Michael Young announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Friday afternoon at the Rangers Ball Park in Arlington.

Young played for the Texas Rangers from 2000 to 2012. His struggles in the 2012 season led the Rangers to trade him to the Philadelphia Phillies in December of that year.

In August 2013, Young was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In both cases, Young waived his no-trade clause in order to allow the trades to be made.

Over the past few weeks, rumors of his retirement had been circulating. On Friday, Young confirmed that he would indeed retire versus remaining with the Dodgers or signing with a new team.

Young had nothing but good to say about the Rangers. He said he loved Los Angeles and Philadelphia, but called the time in Texas 13 of the best years of his life.

The 37 year-old said he was confident, stubborn, immature and had a lot to learn when he came to the Rangers at the age of 23.

“I figured it all out here,” Young said.

“There wasn’t a day went by that I didn’t feel like I was valued. That may sound like a small thing, but to a baseball player, that’s a big deal … Even when we hit some bumps in the road here, at no point did I feel like I wasn’t valued,” he continued.

“Everything that happened here in Texas made me a better person.”

Young called Rangers manager Ron Washington the “best in the business.” He said the two have always enjoyed a “fantastic, honest relationship.”

Washington returned the praise, calling Young the ultimate team leader. He told the gathered press that Young was a “person that came to the ballpark every single day and performed to the best of his ability … the things that he was taught, he was not afraid to pass it on.”

“Character to me overrides everything,” Washington said. “If you look up character in the dictionary, I think you’ll see Michael Young’s face there.”

Several questions at the press conference involved Young’s plans for the future.

Young said that baseball is “in his blood” and he’d like to return to the game in some capacity. When asked if he was interested in becoming a manager, Young replied “Managing is not in my plans.”

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