Born in Granite, Maryland, he was first signed by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1946 season, and appeared in three games for them in 1948 before being traded to the crosstown Browns in June 1949.

He continued as the starting second baseman after the team relocated to Baltimore before the 1954 season, and was in fact the first player signed to a contract that year.

But the move closer to his hometown did not produce strong results, and his batting average – which had hovered around the .250 mark – slipped to .245 in 1954 and to .199 in early 1955, leading to his trade to the Cleveland Indians in June.

In previous years, the tour had included only African American major leaguers, who faced off against Negro league stars.

Young, Gil Hodges, Ralph Branca and Al Rosen joined the groundbreaking interracial tour of the South, which began in Baltimore and concluded in Houston.