Jim Souhan has a very telling headline in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Muscular singles hitter is not what we had in mind". Of course, I don't need to tell you that Souhan is referring to former Devil Dog Delmon Young.

Touted as a power hitter, Delmon Young is gettting outslugged by almost all of his new Twins teammates.

Actually, Young is getting out-slugged by most of the American League. In the first 41 games of the season, Young has 6 extra-base hits. Not one of those extra-base hits are home runs. And 2 of the 5 doubles came last night. Including those 2 doubles, Young has an OBP of .319 and a SLG of .321. That's right. We are 1/4 the way into the season and Delmon Young has an OPS of .640. The .321 SLG and Young's .640 OPS rank as the 5th worst in the American League. Both of those numbers are the worst among all AL outfielders.

This is a strange phenomenon -- a big, strong player with impressive bat speed whose career will be judged on his power and run production, swinging like a tennis player attempting a drop shot...

Not sure what the scouts saw. Maybe they should have talked to a few Rays' fans.

This is beyond alarming. This is approaching pathetic.

Ouch

Playing in the Metrodome, with its large left field, could explain the power decline, but Young's problem has not been warning-track outs -- it has been getting the ball out of the infield. He rarely pulls the ball, and when he does, he does not do so with authority...He has taken the concept of the "inside-out" swing -- à la Mauer -- to a ridiculous degree, dragging the bathead through the hitting zone so belatedly that his hits can only be ground balls up the middle and bloops to right field.

Mr. Souhan: Young's swing is not a new "concept". That is exactly what Young's swing looked like last season. In other words, it sounds like Young hasn't taken to the "Twins Way" yet. Color me shocked. Delmon Young? Not coachable? Couldn't be.

Young has played in 205 consecutive games. Might he require, or deserve, a day on the bench? "He likes to play," Gardenhire said. "He's here to play, and we'll see how long we can ride with it."...Or Gardenhire could play Craig Monroe in left for a few days, and see if the rest enlivens Young's powerless bat.

We are only at the quarter-mark of Young's first season in Minneapolis and already the writers are calling for Young to be benched for a spell.

To all Twins fans: He's your problem now. We tried to warn you to not get too excited about the "Hall of Fame Potential".

Muscular singles hitter is not what we had in mind [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Tampa Bay Rays (35 days until Opening Day)

Over the weekend, Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times explored the Evan Longoria situation and asked whether he is ready for to be on the Rays opening day roster.

"I worked hard in the offseason, and I really do feel I have a legit chance of breaking with the club," Longoria said. "I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely ready."

The Rays don't know. Not yet anyway.

They expect him to be in the majors at some point this season and are confident that - eventually - he's going to be really good.

Topkin is correct in saying that this is the biggest decision for the Rays this off-season. But where we get lost is when the Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon list what they are looking for from Longoria and the main reason that they are hesitant to name The Dirtbag the opening day third baseman.

Friedman and manager Joe Maddon say they'll consider a series of factors beyond actual performance and results, everything from how Longoria carries himself and interacts in the clubhouse; his thought process at the plate and how he makes adjustments during, and between, at-bats; his preparation, work ethic and knowledge of the game; how he plays defense and does the "little" things. And they'll try to gauge other things more subjective such as how he'd handle the frustrations of what would be his first extended slump as a pro.

This is not the first time that the team has stated their concern over the fact that Longoria has yet to experience a slump as a professional. Let's gloss over the fact that Longoria actually did struggle a bit when he was first promoted to AAA Durham last year.

If this is the biggest concern the Rays have with Longoria, then they have no concerns. "He has never slumped" is not a reason to keep somebody in the minors. "He can't handle curveballs" or "He smokes too much weed" are reasons to keep somebody in the minors. "He is too good" is not.

Don't get us wrong. This is something to care about. You want to know that the player will be able to fight his way out of a slump. But it is asinine to think that this is the main reason to keep from promoting your best prospect. Longoria is too good of a hitter. He was born to hit a baseball. At some point he is going to slump. He will be fine.

