#23 - Don Young

Next up in our look at all the Cubs that wore #23 is Don Young, who wore the number in an 11 game stint with the Cubs in 1965.

Don Young was signed by the Cardinals as a 17-year-old free agent in June of 1963. The next spring the Cubs grabbed him in the first year waiver draft. By 1965 he was in AA and hit .273 with 16 home runs. That was good enough to earn him a September call-up and a shot at the majors. He played in 11 games and had 36 at bats, but only two hits, which is a .057 average. The curse of #23 lived on!

Its interesting that an .057 average in 11 games was good enough to get him a rookies star card in the 1966 set.

In May of 1967 the Cubs sold him back to the Cardinals, but in two months the Cubs bought him back. I wonder what the story there was?

It would be four years before Young returned to the majors, as a member of the 1969 Cubs. This time around he was given #29. He played in 101 games and was involved in one of the most controversial events of the season. His baseball career ended after two season back in the minors.