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Royce Middlebrook Youngs (April 10, 1897 - October 22, 1927) was a Major League Baseball outfielder best known for his superb defense and consistent hitting.
Born in Shiner, Texas, Youngs made his major league debut in 1917 with the New York Giants and played his first full season in 1918, placing 6th in the league with a .302 batting average. Youngs batted .300 or higher in every season until 1925, and higher than .350 twice, scored 100 or more runs three times, and posted a career high 102 RBI in 1921 and 10 home runs in 1924. The Giants went to the World Series four consecutive years (1921 - 1924) and won twice (1921, 1922).
Youngs's career was abruptly cut short in 1926 when he was diagnosed with the kidney disorder which at the time was called Bright's disease. He played in 95 games that season and died the following year, on October 22, 1927, at the age of 30. Nevertheless, Youngs posted impressive numbers over his abbreviated ten year career, including 812 runs, 42 home runs, 592 RBI, 153 stolen bases and a .322 career batting average and .399 career on base percentage.
Youngs was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
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