Delmon Young: MVP?
David
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Throughout his Minnesota career, outfielder Delmon Young has been considered somewhat of an underachiever — and not without reason. After being drafted in the first overall spot in 2003, Young excelled in the minors and was runner up in the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year voting in Tampa Bay. At the end of the season, Young was traded to Minnesota. There his career began to stall.
In his first two years as a Twin, Young missed 64 games due to injury. When he was playing, he was a spotty fielder and an unspectacular hitter who swung at far too many pitches, making people question whether he was worth the price of Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza — especially considering that Garza had become one of the stronger members of the Rays pitching staff and won the 2008 ALCS MVP. But in 2010, Young began to show his true value to Minnesota.
Young had a busy offseason. He lost 30 pounds by cutting out a meal a day from his diet. The loss helped his speed in the outfield, making his defense much more reliable (career .976 fielder, this year .979). Additionally, he started swinging at fewer pitches, greatly reducing his strikeouts (career .185 strikeouts/at-bat, this year .113). But perhaps most importantly, his batting average (hits/at-bat) has improved from .290 before this season to .316. Because of all this, he has become a prime MVP candidate with his batting average seventh in the AL and his performance without injured teammates Justin Morneau and Orlando Hudson.
Additional Musings
- Jason Repko has definitely improved since his days with the Dodgers. His fielding in centerfield has been fun to watch.
- Alexi Casilla has made a huge impact in the infield while J.J. Hardy plays second base. His fantastic grab-jump-spin-throw move in the bottom of the ninth against the Rays.
- Danny Valencia has shown why he should be considered for starting third base for the rest of the season. With his excellent fielding skills and .329 batting average, the Twins have no reason to send him back down to AAA Rochester.
- Jim Thome has been pounding out the homers since he joined the Twins. Thanks for passing up on him, White Sox!
- I don’t have anything against LeBron for wanting to go to Miami. I do, however have something against him for the way he did it. Having a one-hour ESPN special was one of the worst ways to keep his previously large fanbase.
- Glen Coffee: What? Retirement at age 23? Are you sure about this?
- Andre Johnson deserves every penny he makes from his new two-year, $23.5 million extension with $13 million guaranteed. He is a shining example of a receiver who does his job and keeps class off the field.
- I was truly saddened by the Titans' release of Stafon Johnson. For those of you who don't remember or know the story, Johnson severely injured his neck and tore several muscles when he dropped a 275-pound barbell on his throat in a tragic 2009 weight-lifting accident. After recovering and making his way to the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Johnson dislocated his right ankle in his first preseason game and was promptly cut. Good luck, Stafon!
- Retire already, Brett! Stop screwing with us Packer fans!
In his first two years as a Twin, Young missed 64 games due to injury. When he was playing, he was a spotty fielder and an unspectacular hitter who swung at far too many pitches, making people question whether he was worth the price of Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza — especially considering that Garza had become one of the stronger members of the Rays pitching staff and won the 2008 ALCS MVP. But in 2010, Young began to show his true value to Minnesota.
Young had a busy offseason. He lost 30 pounds by cutting out a meal a day from his diet. The loss helped his speed in the outfield, making his defense much more reliable (career .976 fielder, this year .979). Additionally, he started swinging at fewer pitches, greatly reducing his strikeouts (career .185 strikeouts/at-bat, this year .113). But perhaps most importantly, his batting average (hits/at-bat) has improved from .290 before this season to .316. Because of all this, he has become a prime MVP candidate with his batting average seventh in the AL and his performance without injured teammates Justin Morneau and Orlando Hudson.
Additional Musings
- Jason Repko has definitely improved since his days with the Dodgers. His fielding in centerfield has been fun to watch.
- Alexi Casilla has made a huge impact in the infield while J.J. Hardy plays second base. His fantastic grab-jump-spin-throw move in the bottom of the ninth against the Rays.
- Danny Valencia has shown why he should be considered for starting third base for the rest of the season. With his excellent fielding skills and .329 batting average, the Twins have no reason to send him back down to AAA Rochester.
- Jim Thome has been pounding out the homers since he joined the Twins. Thanks for passing up on him, White Sox!
- I don’t have anything against LeBron for wanting to go to Miami. I do, however have something against him for the way he did it. Having a one-hour ESPN special was one of the worst ways to keep his previously large fanbase.
- Glen Coffee: What? Retirement at age 23? Are you sure about this?
- Andre Johnson deserves every penny he makes from his new two-year, $23.5 million extension with $13 million guaranteed. He is a shining example of a receiver who does his job and keeps class off the field.
- I was truly saddened by the Titans' release of Stafon Johnson. For those of you who don't remember or know the story, Johnson severely injured his neck and tore several muscles when he dropped a 275-pound barbell on his throat in a tragic 2009 weight-lifting accident. After recovering and making his way to the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Johnson dislocated his right ankle in his first preseason game and was promptly cut. Good luck, Stafon!
- Retire already, Brett! Stop screwing with us Packer fans!