Former major leaguer Dmitri Young hired as baseball coach at Camarillo

Washington Nationals' Dmitri Young warms up on deck against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Columnist

Aug. 12, 2020 4:58 PM PT

Former major leaguer Dmitri Young has been hired as baseball coach at Camarillo High School.

Young, 46, was a high school baseball legend at Rio Mesa in Oxnard, became a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991 and spent 13 years in the majors. He has been an assistant coach for three years at Oaks Christian.

“My job is to help these boys develop,” Young said.

Young is the latest former major leaguer to come to Ventura County and become a coach. Jack Wilson is head coach at Thousand Oaks and Royce Clayton is at Oaks Christian. Add Jerry Royster, the head coach at Sierra Canyon, and all of them can show off their skills hitting, fielding and running skills.

“Jack is young and full of vigor,” Young said. “When they said you’re retired, I took it to heart.”

Young said it was strange putting on a Camarillo hat for the first time, since Camarillo was his rival when he played for Rio Mesa.

“I wouldn’t be caught in that hat in high school,” he said.