Ross Youngs

Ross Middlebrook "Pep" Youngs (April 10, 1897 – October 22, 1927) was an American professional baseball player who played right field almost exclusively across ten seasons in Major League Baseball, all with the New York Giants, from 1917 through 1926. Born in Shiner, Texas, the second of three sons, Youngs excelled at both baseball and American football at the West Texas Military Institute. He began his professional career in minor league baseball and was signed by the Giants in 1916.

With the Giants, Youngs compiled a lifetime .322 batting average and hit over .300 in nine seasons, including eight consecutive years. He was part of the Giants teams that captured four straight National League pennants and won the 1921 and 1922 World Series. His career was cut short by illness, and he died at the age of 30 of Bright's disease.

Youngs was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 by the Veterans Committee. The election drew controversy, as the committee included his former teammates, and charges of cronyism were leveled against it.