John Young (first baseman)

{{Short description|American baseball player (1949–2016)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=John Young

|position=First baseman

|image=John Young Tigers.jpg

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date|1949|2|9}}

|birth_place=Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|death_date={{Death date and age|2016|5|8|1949|2|9}}

|death_place=Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 9

|debutyear=1971

|debutteam=Detroit Tigers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 25

|finalyear=1971

|finalteam=Detroit Tigers

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.500

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=0

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=1

|teams=

}}

John Thomas Young (February 9, 1949 – May 8, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. He also scouted and worked in the front office. Young played in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers in 1971. He founded Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), a youth baseball program aimed at increasing participation among African Americans in baseball.

Career

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Young in the 27th round of the 1967 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. Rather than sign with the Reds, Young chose to enroll at Chapman College, where he played for the school's baseball team.{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/594276462.html?dids=594276462:594276462&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+27%2C+1968&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Theft+a+Game+to+Chapman+Ace&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628041316/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/594276462.html?dids=594276462:594276462&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+27,+1968&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Theft+a+Game+to+Chapman+Ace&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |work=Los Angeles Times|title=Theft a Game to Chapman Ace |date=May 27, 1968 |access-date=June 8, 2013 |first=Al |last=Carr}} {{subscription required|date=May 2016}} He was drafted again in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, of the 1969 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers, at which time he signed. He played two games in the major leagues at first base for the Detroit Tigers in 1971, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run batted in.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060208&content_id=1308934&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Young scores big with RBI program |first=Barry M. |last=Bloom |work=MLB.com |date=February 8, 2006 |access-date=June 8, 2013}} After the 1974 season, the Tigers traded Young to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ike Brookens.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1974-transactions.shtml |title=1974 Detroit Tigers Trades and Transactions |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=June 8, 2013}}

Young rejoined the Tigers as a minor league instructor in 1978, and became a scout for the Tigers in 1979. He was named their director of scouting in 1981.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kehYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IVIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3811,4671259&dq=john-young+detroit-tigers&hl=en|title=Tigers name Young scouting director|agency=Associated Press|work=The Windsor Star|page=51|date=October 15, 1981|access-date=May 9, 2016}} He also scouted for the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Florida Marlins{{cite web| url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ST&s_site=dfw&p_multi=ST&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF8E4473EB710C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | title=Herzog wants to keep his free-agent Angels, but has eyes on others|work=Star Telegram| date=November 25, 1991|access-date=May 9, 2016}} {{subscription required|date=May 2016}} and was special assistant to the general manager for the Chicago Cubs.{{Cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/1997/04/29/1109637/former-major-baseball-league-scout-john-young | title=Former major baseball league scout JOHN YOUNG | date=1997-04-29 | website=www.npr.org}}

=Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities=

While scouting, Young discovered that there were few African American players chosen in the 1986 MLB draft. After presenting his findings to Orioles' general manager Roland Hemond and MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, Ueberroth contacted Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles, who agreed to fund a youth baseball program in Los Angeles, providing $50,000. Young also received funding from the Amateur Athletic Union.{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-05-31/sports/9202120114_1_big-league-baseball-scout-bobby-tolan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104022546/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-05-31/sports/9202120114_1_big-league-baseball-scout-bobby-tolan |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 4, 2013 |title=Scout Sees Inner Cities' Hope Wasted |work=Sun Sentinel |date=May 31, 1992 |access-date=June 7, 2013}}

Young organized 12 teams consisting of 180 13- and 14-year-olds for Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) in 1989.{{cite web|first=Gary |last=Klein|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-22-sp-208-story.html |title=Program Brings Baseball Back to Inner City |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 22, 1990|access-date=June 6, 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2bVPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xgYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6730,5282297&dq=john-young+chicago+cubs&hl=en|title=Inner-city programs slow to produce major prospects|first=Tracy|last=Ringolsby|work=Ocala Star-Banner|page=5D|date=February 5, 1989|access-date=May 9, 2016}} He obtained help from African American players, including Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis, who are from Southern California.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080224&content_id=2387908&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=MLB's RBI program enters 20th year|work=MLB.com |date=May 24, 2013 |access-date=June 6, 2013}} MLB assumed operation of the RBI program in 1991.{{cite web|author=MLB.com|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080805&content_id=3256217&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=About Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities|work=MLB.com|date=May 24, 2013 |access-date=June 8, 2013}}

Personal life

Young was born in Los Angeles, and graduated from Mount Carmel High School.{{cite web|url=http://mtcarmelcrusaders.org/profiles/67bio_jyoung.htm |title=Mount Carmel High School Alumni Foundation |publisher=Mtcarmelcrusaders.org |date=February 9, 1949 |access-date=June 8, 2013}} Young and his wife, Sheryl, had three children, Dorian, Jon and Tori. Young had diabetes, and was admitted into a Los Angeles-area hospital to amputate his leg on May 5, 2016. He died in the hospital on May 8.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/15494780/john-young-founder-youth-baseball-program-dies-67|title=John Young, founder of youth baseball program, dies at 67|work=ESPN.com|date=May 9, 2016|access-date=May 9, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/john-young-rbi-program-creator-dies-at-67-c177039186|first=Tracy|last=Ringolsby|title=RBI program creator John Young dies at 67|work=MLB.com|date=May 9, 2016|access-date=May 9, 2016|archive-date=May 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512073214/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/177039186/john-young-rbi-program-creator-dies-at-67|url-status=live}}

References

{{reflist|30em}}