Longoria: Read? Or Not? [St. Pete Times]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Joe Maddon has made it clear: The right field/DH triangle is not going to be divided equally. Cliff Floyd will be the primary DH. And depending on his health, Maddon would prefer that Rocco Baldelli be the right fielder on most days. Whatever is left over will go to Jonny Gomes. [Tampa Tribune]

"They're all tied together," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "First of all, we have to determine how many games Rocco can play out there. Rocco would be the dominant defensive player if you have the choice. Once you find out what Rocco can do, you go with Jon, defensively, for me. ... Cliff, I really don't want to get him out there too often. I think that would be unwise. He's going to play some outfield, but the least we do of that, the better off he's going to be and we're going to be.

• We are a little confused. First Joe Maddon stated that Brian Anderson "threw really well today...[he] may be a little ahead of what we thought". But then Maddon followed up that comment by saying that Anderson "is on task according to what we set up”. Seems contradictory. If Anderson is healthy, and throwing well, he is a wildcard that could present the Rays with a pleasant problem in the bullpen. As of now, Trever Miller is the lefty specialist. JP Howell also has a very strong chance of making the bullpen as a long/middle reliever. It will be interesting to see how the team handles the situation if they deem Anderson major league-ready. [Herald-Tribune]
• The Bradenton Herald takes a look at the unorthodox route taken by Fernando Perez in his quest to become a major league baseball player. [Bradenton Herald]
• The Bradenton Herald thinks that Carl Crawford and the rest of the Rays should just ignore Delmon Young. We agree that Young is full of hot air and that it was inevitable that he would say something and that nothing further should be said. However, we are glad that Crawford said what he said and glad he said it in the manner in which he said it. When you are a franchise that gets zero respect in baseball circles, Crawford's comments sent a message that no longer are the Rays going to all others to disrespect them. [Bradenton Herald]
• David Chalk of Bugs & Cranks continues his preview of each team by comparing them to the Devil Rays. These are must-reads. [Bugs & Cranks]
  
• Baseball Mastermind ranks the AL clubs. The Rays come in 9th, saying they are "here to stay" but with legitimate concerns about the bullpen. [Baseball Mastermind]
  

Yesterday, Delmon Young was asked about comments made recently by Carl Crawford, in which Crawford refers to the circus that surrounded the Rays in 2007. Crawford referred to Young and Elijah Dukes as two players that "got some growing up and maturing to do".

Young at first declined to comment on Crawford's statement, but then couldn't help himself, saying that he and Dukes are not to blame for the losing ways in Tampa Bay.

Afterwards Crawford dropped the gloves.

"These are exactly the the kind of distractions we were talking about with the Rays, a young guy popping off at the mouth, talking too much,'' Crawford said. "He needs to just shut up and play baseball.''

Crawford said that if Young didn't fully understand his comments about the Rays benefitting form having fewer distractions, Crawford said will be more than willing to explain it. After reading Young's comments in the Times early Friday morning, Crawford was animated in his response: "Nobody even mentioned the word losing, losing games. We know we've been a losing franchise. He just wanted to say something back like he's always running his mouth. That's what he does. He runs his mouth all the time. Nobody was blaming him for anything. For him to come back at me was a personal attack. I feel that if there is anything that he is unsure about, tell him I would be more than happy to say it in his face, or any kind of other way, that would make him understand."

Wednesday April 16. Mark your calendars. That is the first time the Rays will face the Twins this season. We have a feeling Delmon Young will be Gettin' A Delmon of his own sometime in that series.


Crawford relishes the calm [St. Pete Times]
New Minnesota Twin Delmon Young hopes to bury his checkered past with Tampa Bay [Pioner-Press]
Crawford to Delmon: Shut up and play [The Heater]

[Ed. note: This is our 1,000th post, which is about 995 more than The Prof ever envisioned. Thanks for hangin' with us all this time]


You already know what an ass Delmon Young can be and now that he is no longer a Devil Ray, we no longer have to defend his actions...

For those few of you that cannot read Korean, that is Delmon Young having a conversation with his brother Dmitri Young. Below is the translation, but we don't really need that do we? Clearly the younger Delmon just struck out and the elder Dmitri is telling his kin-folk that it was the umpire's fault and that Joe Maddon is holding back his potential. Or maybe it is this...

