SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Wednesday afternoon Michael Young realized how different his life with the Texas Rangers is now than during his playing days.
It happened right about the time former teammates like Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus were leaving the Surprise Recreation Complex.
"I was on the backfields talking about baserunning with the minor league kids and I see all these nice cars leaving and I was like 'Those were the days,'" Young said.
And Young seems perfectly content with that being the case. Young, 38, is in his first spring camp as a special advisor to general manager Jon Daniels. His new job includes player evaluations on both the major league and minor league side of the camp and he wasted no time getting going in Surprise, arriving Wednesday morning and heading straight to the park.
Young still parks in the player's lot, where he has a spot reserved for special assistant to the GM. He still eats breakfast in the big-league clubhouse. But Young's locker is now with other members of the coaching staff and while he works with the major-league players in the morning, the bulk of his day is spent working with Texas minor leaguers on the backfields in Surprise.
While Andrus and Beltre were leaving the park around noon Wednesday, Young finished up his first day around 5:30 p.m. The day included working with the big leaguers, the minor leaguers and then sitting in on the staff meeting with the minor-league coaches.
"It's fun for me because I get the best of both worlds," Young said. "I get to chop it up with friends and teammates and then I get to go down there (minor-league camp) when they wrap it up and get to see the things I really want to see which is helping a young kid in his career."
Young, who will be in Surprise until Friday and then come back next week, has tried to lend a hand wherever he can. He worked Wednesday morning with Texas second baseman Rougned Odor and then offered advice later in the day to prized prospect Michael DeLeon, who was a year old when Young was in his first spring-training camp with Toronto in 1998.
The advice Young is offering up isn't falling on deaf ears either. Not when it's coming from a seven time All-Star. Not when it's coming from the organization's all-time hits leader and not when it's coming from someone who was still playing the game just two years ago.
No when Young talks he has a captive audience.
"He's someone you listen to every word he says because he's 'The Man,'" said minor league outfielder Nick Williams, who met Young for the first time Wednesday. "He's done everything it seems like. Having coaches who've played people sometimes take parts of what they say. When he's talking you pay attention to everything."
It was that way for current Ranger Mitch Moreland too. He remembers when he was in minor-league camp and Young would come talk to the minor leaguers. Having him back now and helping with both groups can only benefit the organization.
"It's great to have him around," Moreland said. " Whatever role it is to have Michael Young around his presence and what he means to a team you really can't put in words. He was a great teammate and is a great friend. I'm happy to see him out here and glad to see he'll be here with us throughout the season."
While Young looks the same as he did when he last played, he doesn't feel the same. He still works out every day but Wednesday was the first time he had picked up a glove since he played in Dirk Nowitzki's charity softball game last May.
Young said he had to dig his glove out of the garage in Dallas before heading to Arizona. And while he hasn't played with the Rangers since 2013 he was razzed by his teammates like it was yesterday. Adrian Beltre made fun of the now soft-tossing Young and Andrus referred to Young as 'Coach.'
Young was ready for the abuse though because it's part of the game.
"I knew how much I missed the game," said Young, who was named a special assistant last November. "I enjoy this game. It's a huge part of who I am and what I've done for my whole life. This is perfect for me. Come back a little bit and do what I want to do and with some flexibility."
Young's new boss is fine with giving him as much flexibility as he wants, especially when he sees the impact Young makes on the club's prospects.
While De Leon had no idea who Young was when he initially received batting tips from him Wednesday, once he was informed who he was talking too his demeanor changed.
"A lot of these guys were in minor-league camp when he was here," Daniels said. "You can see the instant recognition for what he's done and who he is. The lack of ego, how easy it is for these guys to talk to. They're hear at 5 or 6 in the morning grinding it out. They're not hit-and-run celebrity coaches and they're here to grind it out."
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