Ralph Stuart Young (September 19, 1888 – January 24, 1965), commonly known as "Pep",[1] was an American professional baseball player and coach.

A native of Philadelphia, Young played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), principally as a second baseman, from 1913 to 1922, including nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees in 1913, the Detroit Tigers from 1915 to 1921, and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1922.

Over the course of Young's big league career, he appeared in 1,022 games, 993 as a second baseman, and compiled a .247 batting average.

Young was also known as one of the best defensive second baseman in the American League (AL) during his playing career until a back injury in 1921 led to erratic throwing.

He is a wonderful fielder, a great base runner, a fine man to get passes, and he used to be a fairly good hitter.

[2] During his first year with the Tigers, Young received daily, one-on-one batting instruction from the team's center fielder, Ty Cobb.

He led the American League's second basemen with 32 errors, but showed promise in also ranking highly among the league second basemen with 371 assists (fourth), a 5.46 range factor per nine innings (fourth), 233 putouts (fifth), 44 double plays turned (fifth), and a .950 fielding percentage (fifth).

[2] Throughout his career, Young's offensive contributions were fueled by his discipline as a batter and an ability to collect bases on balls and avoid striking out.

Over the course of his career, Young collected 495 bases on balls and struck out only 254 times in 4,341 plate appearances.

[2] Whether due to the tutelage of Ty Cobb or the arrival of the live-ball era, Young's offensive numbers jumped dramatically in 1920.

[2] Young saw his offensive numbers climb further in 1921, as he hit for a career high .299 batting average and a .406 on-base percentage.

The 1921 Tigers still hold the American League record for highest single season team batting average at .316.

In 1919, Young's range factor rating of 5.70 was 51 points higher than the league average for second basemen.

One writer noted: "His arm suddenly went wrong, and try as he might he couldn't make the short toss to first base with any degree of accuracy.

During the off-season, Young stated than an x-ray had revealed that he had been playing with a "dislocated vertebrae" for which he was undergoing treatment in Philadelphia.

Young's arrival required the Athletics' second baseman, Jimmy Dykes, to move to third base for the 1922 season.

Young spent only one season with the Athletics, appearing in his last major league game on September 29, 1922.

[15] At the time of his release, one writer noted it marked "the passing of one of the smartest men in the game," an individual who "played 'heads up' baseball, and in his prime was considered one of the best second sackers in the majors.

[21] On March 23, 1948, Young was hired as the head coach of the Saint Joseph's Hawks baseball team.