Michael Young, a perennial All-Star throughout his career, brings 14 seasons of big-league experience to his post as assistant manager at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The former infielder was selected in the fifth round of the 1997 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2000, where he spent the first 13 seasons of his career and made seven All-Star Game appearances. He was named to the Midsummer Classic every year from 2004 to 2009, playing 135 or more games in each of those seasons. Young collected over 200 hits in six different campaigns, including an MLB-leading 221 in 2005–winning the AL batting title–and 213 in 2011. He played his final big-league season split between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 before retiring at the conclusion of that season. Young, who was inducted into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016 and had his No. 10 retired by the Club in 2019, also played for Team USA in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 and assisted DeRosa in 2023. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Rangers.