John Thomas Young (February 9, 1949 – May 8, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. He also

scouted ''Scouted'' is an American reality television series that chronicles the discovery process of the next big name in the modeling industry. The show premiered on Monday, November 28, 2011, on the E! cable network. Overview The series showcases lo ...

and worked in the front office. Young played in Major League Baseball for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 1971. He founded Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), a youth baseball program aimed at increasing participation among

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

in baseball.

Career

The

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

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. He was drafted again in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, of the

1969 MLB draft The 1969 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft took place prior to the 1969 MLB season. The draft featured future Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven (pick 55) and Dave Winfield (pick 882). First round selections The following are the first round picks ...

by the

, at which time he signed. He played two games in Major League Baseball at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the Detroit Tigers in 1971, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run batted in. After the 1974 season, the Tigers traded Young to the St. Louis Cardinals for

Ike Brookens Edward Dwain "Ike" Brookens (born January 3, 1949), is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played in 1975 with the Detroit Tigers. He batted and threw right-handed. Brookens had a 0–0 record, with a 5.23 earned run average (ERA), ...

. Young rejoined the Tigers as a minor league instructor in 1978, and became a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the Tigers in 1979. He was named their director of scouting in 1981. He also scouted for the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Florida Marlins.

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 The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commissi ...

Peter Ueberroth, Ueberroth contacted Tom Bradley, the

mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is term limit, limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of Califo ...

, who agreed to fund a youth baseball program in Los Angeles, providing $50,000. Young also received funding from the Amateur Athletic Union. Young organized 12 teams consisting of 180 13- and 14-year-olds for Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) in 1989. He obtained help from African American players, including

Darryl Strawberry Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder and author who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in th ...

and

Eric Davis The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, who are from Southern California. MLB assumed operation of the RBI program in 1991.

Personal life

Young was born in Los Angeles, and graduated from Mount Carmel High School. 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.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, John 1949 births 2016 deaths Arkansas Travelers players Baltimore Orioles scouts Baseball players from Los Angeles Chapman Panthers baseball players Chicago Cubs executives Detroit Tigers players Detroit Tigers scouts Evansville Triplets players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball first basemen Miami Marlins scouts Montgomery Rebels players San Diego Padres scouts Texas Rangers scouts Toledo Mud Hens players African-American baseball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people