Eric Young Sr. Sits Down To Talk Managers and Managing

Eric Young Sr. played for several well-respected managers while suiting up for seven major league teams across the 1992-2006 seasons. He’s since coached under a handful of others. His past two seasons were with the Los Angeles Angels, although that tenure has possibly come to an end. Ron Washington is no longer at the helm in Anaheim due to health reasons, and it is not yet known who newly named manager Kurt Suzuki will have on his coaching staff. At age 58 and with a wealth of knowledge gleaned from three-plus decades in the game — his resumé includes working as a broadcast analyst — Young is facing an uncertain future.

I had both his future and his past in mind when I sat down with him this summer. Young has the requisite experience and communication skills required to lead a big league team of his own, so I was interested in what he’s learned from the managers he’s played for and worked alongside throughout the years. Here is our conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

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David Laurila: You played for a number of managers. What commonalities did the best of them share?

Eric Young Sr.: “From my point of view, they were leaders. They were also calm leaders, especially in difficult times. Each manager had a different, and a special, characteristic that I was able to observe. You had your quiet ones. You had your more vibrant ones. I could go through each of the managers I had and tell you something about them that stands out, and that people can relate to.”

Laurila: Tell me something about Tommy Lasorda.

Young Sr.: “Lasorda was the vibrant one who kept the media off of his players. I remember that he was always allowing his players to play the game. In the later innings he was really a strategic-type manager. And he always took care of his players. He had their backs. He might call you into his office if he had something to get off his chest about you, but he never did that in the newspapers. I could appreciate that over my years as a player, and being a coach now. He was adept at dealing with the media, and he loved it.”

Laurila: Today’s managers have more media responsibilities than Lasorda did back in his day.

Young Sr.: “Yes. That’s a big difference. There is so much going on in the game now. That includes the analytics — ‘This guy should probably play,’ might be getting recommended to you — which a manager has to work in. You’re also dealing with the personalities of this young generation. So, you have to be a manager who is very patient with the process. You also have to understand that process.”

Laurila: Who among the guys you played for was most similar to today’s analytically adept managers?

Young Sr.: “That one is difficult to answer, because I had such strong-minded leaders. I had Lasorda. I had Don Baylor. I had Ned Yost, who won a World Series with Kansas City. I had Bruce Bochy, who is a four-time winner. I had Buck Showalter, a very prominent leader. Those guys are strong individuals, and it would be an adjustment, a difficult adjustment, because they’re baseball people.”

Laurila: What about Davey Johnson?

Young Sr.: “He did work with the numbers. He was very good with the matchups, including with that 1986 [New York Mets] team that won [the World Series]. So, he would maybe be the one. Then he was with Washington toward the end of his career, and I think analytics played a big part in what they were doing. But that wasn’t out front. It was more behind closed doors.”

Laurila: What role would analytics play if you were to get a job managing a big league team?

Young Sr.: “They would play an important role. Analytics are a part of the game. You get information to put guys in the best possible position on a given day. You get a strong recommendation on, ‘This guy can perform better against this pitcher,’ or ‘This pitcher is better against this lineup, or against this left-handed hitter.’ That information can be utilized by the coaching staff — and it should be utilized. When a situation comes up and you have to make an in-game decision, you need to do it having all of the facts. Some of that is [data]. Some might be something else.”

Laurila: Which of your mentors would you be most like as a manager?

Young Sr.: “That’s hard to say. Along with the ones I played for, I’ve coached for Kirk Gibson. I’ve coached for Walt Weiss. I’ve coached for Brian Snitker — he’s a World Series champion — and now I’m coaching for Ron Washington. I can take a little bit from each of them. I wouldn’t say that any one of them is more dominant than the other.”

Laurila: They’ve all had qualities you admire…

Young Sr.: “Yes. Like I said, I was impressed with the way Tommy shielded the media from his players, especially when things happened on the field that could blow up into something big and maybe affect the psyche of the players. I like the way he handled that, and how he handled his players overall. He had a lot of fun with them.

“I liked the strategic study that Buck Showalter displayed. He’s definitely a manager that can deal with analytics and numbers. He was, as I said, a strong individual, but he was very good with that part of the game.

“I liked the calmness of Don Baylor. He was OK with players that were upset, because he knew how to handle guys. He knew how to push guys’ buttons based on their personalities. Don Baylor was a strong personality. He was also the type of manager who was going to give you a chance. If you told him you can do something, he was going to give you that opportunity. But you better do it.”

Laurila: Is it harder for today’s managers to be hard-nosed and demanding than it was 20-30 years ago?

Young Sr.: “Not necessarily. You’ve just got to learn what’s going on. You’ve got to learn your players, learn their different personalities. You have be able to adapt and adjust, but you also have to make sure that they recognize who you are and what you stand for. Watching some of the managers I’ve been around, they’ve stood on principle. Ron Washington stands on principle, on doing the right thing, playing the game the right way.”

Laurila: Who among the other managers you’ve played and coached for is Washington most similar to?

Young Sr.: “Wash would be more like… that’s a good one. He’s good at strategy, especially having twice taken teams to the World Series. He really gets involved with the matchups, and he believes in players, and allows them to play.

“Bruce Bochy is calm and just lets you play. One thing I remember about Bochy is that he was always ahead of the game. When a situation came up, he was ready for it. I remember that, because I was more of a pinch-hitter for him off the bench. He was good with the reserve players, giving them a chance to play and keeping everybody fresh. He believed in that as well.”

Laurila: Are Washington and Showalter similar?

Young Sr.: “I’d say they’re different. Wash engages with his players more. Wash engages with everybody. Young, old, doesn’t matter. It wasn’t that Buck wasn’t engaged with the players; it’s just that Wash is more engaged.

“One thing about all of these men, they can communicate very well. They know when to have fun, and they know when they [need to] get serious. They know when to get on someone’s butt. They’re strong-minded, and strong leaders. Leadership is a key to managing in this game.”

Laurila: Have you interviewed for any managerial jobs?

Young Sr,: “Only once. That was a few years ago in Houston. Hopefully there are going to be some openings, and hopefully the opportunity comes for me to interview. I feel that I could do well.”