John Young (baseball)
| John Young | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First baseman | |||
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Born: February 9, 1949 Los Angeles, California | |||
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MLB debut | |||
| September 9, 1971 for the Detroit Tigers | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 25, 1971 for the Detroit Tigers | |||
Career statistics | |||
| Batting average | .500 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1 | ||
Teams | |||
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John Thomas Young (born February 9, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. He has 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, a youth baseball program aimed at increasing participation among African Americans in baseball.
Early life
Young was born in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Mount Carmel High School.[1]
Playing 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.[1][2] He was drafted again in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, of the 1969 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, and he signed. He played two games in Major League Baseball at first base for the Detroit Tigers in 1971, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run batted in.[3] After the 1974 season, the Tigers traded Young to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ike Brookens.[4]
Scouting career
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.[5] He also scouted for the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Florida Marlins.[3][6]
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities
While scouting for the Orioles, 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.[7][8] Young also received funding from the Amateur Athletic Union.[9]
Young organized 12 teams of 180 13- and 14-year-olds for Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) in 1989.[7][10] He obtained help from African American players, including Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis, who are from Southern California.[8] MLB assumed operation of the RBI program in 1991.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Mount Carmel High School Alumni Foundation". Mtcarmelcrusaders.org. 1949-02-09. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- ↑ Carr, Al (1968-05-27). "Los Angeles Times: Archives - Theft a Game to Chapman Ace". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Young scores big with RBI program | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. 2013-05-24. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- ↑ "1974 Detroit Tigers Trades and Transactions". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- ↑ The Windsor Star - Google News Archive Search
- ↑ "Star Telegram: Search Results". 1991-11-25.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 KLEIN, GARY (May 22, 1990). "Program Brings Baseball Back to Inner City - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "MLB's RBI program enters 20th year | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. 2013-05-24. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ↑ "Scout Sees Inner Cities` Hope Wasted - Sun Sentinel". Articles.sun-sentinel.com. 1992-05-31. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
- ↑ Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search
- ↑ MLB.com (2013-05-24). "About Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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