Dmitri Young
A fearsome switch-hitting slugger who battled back from personal demons to win a Comeback Player of the Year award.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American baseball player·Birthday: October 11·Generation X
Biography
Dmitri Young's baseball journey was a rollercoaster of prodigious talent, painful setbacks, and hard-won redemption. Drafted fourth overall in 1991, 'Da Meat Hook' possessed a rare combination of size, power, and surprising agility for a big man, making him a two-time All-Star. His peak came with the Detroit Tigers, where he was a central figure in their 2006 World Series run. But his career was nearly derailed by struggles with alcohol, depression, and legal issues, leading to his release from the Tigers in 2006. At his lowest point, many wrote him off. Then, in a storybook twist, the Washington Nationals gave him a chance in 2007. Sober and focused, Young delivered one of the great comeback seasons in recent memory, winning the National League batting title with a .320 average and earning Comeback Player of the Year honors. His career was a testament to raw, unpolished power at the plate and, ultimately, a profound resilience off it.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Dmitri was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dmitri Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Dmitri's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2007 after batting .320 for the Washington Nationals.
- Selected as an MLB All-Star twice, in 2003 with the Detroit Tigers and 2007 with the Washington Nationals.
- Recorded a career-high 29 home runs and 85 RBIs for the Detroit Tigers in 2003.
- Played in the 2006 World Series as a member of the Detroit Tigers.
- Finished his 13-season career with a .292 batting average and 171 home runs.
Did You Know?
He and his brother Delmon Young are one of few brother pairs to both be selected in the first round of the MLB draft.
He was an accomplished switch-hitter, batting over .290 from both sides of the plate in his career.
He played college baseball at the University of Miami before being drafted.
After retirement, he worked as a hitting coach in the minor leagues for the Chicago Cubs organization.
“They called me Da Meat Hook because I could drive in runs from either side of the plate.”
