As most Dodger fans know by now, veteran infielder Michael Young is facing the biggest decision of his career, if not his life – and it most certainly could have an impact on his legacy.

The 37-year-old Covina, CA native said on Sunday that he is seriously considering whether he should retire to spend more time with his family or return for one more season, adding that if he does return, it’s “…a safe bet…” that it would be with the Dodgers.

“I’ve made no secret I’ve loved my time in L.A.,” Young told L.A. Times Dodgers beat reporter Dylan Hernandez. “Great teammates, coaching staff. It’s a first-class organization, top to bottom. As far as baseball is concerned, the Dodgers are it for me.”

The decision to retire from baseball is in and of itself a huge decision but when your career numbers are on the very edge of being a possible Hall of Fame candidate, the decision is even more difficult.

Young is by no means a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame but a sub-.300 season in 2014 could very well keep him out of it. (Photo credit – Victor Decolongon)

Young’s situation is eerily similar to that of his most recent MLB manager Don Mattingly. Over a five-year stretch Mattingly was, hands down, the best first baseman in the game – bar none. He put up numbers between 1984 and 1989 that were alien-like and he was well on his way to immortality in Cooperstown. But then came the injuries – more specifically a nagging back injury. As a result, the nine-time Gold Glove winner, six-time All-Star and 1985 AL MVP began putting up human-like numbers – still very good but nothing like the Hall of Fame-type numbers he put up in the mid to late ’80s. And even though Mattingly ended his career with an outstanding triple slash of .307/.358/.471 for an OPS of .830, the 127 games that he missed during his final three season will probably prevent his ticket to the sacred Halls of Cooperstown from ever being punched – at least as a player.

Mattingly’s career numbers are better than Young’s – but not by much.
(Photo credit – Rich Pilling)

Although Michael Young’s 14-year major league career numbers are a little lower than Mattingly’s at .300/.346/.441 with a .787 OPS, he is sitting right on top of that coveted career .300 batting average number that many consider the definitive line between being a Hall of Famer or not. And while it doesn’t seem fair that the BBWAA puts so much emphasis on this mystical .300 number, the truth of the matter is that they do. As such and with the likelihood that Young would (probably) return to the Dodgers as a utility bench player, he would have an extremely difficult time achieving and maintaining a .300+ batting average – which could be the difference between being enshrined in the Hall of Fame or having to buy a ticket to visit it. (And you wonder why this is such a difficult decision for Young).

Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has gone on record to say that recently acquired Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero is “…leading the pack…” as the favorite to be the Dodgers everyday second baseman in 2014. But in the same breath he also said that Guerrero will have to compete for the job against the likes of Dee Gordon, Justin Sellers, Miguel Rojas and perhaps Michael Young, should he decide to return. (Note: Although there has been no official word that the Dodgers have offered Young a contract, it is my belief that they have).

Even though Guerrero has yet to see his first MLB pitch, I would be shocked if he does not break camp as the Dodgers everyday second baseman; however, and to be brutally honest, even at 37 years old Michael Young has more pop than Gordon, Sellers and Rojas. Defensive range and speed – well, that’s another story.

Believe it or not, in the one month that Michael Young was a Dodger in 2013 he put up some very good numbers. In the 21 games that he appeared in after his August 31 acquisition, Young hit a very impressive .314 (16 for 51). The problem is, most of those 16 hits came with either two outs or with no one in scoring position, as he had only four RBIs. (Is that even possible?). In other words, he was basically an invisible man out there and did very little to help anyone but himself (and his Hall of Fame aspirations). Unfortunately and like most of the Dodgers, he had a dismal postseason hitting only .111 (1 for 9) – including 0 for 6 in the NLCS.

Although Young’s decision to retire from baseball or to return for one more season to compete for that everyday second base job is still uncertain, the truth of the matter is that he has absolutely nothing to lose by at least trying out for the job at spring training – something that he says he is ready to do if his decision leads him in that direction.

“I’ve worked out as if I expect to go out and have a productive season,” said Young. “I’m ready to play.”

Should Young struggle during spring training or should it appear that he is destined for the Dodgers bench with his Hall of Fame hopes hanging in the wind, he could then choose to retire. But if he retires without giving it one last shot and fails to reach the Hall because of it, he will spend the rest of his life wishing that he had.