Michael Young, who spent 12 seasons with the Rangers, is happy to have a fresh start with the Phillies.

Young will begin the 2013 season as Philadelphia's starting third baseman. He has struggled to get onto the field with the deep Rangers in recent years.

"I couldn't be more excited to be a member of this organization right now," said Young, whom Philadelphia acquired in a trade. "This is a team with a really strong history of winning over here the past five or six seasons. Great history and a great fan base. A loud, intense and fun ballpark. All those things really appealed to me.

"When the trade was presented to me, I heard from Chase [Utley], I heard from Cliff [Lee], I heard from Laynce [Nix]. A lot of guys went out of their way to say hello, and I appreciated that. I heard from Jimmy [Rollins] right when the trade went down. These are all guys I have a past history with, and guys I felt very comfortable with. I knew this is a place I could fit in really well. I knew this was a place where I could step into Clearwater and call it my home."