Eric Young assured himself of a prominent spot in Rockies lore with the home run he hit in the first at-bat by a Rockies player in a regular-season game in Denver in April 1993.

Eric Young Jr. is determined to add to the family legacy.

So far, so good.

A 30th-round draft choice of the Rockies out of Chandler-Gilbert (Ariz.) Community College in 2003, Young has played his way into a legitimate prospect with a chance to be a part of the franchise's future.

A second baseman, just like his dad, who says the son is stronger, quicker and bigger, Eric Young Jr. was given a sure sign of his stature within the organization during the offseason.

In an organization that has depth in the middle infield, he was placed on the 40-man roster and is in big-league spring training for the first time.

Meanwhile, Cory Wimberly, another second baseman whose game is built on speed, was left off the roster. When nobody selected Wimberly in the winter draft, he was dealt to the Oakland Athletics this month for potential backup outfielder Matt Murton.

"We are real close, but you had to feel that one of us was going to get traded," Young said. "For the organization to protect me spoke plenty about the fact I am in the plans. I don't know if it is the near future or distant future, but it shows I do fit."

Now it is up to Young to continue to force the Rockies to fit him in.

He definitely is his father's son.

Young Jr. has hit .289 in his minor league career with 245 stolen bases. He led the Low Single-A South Atlantic League with 87 in 2006 and the High Single-A California League with 73 in 2007. Last year, he stole 46 bases at Double-A Tulsa.

And he has learned from the challenges his father faced.

Offered a football scholarship out of high school to Villanova, Young Jr., instead of following his dad's path that saw him play football at Rutgers, opted to focus on baseball.

He decided to go to junior college in Arizona because he felt he would play more at a younger age and the warmer weather would be more conducive to developing his abilities.

A 30th-round draft pick - 13 rounds earlier than the Dodgers selected his father - Young Jr. played a second year of junior college, then signed with the Rockies in what has been a steady but far from quick rise in the organization.

He spent two years at rookie Casper, then a year each at the Rockies' Single-A affiliates, advancing to Tulsa last year.

This year, he is expected to wind up at Triple-A Colorado Springs, but after a quality Arizona Fall League in which he added the three outfield positions to his resume in addition to second base, Young Jr. sees the next month as a chance to make an impression on the big-league staff.

The playing time will be limited given the Rockies already have Jeff Baker and Omar Quintanilla to handle backup roles to second baseman Clint Barmes and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. But what playing time there is will be treated with respect.

It's a lesson he learned from his dad, who admittedly at times in his career was so caught up in his own world that he didn't realize when people were on his side.

He went through some tumultuous times with original Rockies manager Don Baylor, who constantly was pushing the elder Young and welcomed a trade that sent him back to the Dodgers.

By the time the elder Young wound up with the Chicago Cubs, where Baylor was the manager, he "realized how Don was pushing me and pushing me because he wanted me to be the best player I could be. He didn't want me to waste any talent."

The elder Young has made sure his son doesn't make a similar mistake.

"He keeps telling me that what you control is your effort and being ready for your opportunity," Young Jr. said. "Each day you prepare like it is going to be your turn. You keep yourself mentally and physically ready so that when the chance comes you can take advantage of it."

And with that in mind, having taken a break after the Rockies' full workout, Young, who knows his defense remains a question, put on a dry shirt, grabbed his glove and headed back to the field to field groundballs.

"Practice, practice, practice," he said of what it takes to soften the hands and answer the defensive questions. "I get here early and stay late. It's my job."

And thanks to fatherly advice, he understands that.

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