MLB’s One-Season Wonders: Mike Young and 1985

MLB’s One-Season Wonders: Mike Young and 1985

Here’s one of the lesser-known one-season wonders. The man is Baltimore outfielder Mike Young (not the Rangers player) and his phenomenal 1985 season with the Orioles. Let’s delve in.

Before 1985

Not too much is known about Young’s life prior to playing in the bigs. The Orioles, however, selected him in the first round of the 1980 draft. He was a Northern Californian, raised in East Bay attending Chabot College.

Young shot through the Minors rather quickly, which was somewhat more of a commonality back then for baseball players. At the same time, Young was excelling. In 1981, he ascended through three levels of MiLB slashing an impressive .331/.421/.522. He was almost ready for MLB action.

After a few more Minor League seasons, and very short-lived stints in the Majors, Young received that once-in-a-lifetime chance to be the starting right fielder for Baltimore. Specifically, the door opened when Dan Ford‘s offense slowed.

In 1984, Young played well. He slashed a respectable .252/.355/.431 with 17 home runs and an OPS+ of 120. However, as I’ve stated before, the best was yet to come. In this case, it was the following season.

1985

The Orioles weren’t much to write home about in ’85. They finished fourth in the division with a mediocre 83-78 record. The offense was fronted by usual suspects Cal Ripkin Jr. and Eddie Murray. Then there was Young.

Young blossomed at the plate as a switch hitter too, nonetheless. He slashed a noteworthy .273/.348/.513 with 28 home runs and 81 runs batted in. On top of this, Young posted an incredible 136 OPS+ which ranked him second on the team.

He finished the year eighth in slugging, 10th in OPS, ninth in OPS+, and was an AL player of the week in August. Young also had a 2.9 offensive WAR. Despite all these accolades, Young didn’t receive any love in MVP voting nor a stint in the ’85 All-Star game.

After 1985

Sadly, Mike Young was never able to replicate his offensive outburst in 1985. His production seemed to slow to a halt, never playing more than 117 a season the rest of his career. After struggling in Baltimore, he bounced around playing short stints with the Phillies, Brewers, and Indians.

Young played his last Major League Baseball game on September 30, 1989, at the age of 29. His combined stats between 1986-1989 consisted of a slash of .236/.330/.366 with an OPS+ of 91. He only had 27 home runs. After spending the next year in Japan, he retired from baseball for good.

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