Dimitri (sic): “Because your face looks exactly like mine, you will be a great star!!”

Delmon: “No! My appearance is not like that!!!”

“DNA can’t be cheated!!”

“Po-jik” (Korean breaking sound)

Caption: “Purveyor of dirty personality!!”

Dirty Personality indeed...It really is a shame that Delmon was not traded to the Nationals this off-season. A team with Delmon, Dmitri and Elijah Dukes would certainly help Washington regain it's status as the crime capital of the U.S.

DNA can't be cheated!!

Delmon Young's Dirty Soul [East Windup Chronicle]
Delmon Young Does Not Have Makings Of A Winner [Rays Index]

Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote a piece entitled "Young has makings of winner" in which he offers evidence that Delmon Young is an adequate replacement for Torii Hunter.

Twins followers now have the choice of continuing to lament the departure of the productive, gregarious Hunter, or to be optimistic that the Twins were aggressive in finding a righthanded hitter of outstanding potential to replace him in the batting order, if not in center field.

We have our own reservations with Young's "outstanding potential" (He is a 5-tool player that has never displayed three of those tools [Speed, Average, Glove] at any level). But our problem with this piece is the assertion that Young will be a "winner". Young has a history of showing that he is anything but a "winner".

• Suspended 50 games for hitting an umpire with a bat.
• Returned from suspension and refused to answer questions about bat-tossing incident and snapped at reporters repeatedly.
• Told reporters he had not talked to manger or teammates after the incident because he did not need to "socialize on past events".
• Complained openly to the press about not being promoted to the majors sooner.
• Complained openly to the press about having to play center field after the suspension of Elijah Dukes and an injury to BJ Upton, leaving Rays with no other options.
• Blasted manager Joe Maddon for the way he was treated after failing to run-out a groundball in the penultimate game of the season, which led to Young being pulled from the lineup. The tirade led to a 1-game benching (later rescinded).

Did we mention that all those incidents occurred in a two-year span?

We are surprised that anybody that follows the Minnesota Twins would refer to a player with this much baggage as somebody with "the makings of a winner". The Twins of the last 20+ years have been the beacon of respectability in baseball and the ultimate example of the proper way to do things. The Twins have always been the classic example of "team". Players are taught from the lower-levels on, that the "team" comes first, with strong emphases placed on sacrifices, moving runners over and fundamentals in the field. Delmon Young is a talented baseball player, but he has yet to show any signs of having "the makings of a winner".

Young has makings of winner [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Padres 9, Devil Rays 0.
That should about do it for Edwin Jackson. We have tried to defend Jackson, even though he has been as bad as Jae Seo and Casey Fossum. We wanted the other two members of The Axis of Evil out of the rotation, but not Jackson. The reason was that Jackson has talent and he is young. There was room for improvement in Jackson that was not present in the other two. But after giving up 5 hits and 2 walks to the only 8 batters he faced last night, we now know that Jackson needs to be out of the rotation with no desire to ever see him there again.

Our change of heart is not based on how bad he looked as much as it was the timing of the performance. This was the single most important start in Jackson's young career. The Rays had just sent Jackson a very clear message by recalling Jason Hammel from Durham. Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon had given Jackson an ultimatum. Either show some improvement or your spot will go to Hammel. So instead of accepting the challenge, Jackson mailed it in. The biggest start of his career. His job as a major league starting pitcher on the line and he gave up. Didn't even compete. He doesn't even get two outs, before Maddon made a very symbolic move by yanking Jackson and replacing him with Hammel.

Pitchers have bad starts. They even have awful starts. We would be willing to bet that a lot of hall of fame pitchers had at least one start where they did not survive the first inning. It happens. But it should never happen in a big game. And this was a big game for Jackson. He quit on himself and he quit on his team. That is not the type of the pitcher you want on a team that is trying to build a winning mentality. When the pressure was greatest, Jackson wilted like Elijah Dukes' bank account after another one-night stand.

We would be shocked if Jackson makes his next start. Good riddance.

