Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles. He is the younger brother of former major league outfielder and first baseman Dmitri Young. He was the first-overall pick in the 2003 MLB draft.
Minor league career
Young graduated from Adolfo Camarillo High School in 2003, located in Camarillo, California, whereupon he was drafted first overall in the 2003 Major League Baseball draft.
In 2005, Young hit .336 with 20 home runs, 71 RBI and an OPS of .968 in 84 games with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, winning the Southern League Most Valuable Player Award despite playing in just 60% of the games. Young was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on July 15, 2005, where he batted .285 with six home runs and 28 RBIs in 52 games. After the season was over, he was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year and its number one overall prospect for the 2006 season. Young finished his minor league career with a .318 batting average.
Umpire controversy and suspension
On April 26, 2006, while playing for the Durham Bulls in a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, Young was ejected for arguing a third strike call, after which he stared at the umpire for some time and refused to leave the batter's box. On his way back to his dugout, Young turned and tossed his bat underhand, end-over-end, toward the umpire. The bat hit the umpire on his chest and arm, but he was not seriously hurt.
The next day, Young issued an apology through his agent, claiming that he had not intended for the bat to actually strike the umpire, but acknowledging that it was unacceptable to have thrown the bat at all. The International League suspended Young for 50 games, without pay. Young had the option to appeal the suspension, but chose not to do so. The suspension ended on June 19, 2006.
This altercation was not the first Young had with an umpire during a game. In 2005, while playing for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, he had received a three-game suspension for bumping an umpire.
Major league career
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
On August 28, 2006, the Devil Rays called Young up to the major leagues after it was decided that Jonny Gomes had to undergo season-ending surgery. His first game at the Major League level was against the Chicago White Sox and occurred on August 29, 2006, ten years to the day his older brother Dmitri played in his first major league game. In Delmon's first major league plate appearance, White Sox pitcher Freddy García hit Young with a first-pitch fastball. After striking out in his first official at-bat, Young stroked a curveball for a two-run home run, which was his first Major League hit.
As a 21-year-old in 2007, Young finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting to Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia, hitting .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBIs. Young was also a unanimous selection to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of Major League managers.
On November 28, 2007, the Rays traded Young, along with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie, to the Minnesota Twins for Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, and Eduardo Morlan.
Minnesota Twins
Young had an impressive spring training. In 36 at-bats, he batted .361 with two doubles, one home run, and seven RBIs, locking up his spot in left field for opening day. Young finished the season with eight errors, more than any other left fielder in the majors, while his 11 assists led AL left fielders.
In 2008, Young played in 152 games with the Minnesota Twins, batting .290 with 10 home runs and 69 RBIs. He got off to a slow start in 2009, but had a good September, finishing with 12 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .284 batting average.
With the trade of Carlos Gómez to the Milwaukee Brewers, Young became the Twins' starting left fielder for the 2010 season. During the off-season Young shed 35 pounds, down to 200. The 2010 season ended up being Young's best offensive season to date. Young hit .298 with 21 home runs and 112 RBIs, finished tenth in the voting for AL MVP, and was a finalist for a spot on the American League All-Star roster through the online All-Star Final Vote. On defense, he led AL left fielders in errors, with four, and had the lowest fielding percentage, at .984.