Michael Young relishes another All-Star experience

ARLINGTON -- Before Michael Young’s first All-Star Game in 2004, Cal Ripken emailed with a bit of advice.

“Find the one pitcher that gives you fits and go make friends with them,” Young recalled of that email. “That'll take their edge away. So, needless to say, me and Josh Beckett got really tight after that. There were always a lot of cool things that happened at All-Star Games, but again I had a blast. Fortunately for me, I think there was only one time where I was by myself. I was usually with a bunch of teammates.”

• Looking for tickets to All-Star events? Visit allstargame.com/tickets

Young ultimately made seven All-Star Games, all of which came during his time with the Rangers. Now a special assistant to the general manager for Texas, Young is at the forefront of the 2024 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard in Arlington as an MLB ambassador.

For Young, being an All-Star meant something important to him. He relishes the opportunity to be part of the first Midsummer Classic in Arlington since 1995.

“I actually love the All-Star Game,” Young said. “I know a lot of guys, as it gets closer, they said, 'If I make it or not, I want to make sure I'm there for my team.’ Like, I get it. But I wanted to make it every single year. I had a blast at the All-Star Games. It really was a fun time. I think that of all the sports, this one does the best job. It's incredibly competitive. Guys want to play well. It's a fun time, and I had a blast doing it.”

Young will also manage the National League team in the Futures Game, opposite the soon-to-be-inducted Hall of Famer Adrian Beltré, who will manage the American League. Young and Beltré will bring along a number of former Rangers teammates to assist them.

• Futures Game coaching staffs full of Rangers legends

“I am looking forward to going back to Dallas and Texas and being part of this elite group of Rangers to help me with the Futures Game and be part of the whole celebration of the All-Star Weekend,” Beltré added. “I think seeing old teammates will be great. I’ve seen them a lot lately, but seeing them all together will be fun. I'm looking forward to managing for the first time and seeing how that goes. It’s going to be a cool experience. Hopefully, I can just sit back and enjoy it.”

Young admits to being a bit nervous when he was first asked to manage the NL team, but he’s excited to experience it, nonetheless.

“The Futures Game sort of represents the future of the sport, obviously, but this whole thing is going to be a massive celebration for our organization and for Major League Baseball and for the city,” Young said. “To kind of kick that off, it's going to be a ton of fun regarding the game itself.

“This is the future of our game. You look at the past guys who've been a part of this game, so many of them have gone on to now be faces of the sport. To have a day there when we get to hang out with these kids and kind of see them enjoy it is going to be a ton of fun.”