After getting his walking papers from the Yankees in the fall of 2016, Young traveled South of the Border to play for Naranjeros de Hermosillo. In 35 games — about half of the MWL season — Young put together his first .300-or-better campaign since 2012 with the Colorado Rockies. Plus, it wasn’t just bunt singles and slap hits, EY was banging the ball with power like we had never seen. When all was said and done, he hit more home runs in 35 games — three — than the 232 games he played from 2014 and 2015 combined.

So how exactly did this punch-and-judy hitter finally figure things out at the plate? You could argue it was the change of scenery or the quality of competition, but all logic points to something more pure and serene — like his wife carrying his first child.

Eric Young Jr. was ecstatic about the news, him and his wife even celebrated the 2017 New Year with an unveiling of the soon-to-be babies’ sex.

Then, with everything finally going his way, the New Jersey native got yet another dose of good news: the Los Angeles Angels were signing him to a contract.

Life was good. He had found his hitting stroke in Mexico, had a brand new team, and was going to have a baby boy — Eric Young III.

Unfortunately, things quickly became critical just two days after signing that precious contract with Los Angeles. His firstborn child, who was expected to be delivered sometime in April, was born 11-weeks premature on January 26th, 2017.

Severely underdeveloped, Eric Young III (or Trey for short) couldn’t survive outside of the womb and passed away in the early morning hours of January 27th.

People say the worst thing in the world is losing a child, and even though I’m not a parent, I think this sentiment is likely spot on. Luckily, Eric Young Jr. is a man of intense faith and was able to make the best of what could have been his last shot in affiliated baseball.

The same power EY brought to the table in Mexico was on display again in Spring Training, posting a career-high in home runs while only striking out four times in 55 at-bats. He also stole four bases, but with a jam-packed outfield, he wound up with an assignment to start the year at AAA Salt Lake.