Dallas City Wire

Texas Rangers' GM Chris Young Headlines 31st Annual Patriot Baseball Banquet

Chris Young, Vice President and General Manager of the Texas Rangers, headlined the 31st Annual Patriot Baseball Banquet on Friday night at Dallas Baptist University.  Young, who spent 13 years in the Major Leagues, won a World Series title with the Kansas City Royals in 2015, and was named the General Manager of the Texas Rangers in 2020, was joined on stage by DBU's Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations, Reagan Ratcliff, as Young shared his journey through professional baseball, reliving some of the highlights of his career, and also discussing the future of the Texas Rangers.

Young, a two-sport standout in baseball and basketball at Princeton University, was a third round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000. Following trades to the Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers, Young broke into the Major Leagues with the Rangers in 2004. After two seasons in Texas, he spent the next five years with the San Diego Padres, making a trip to the 2006 National League Division Series, and then two seasons with the New York Mets.

After battling injuries that forced him to miss the entire 2013 season, Young was named Major League Baseball's Comeback Player of the Year in 2014 when he went 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA for the Seattle Mariners. In 2015, Young signed with the Kansas City Royals and was a key figure in their run to a World Series title. In game one of the 2015 World Series versus the New York Mets, Young came out of the bullpen in the 12th inning to work three scoreless innings, earning the win, and setting the stage for the Royals eventually claiming the series in five games over the Mets.

Following his playing career which ended prior to the 2018 season, Young was hired in the Major League Commissioner's office and eventually promoted to Vice President of On-Field Operations. In December 2020, Young transitioned from his role as an MLB executive to become the General Manager of the Texas Rangers.

During the evening, DBU Head Baseball Coach Dan Heefner shared his thoughts on the upcoming season and his 2023 Patriot team that returns 18 lettermen from a team that reached the NCAA postseason for the eighth consecutive year as the No. 3 seed at the Austin Regional.  DBU also welcomes a recruiting class that features 21 newcomers.

Dr. Gary Cook was also honored with the Patriot legend award. Dr. Cook was elected President of Dallas Baptist University in April 1988 and served for 28 years as president until June 2016. He currently serves as currently serves as Chancellor of Dallas Baptist University. During Dr. Cook's thirty-five years of faithful service, Patriot Baseball has reached new heights. Dr. Cook has been an ardent supporter and champion of DBU Baseball and has served as a mentor to many coaches, administrators, and players over the years.

The Patriots open their 2023 season on Friday, February 17 when DBU hosts Fordham at Horner Ballpark.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. 

Original source can be found here