MLB WORLD SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS RANGERS

October 27, 2023

Chris Young

Globe Life Field

Texas Rangers

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Now that you've had a few days to decompress a little bit, maybe get some sleep, what is today like for you personally and for this organization as a whole?

CHRIS YOUNG: Most importantly, excited for our players, for our fans, for our staff. So many people in our organization that have worked so hard to put us in this position, and now to be here on the cusp of the World Series, it's a lot of fun.

And I'm so happy for everybody who's put and suffered through a lot of hard times over the last six years. And, of course, for our fans as well. They deserve this. I can't wait to see this place tonight.

Q. You've been around some really good clubs and on some really good clubs. What makes this one maybe unlike any other you've been around?

CHRIS YOUNG: I think the word that comes to mind is resilience, just the way the club has handled adversity all season. Nothing has come easily to this group. They've found a way to fight back every time they've faced extreme adversity, even early in the season when we weren't quite sure what our identity was and some tough losses, losses that maybe could put you a five-, six-, seven-game losing streak.

And this group would come back find a way to win. That's what sticks with me in terms of the identity of the group and kind of the way the season has gone as a whole, start to finish, the group has responded every time things have gotten tough.

Q. How does the stress level of pitching in the postseason compare to watching the postseason as an executive?

CHRIS YOUNG: I handled it much better as a player. No, I've been relatively calm and relaxed all playoffs. But when I was a player, everything was about me, what I needed to do each day to prepare to help the team win a game.

This is about everybody else. So there's so many things that go into it. And focusing time and energy on just really a lot that I can't control. It's way different.

But it's also, in a lot of ways, more fulfilling to see our players, our staff, our fans celebrate and to take joy in watching them. It's been tremendous. And it's something I'll never forget.

Q. When you got here in December 2020, I think there was some mystery in the organization about exactly what you had in Adolis Garcia. I'm wondering, can you comment on how the evaluation internally of him kind of morphed and where he was in y'all's eyes versus where he is now?

CHRIS YOUNG: Well, he was still a developing player, and I think the question we had, is he consistent enough to be a good Major League player at that point.

And I think, honestly, where we were as an organization, we had the ability to give him the runway to work through those things. And I think as he got opportunity, we saw a player with extreme aptitude, a player with incredible work ethic -- an energy, a passion for excellence and continual improvement.

And he's made himself into the player he is now. And as you get to know the person, it's no surprise. And I think that's -- one of the things when you go through a rebuild, you're able to find out about a number of players. And Adolis is certainly one.

Q. Just building off that, when he was DFAed or whatever it was in '21, did you expect anybody to grab him? What was sort of the risk calculation there?

CHRIS YOUNG: It's a moment-in-time decision. And I think that we felt like, at that point, hopefully he would clear and we'd retain him within the organization. We still liked him as a player. We just felt like he wasn't one of our top 40 at that time.

And we don't always make good decisions. Nonetheless, sometimes you have some luck and they work out. And he did clear and he stayed in the org and he earned his way back to the big leagues. And the rest is history.

Q. One obviously great decision was signing Eovaldi. What did you like about him? What made you think that he would be durable, because he's always had some injuries in his past?

CHRIS YOUNG: Obviously we understood the medical risks with Nate, and really everybody we signed. We also have a high level of confidence in our medical team. They've done a great job of keeping these guys on the field for the most part this year.

Specific to Nate, just the reputation he has within the industry as a winning player, I think that's what stood out the most. He's performed at the highest level, on the biggest stage. He's been in big markets. He's performed.

But we also knew what kind of teammate he is. How he makes the guys around him better. His work ethic is as good as it gets, and the way he prepares, and the way wasn't to win, and puts the team ahead of himself, those are things we've took into consideration with Nate. And he's lived up to everything we expected.

Q. One of the things I've noticed, particularly in the playoffs, has been your team's defense this year has been much improved over last year. Couple guys specifically in Corey Seager and Nate Lowe and Josh Jung's defense has been better than some people expected. What do you credit that to? And how do you, we've talked to you about the fundamentals, what do you do to implement that and see the level of success you've seen this year?

CHRIS YOUNG: The credit goes to the players and the staff. They've worked at it, every single day, they're out there working at it. They take pride in it and they know how important it is to be a successful team that they have to be able to defend.

And Nate Lowe especially stands out. He's made himself into a tremendous first baseman defensively. It's been really fun to see. But it's a lot of hard work and days that your body is not feeling great and you're tired because you're playing a day game and you didn't get much sleep the night before and you still make a decision to come out and put in the reps. And that's what these guys have done.

In terms of the fundamentals, if you want to reach this point in the season, you have to be a fundamentally sound team. And we weren't there the last few years. It was something that was very important to Boch. It's something we've emphasized to our staff. And to everyone's credit, they've all prioritized it. And the players have responded and met us with their work ethic.

Q. Looking back, what did you guys see in Jonah Heim when you traded for him? And just how thankful are you that you were able to get him in that deal?

CHRIS YOUNG: A switch-hitting catcher, first of all. That was the starting point. And then a player who we felt like, he's a big guy. He did some things really well behind the plate.

