When Mike Trout went down with torn ligaments in his thumb, the Los Angeles Angels had few options to replace him, so they turned to veteran outfielder Eric Young Jr. Though Young was excelling in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, expectations were minimal.
Young is 32 and is five years removed from the only season in which he hit better than .250. In the previous three seasons, Young played in 159 major-league games and posted a .210/.280/.295 slashline, though he did steal 37 bases.
But an amazing thing happened in the early part of Young’s time with the team.