Ross Youngs is one of three post-1900 MLB debut HoF players whose autograph is not in the collection
Ross Youngs was a beloved player for John McGraw’s New York Giants. Youngs’ first big league appearance came in 1917 at age 20. The following year he hit .302 as the Giants everyday right fielder. His breakout year came in 1920 when he hit .351 with 204 hits. Youngs helped the Giants rea
Ross Youngs is one of three post-1900 MLB debut HoF players whose autograph is not in the collection
Ross Youngs was a beloved player for John McGraw’s New York Giants. Youngs’ first big league appearance came in 1917 at age 20. The following year he hit .302 as the Giants everyday right fielder. His breakout year came in 1920 when he hit .351 with 204 hits.
Youngs helped the Giants reach the World Series each of the next four seasons, earning rings in ’21 and ’22. For a five-year span ending in 1924 Youngs was outstanding, hitting .340 with a .418 on-base percentage.
Two years later Youngs entered his tenth big league season, making him eligible to appear on the Cooperstown ballot. Toward the end of the season, he was diagnosed with a kidney ailment called Bright’s Disease. Youngs played his last game in August of ’26 at age 29. He died that October.
In his initial time on the Hall of Fame ballot, Youngs received less than 5% of the vote. He was dropped from further consideration by the baseball writers. Though his lifetime .322 average, .399 on-base percentage, and OPS+ of 130 are solid, his counting numbers aren’t those of a Cooperstown man. His 1,211 game played are the least among Major Leaguers inducted as position players. For his career, Youngs’ 1,491 hits, 42 homers, and 592 runs batted rank at or near the bottom of Hall of Fame players.
He remains one of three post-1900 MLB debut HoF players whose autograph is not in the collection.
Most believe Ross Youngs' selection to Cooperstown was made possible by former teammate Frankie Frisch
Ross Youngs is often lumped in with some of the least-deserving Hall of Fame selections — George Kelly, Jesse Haines, Chick Hafey, and Dave Bancroft. From 1970-1973, Cooperstown welcomed the four players and Youngs as part of the Veterans Committee selections. Each of the players – Young
Most believe Ross Youngs' selection to Cooperstown was made possible by former teammate Frankie Frisch
Ross Youngs is often lumped in with some of the least-deserving Hall of Fame selections — George Kelly, Jesse Haines, Chick Hafey, and Dave Bancroft. From 1970-1973, Cooperstown welcomed the four players and Youngs as part of the Veterans Committee selections. Each of the players – Youngs included – was a teammate of committee chairman Frank Frisch.
Frisch had a no-doubt Hall of Fame playing career. He retired as the only man with at least 5,000 plate appearances to hit over .300 from both sides of the plate. Chipper Jones has since accomplished the feat. Frisch’s .316 career average remains the highest among switch-hitters. When the legendary Gas House Gang won it all in 1934, Frisch was their starting second baseman and manager. Everyone greatly respected “The Fordham Flash”.
In 1966, Frisch became a voting member of the Hall’s Veterans Committee. Soon he ascended to the position of committee chairman, wielding his substantial influence to induct men who played alongside him. Frisch’s legacy with the Veterans Committee is a dark chapter in the Hall’s history. He played the leading role in electing former teammates who fall well below Cooperstown standards.
Shown above is a letter written by Frisch to Paul Kerr, president of the Hall of Fame from 1961-1978. Frisch writes, “I want to thank you Uncle Paul for selecting the Old Flash as a member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame Committee on Veterans. I feel it quite an honor, and I am proud, and I do hope I can do a thorough job.”.
The letter continues before Frisch pens his remarkably consistent signature at the bottom. The Old Flash served on the committee from his appointment in 1966 until his death in 1973.
Baseball historians agree that the selections of Jesse Haines (1970), Dave Bancroft (1971), Chick Hafey (1971), Youngs (1972), and George Kelly (1973) are among the most glaring errors in the the history of Hall of Fame.
Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, and Cy Young are in everyone’s Hall of Fame. Marginal players like the ones selected on Frankie Frisch’s watch on the Veterans Committee have helped define and damage the Hall of Fame.
His five most glaring selections — George Kelly, Jesse Haines, Dave Bancroft, Ross Youngs, and Chick Hafey have ignited many arguments. Here’s a big reason why: Imagine if your favorite player is Keith Hernandez and you think he should be in Cooperstown. He’s flat out a better first baseman than George Kelly. Hernandez was in fact a better player than any of the five Frisch selections. There are likely hundreds of players better than the Frisch Five.
