FARGO - Andy Young's baseball career has taken him from West Fargo to Kansas to Terre Haute to now the brink of the major leagues.
He's back home for a brief break before his biggest challenge begins.
The West Fargo native and Arizona Diamondback prospect is in final days of preparation before leaving for spring training in early February.
He was part of the one of the biggest offseason trades in major league baseball. Young was dealt from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Diamondbacks for six time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt.
"It was awesome they wanted me to be in trade for Paul Goldschmidt, I don't feel more pressure, everything takes care of itself on the field whether it was the Cardinals or Diamondbacks." Young said.
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2018 was a breakthrough year for the former Packer. He started the season in Class A and rose all the way to Triple A Memphis, hitting 21 home runs on the season. Now with a young D'backs team, the major leagues are within reach.
"Being a rookie, I'm going to play late at the end of games, get in those 2-3 innings and play well, maybe get 4-5 innings, make a good impression and build off that opportunity." Young said.
That may also mean a reunion with another Packer product. West Fargo's Matt Strahm pitches for the San Diego Padres. "We talk about that all the time, he gave me a bat, I'll hang on to it for my first at-bat against him.
Young leaves for Arizona in two weeks, with the Diamondbacks scheduled for their first full team workout on February 18th.
