Ross Youngs
Youngs packed a Hall of Fame career into just 10 seasons before kidney disease claimed his life at 30. The Giants right fielder hit .322 for his career while playing excellent defense in the spacious Polo Grounds, where his speed turned doubles into triples and helped him cover enormous ground in right field.
His peak coincided perfectly with the Giants' championship runs in the early 1920s. Youngs batted .375 in the 1921 World Series and .348 in 1922 as New York captured consecutive titles. John McGraw called him the best outfielder he ever managed, praise that carried weight given McGraw's three decades in the game.
The Veterans Committee inducted Youngs in 1972, recognizing a player whose career was defined more by consistent excellence than gaudy numbers. In an era when .300 hitters were common, his .322 average stood out for its reliability — he never hit below .306 in any full season.
Career · Batting
10 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | NY1 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 1 | .346 | — | — |
| 1918 | NY1 | 121 | 474 | 1 | 25 | .302 | — | — |
| 1919 | NY1 | 130 | 489 | 2 | 43 | .311 | — | — |
| 1920 | NY1 | 153 | 581 | 6 | 78 | .351 | — | — |
| 1921 | NY1 | 141 | 504 | 3 | 102 | .327 | — | — |
| 1922 | NY1 | 149 | 559 | 7 | 86 | .331 | — | — |
| 1923 | NY1 | 152 | 596 | 3 | 87 | .336 | — | — |
| 1924 | NY1 | 133 | 526 | 10 | 74 | .356 | — | — |
| 1925 | NY1 | 130 | 500 | 6 | 53 | .264 | — | — |
| 1926 | NY1 | 95 | 372 | 4 | 43 | .306 | — | — |
| Career | 1211 | 4627 | 42 | 592 | .322 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.