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| Delmon Young launches his sixth-inning homer. |
The erstwhile Twins outfielder hit two more home runs Thursday for Detroit, helping keep the Tigers alive in the ALCS. He now has five homers in the Tigers' 10 postseason games — one more than he hit for the Twins before being traded in August.
There's a notion going around that this hot streak "proves" that the Twins shouldn't have traded him. I think it "proves" only what we knew — that Young has more power than he showed with the Twins this year, which isn't saying much. A slugging percentage around .400 and an on-base percentage around .300 isn't good for any major league hitter, much less a corner outfielder who had trouble in the field —and that's what Young has done in four of his five full major league seasons, the exception being 2010.
As a Twins fan, it doesn't bother me that Young hit three homers against the Yankees and two more against Texas. The more the merrier. And as a Twins fan, it will not bother me if the Tigers decide to wrap him up with a big-dollar, long-term contract.
Maybe Jim Leyland can get more out of him than Ron Gardenhire did. If so, more power to him. My sense is that Young is never going to live up to the expectations that accompany the No. 1 overall pick.
Agreed, agreed, agreed!
ReplyDeleteI'm pulling for the Tigers, but the fact is that Delmon is a defensive liability and has yet to show he's ever going to be a consistent offensive performer.
And if he does become a superstar, good for him. There are times I think players need that proverbial change of scenery to blossom. As dumb as this may sound, I'm not sure David Ortiz ever would have become the player he was without getting out of Minnesota. By the same token, I'm not sure Joe Nathan ever would have been the pitcher he was without going to Minnesota.