Gerald Young

Who is Gerald Young?

Gerald Anthony Young is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a center fielder. He is the first person born in Honduras to play Major League Baseball.

A 1982 graduate of Santa Ana Valley High School, Young was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft by the New York Mets. He was, along with Rafael Palmeiro and Dwight Gooden, part of a draft class that set a major league record for a single team when 14 of those players reached the major leagues.

Young was traded by the Mets to the Houston Astros on September 1, 1984, for third baseman Ray Knight, and made his major league debut with them on July 8, 1987. He showed promise by hitting .321 and stealing 26 bases for the Astros, finishing 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing less than half a season with the major league club.