4, 2013, he was re-signed by the Nationals. He was then assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. He made his season debut against Rochester on April 23 by surrendering 6 runs in 4.2 innings. He made 6 more starts before being put on the disabled list due to a neck injury on May 28, 2 days after getting off the field against Columbus for the first time. He made two starts in the Gulf Coast League and with Short-Season Auburn before the season came to an end. He was 1–2 with a 6.81 ERA, hitting out 21 in 37 innings in 9 out of nine total starts, going 1–2 with a 6.81 ERA. After suffering pain in his shoulder and neck, he underwent surgery to fix what was diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome. This disorder puts pressure on a pitcher's shoulder. Young re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league contract on November 19, 2013. He was first released on March 25, 2014.

On March 27, 2014, Young agreed to a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners that was financially backed. On April 4, Young was supposed to debut for the Mariners as a starter. However, the Oakland Coliseum received its first rainout since 1998. Young made his first appearance as a relief pitcher on April 6 against the Oakland A's later in the series, after 159 Major League starts and 102 Minor League starts. On April 13, 2012 against Oakland, he made his first Major League appearance since September 9, 2012. He made six scoreless innings while scattering 4 hits and 3 walks. Young was in contention for the Major League Comeback Player of the Year award by early June, with a 5–2 record and a 3.27 ERA, according to MLB.com's Adam Lewis. Mariners boss Lloyd McClendon was unashamed in his praise of the right-hander at the time, describing him as a "godsend" in his efforts to help with a rotation plagued by injuries and ineffectual fifth starters. In 29 starts, Young finished the season with a 12-9 record and a 3.65 ERA. His 8.8 hits per nine innings was his sixth in AL. Following the year, Young was named with the Major League Comeback Player of the Year Award, The Sporting News American League Comeback Player of the Year Award, and the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year Award. Young became a free agent at the end of the season.

Young signed with the Kansas City Royals on March 7, 2015. Young played in the Royals for a long time. On April 12, he appeared in the Royals' sixth game against the Los Angeles Angels with two scoreless innings as the Royals started the season 6–0. Young made his Royal debut on May 1st. Against the Detroit Tigers, he tossing five no-hit innings. Young faced the Milwaukee Brewers on June 16, the first Royals pitcher to hit a game since 1972. Young was returned to the bullpen on July 31 after posting a 5.11 ERA during a 5-game stretch after a record of 8–6 with a 3.25 ERA at the end of July. Young got his first start since July 28 against the Cleveland Indians on September 27 (one day after his father died). In a game 4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on October 20, Young started and pitched 4 2/3 innings. It was Young's first postseason appearance since the 2006 National League Division Series. He won the game 1 of the 2015 World Series on October 27 by shutting down the New York Mets, giving up a walk and no hits during the final three innings.

The Royals announced on December 7, 2015, that Young had agreed to a two-year $11.75 million deal with a mutual third-year option. Young was placed on the injured list after starting the 2016 season with a strained right forearm from May 12 to 28, his highest record in 7 starts. Young continued to play for the Royals as a swingman out of the bullpen, appearing in 34 games and 13 starts after his DL stint. He was 3-9 and had a 6.19 ERA, his highest ERA in his career at that time. He tied a career high by allowing 28 home runs and gave up a career-best 10.6 hits per 9 innings.

Young started the season in the bullpen after struggling to secure a spot in the Kansas City rotation. The Royals had chosen Young for assignment on June 23, 2017. He was recalled right away. He was 0–0 in 14 games for the 2017 season, with a 7.50 ERA in 14 games.

On December 29, 2017, Young signed a minor league deal with the Padres. He was first released on March 27, 2018.

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