We felt he would develop some power in time. And had a very good idea of the strike zone. That's a pretty good foundation in terms of the hitter.

And the catcher, we knew he was soft hands behind the plate. There were things we didn't understand as well, ways we've seen him grow in terms of the way he handles the pitching staff, his game preparation. It's been really, really impressive to see Jonah's growth.

And looking back, I think some of that is, again, where we were as an organization in terms of allowing these guys the runway to go out and fail and have their moments they went through tough times, they faced the adversity and they were able to fight through it. It's led in part to where we are today.

Q. Neither Eovaldi nor Montgomery are going to blow guys away a lot -- they use their pitches, a number of pitches, four and five. I'm wondering in a day when we see more pitchers throwing in the high 90s, starting pitchers even, that these guys go about it their way. Is that something in particular you like to look for or is that just something that just kind of happened?

CHRIS YOUNG: Well, there are a lot of guys that throw really hard. There are not many starters that sit in the upper 90s. They don't grow on trees. These guys are really good pitchers because they're able to pitch.

They understand what their strengths are. They understand how to mix pitches. They move the ball up and down, north/south, front to back, in and out, and they keep hitters off balance. And that's what pitching is.

And they have the intangibles and poise to make pitches when it matters the most. That's also a trait that's somewhat unique.

Q. Obviously when you got Eovaldi, you're getting a guy with considerable playoff experience. Jordan Montgomery didn't really have that. Was there something you saw in him when you went out and got him that, this guy could help anchor a playoff rotation?

CHRIS YOUNG: The last few years he had a pretty good track record of performing. We had heard really good things. Our scouting department did a great job of really understanding the player, doing some background work, talking to previous coaches and teammates. And we had a pretty good idea of the person.

And felt like, given the way he had pitched up until the trade deadline that it was likely he would continue pitching well.

I can't say we expected him to do this well, but we wouldn't be here without him. He's been phenomenal and just a tremendous competitor. And it's been so fun watching him.

Q. Here you are, still not yet three years removed from being hired and you've built a team that has gotten to the World Series. I know it's not just a "you" thing. There's work that was done before you and work by your entire staff. But did you take a moment to appreciate that, hey, I built a World Series team?

CHRIS YOUNG: No and I won't. It's a collective. I'm one small part in this. It started way before me with really international signings going back 10 years ago, the draft, five, seven years ago.

These are people in our organization who have made great decisions for a period of time. And I came in at a moment in time where things were, in my opinion, on the up. It may not have shown record-wise, but there was a foundation built by Jon Daniels, commitment from ownership with Ray Davis and many others within the org.

And I can't commend our entire organization enough in terms of the way they've all come together. Nobody's been satisfied with where we've been. And we're here for a reason, and that's because so many people have committed and bought into a vision and really sacrificed to help us get here.

And ultimately these players are the ones who have made it happen. And they deserve the most credit.

Bruce Bochy and his staff deserve a ton of credit. But it will always be about the collective group, and I'm just one small part of it.

Q. What were your expectations in March and April, and how did those change as the season went along? Do you remember a point where you said to yourself, maybe this team's a little better than I thought they were going to be?

CHRIS YOUNG: As I reflect back, kind of the beginning of the season, really almost a year ago, to the Bruce Bochy press conference, I don't remember which reporter -- if you're in here you can raise your hand -- but someone asked, do you really expect to be competitive next year.

And I remember Boch pounding the table and saying, don't tell me that we can't be competitive, that we can't win.

I saw our players' faces standing off to the side of the podium, I remember their expressions and I could see some head nods. I knew he's going to be a difference maker. And expectations were going to change and that this team was going to come into Spring Training with the mentality of we expect to compete.

I can't say that I knew we would be here in the World Series, but our expectation, in terms of the roster we assembled going into Spring Training, was that we would have a chance to compete for a playoff spot and play meaningful games in September.

And as it played out, that's exactly what's happened. But so much of that goes to -- the credit goes to Boch and then these players for buying in. And they're the ones who have worked relentlessly, day in and day out, and have had that collective vision and common goal to achieve this. And it's been pretty awesome to see.

Q. I think most fans would want teams to be built like the way you guys have built it, you brought in stars, you spent a lot of money to do it. Is there a lot of additional pressure when you do that, when you spend that kind of money? Your team is obviously more than the money you spent on the bigger names, but I wonder how much that carries into it?

CHRIS YOUNG: The pressure is there regardless of how we do it. We expect to win. That's something that I've felt my whole career is that there's a pressure to perform, a pressure to win. It's a performance-based game.

I will say that we have the luxury in this market to be aggressive in free agency, and our ownership has given us tremendous support. And we've been able to excel the rebuild through that.

We lost some of these players. We lost Corey for a big portion of the season. We lost Jacob deGrom this year. It's not about the high-dollar signings; it's all about all the other players that often are role players that are also winning pieces that have come in trades, they've come in player development, international signings, stuff like that.

So there's not one way to do it. I think there should always be pressure to win. I think that's what this game is about. I love the pressure, and I hope that that never goes away.