This afternoon it is JP Howell's turn. Pressure is not as great on Howell. His job is secure for the time being. But being a winning baseball team is about winning series and the Rays have a chance to win their third straight. The Padres are not a good offensive team (only Jackson can make them look like the Yankees). After such a strong first start, Howell was disappointing in his second outing. There is a bit of pressure on Howell this afternoon to go out and show he belongs by shutting down the Padres and winning the rubber match.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Elijah Dukes was given the night off yesterday. It was a move that was clearly related to his latest non-baseball headlines as the Rays were without another center fielder on the active roster.
• BJ Upton was placed on the DL and Jonny Gomes was recalled from Durham.
  
• The pitching staff recently has been like musical chairs. The opening paragraph of this article will make your head spin.
• Ever the team player, Delmon Young made it clear that he was not happy about having to play center field in the absence of Elijah Dukes.
  

I'll do it because I have to, but I prefer to be in right

Mr. Young. We would like to introduce you to Mr. Wigginton. He is the dumpy looking white guy that often plays second base, even though he probably prefers not to. He may not like it, but we wouldn't know because he never complains and he knows that his job is to do what is best for the team. Mr. Young, you are basically the 5th string center fielder, behind Upton, Dukes, Baldelli and the batboy. Two are hurt, one is an idiot and the 4th had a bar mitzvah last night. The team doesn't want you playing center field any more than they want Danny DeVito being the closer. But sometimes these things happen. We love Mr. Wigginton because he is a gamer. Don't get us wrong. We love you too, but only because you can hit the ball real hard and throw the ball real far. But we would like you to do us a favor. JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND PLAY. Thanks. Have a good day.

Baseball's top prospect, Delmon Young, returned to the field last night after serving a 50-game suspension for throwing a bat at an umpire. In a slight bit of irony, Young was actually able to return one game early as the Durham Bulls concluded a previously rain-suspended game on Monday afternoon. In that game Young appeared and singled in his only at bat (does that mean his suspension was only 49 games?). In the regularly scheduled game, Young was in his usual right field position and his usual #3 spot in the lineup. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. His single in the 3rd inning drove in a run that tied the game 1-1.

Young did meet with reporters before the game a sat down for a one-on-one interview with Bulls broadcaster Neil Solondz, that can be seen over at MILB.com. One problem with fans projecting minor league players and their future success is that 99% of what we know about them comes from box scores. This interview was one of the first times we had ever heard Young talk. We stood behind Young after the incident, but this interview changes our perception a bit.

One thing that comes across is just how young he still is. He just doesn't have that composure that you see during interviews with major league players. In the second question from Solondz, Young was asked how difficult the suspension was for him. Young does not even answer. He just shakes his head and rolls his hand as if to indicate to move on to the next question. The next question asked if Young learned anything from the suspension. Young responds by saying "That's the same question" and again rolls his hand to indicate to Solondz to move on to the next question.

During the interview you can see that he is nervous and very fidgety. He rarely makes eye contact with Solondz during the interview, constantly looking down or looking out to the field. Later on, Young was asked about his relationship with the manager and coaches and Young responds that he "keeps his distance" from the coaches. He also indicates that he has not spoken to the manager or coaches since the incident because he doesn't need to "socialize on past events". So far we are only about three minutes into the interview with seven minutes remaining, and we are already souring on Delmon Young very quickly.

Finally at the end of the interview, Solondz thanks Delmon for sitting down with him, and best we can tell Young does not respond at all, except to take off his mic and walk away. Solondz then can be seen looking towards his producers with a shrug of his shoulders and a very telling look on his face, that seems to display a bit of anger or annoyance.

According to reports, Young's attitude was much the same when he met with reporters on the field. He snapped at several reporters for asking questions they shouldn't ask and even for brushing his leg with a microphone chord. If there was any question before seeing this interview, there shouldn't be any now for Andrew Friedman and the rest of the Devil Rays front office or the fans...Delmon Young is not ready for the big leagues. We had hoped all along to see Delmon this fall in Tampa with a shot at making the team next Spring. That plan now looks to be at least a year away.

Delmon Young interview [MILB.com]
After Ban, a Prospect Is Hoping to Move On [New York Times]