He’s Just Happy to Be a Tiger

Dmitri Young has been perfect for the Detroit Tigers so far this spring.

He hits, he hustles, he smiles--and unlike some other recent acquisitions, he’s glad to be a Tiger.

“I was looking for the first ticket out of Cincinnati,” Young said. “The one thing I’ve always wanted was the opportunity to play every day, at first base, and to bat in the same spot in the lineup, which will be fourth here. I also wanted to put some roots down in a city for my family, and I’m excited to be able to do that in a great city like Detroit.”

Juan Gonzalez, who left the Tigers after just one season, was one of the first players to hate Comerica Park, with its deep fences.

Young can’t wait to hit there.

“Other people look at it and wonder, ‘How do you hit home runs?’ But I’m not trying to hit 70 home runs,” Young said. “I’m trying to hit the ball through people and into gaps, and the park is perfect for that mindset.”

The Tigers didn’t have to give up much for a switch-hitter who has hit .300 the past four seasons. They traded outfielder Juan Encarnacion, who hit .242 with 52 RBIs last year, and minor-league pitcher Luis Pineda.

Unlike the significant players Detroit traded for the past two seasons--Gonzalez and Roger Cedeno--Young made it clear he wanted to stay and he proved it by signing a $28.5 million, four-year contract in February. The deal could be worth up to $44 million for six seasons.

“It’s nice to get a guy who wants to be in Detroit,” general manager Randy Smith said. “He’s given us everything we hoped for when we made the trade. He hits the ball extremely hard from both side of the plate and he plays with a lot of energy, all the time. And he already has shown that he’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse, which is another reason we went after him.”

If Young isn’t smiling, it’s probably because he’s sleeping.

When the 28-year-old makes eye contact with a teammate, coach, fan or clubhouse attendant, he always seems to respond with a handshake, a grin or a joke.

“He’s cool with everybody,” second baseman Damion Easley said. “And he’s a heck of a player.”

Young hit .302 with a career-best 21 homers and 69 RBIs last year. He had 88 RBIs in 2000, and in 1998 he hit 48 doubles, tying the best mark in the major leagues.

“He’s not a superstar that is going to hit 40 homers, but he’s a good player that can hit 50 doubles and do a lot of other good things for us,” team president Dave Dombrowski said. “He’s not afraid to get his uniform dirty and he has a vibrancy about him that is special on and off the field. And, he’s not afraid to speak his mind.”

That was clear last month when Young echoed the critical comments made by his former teammate, Pittsburgh’s Pokey Reese, regarding the special treatment given to Ken Griffey Jr. in Cincinnati last season.

Young said he’s finished bashing Griffey, but explained why he did it.

“I was just trying to take the heat off Pokey,” Young said. “I may have burned some bridges in the process, but if the truth hurts, so what?”

Young is just beginning to show the Tigers that he was worth the investment.

He had eight hits, including three doubles and two homers, in his first 13 at-bats during spring training. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder also has proven he’s a wide body with agility by stretching singles into doubles, and by making diving stops down the line at first.