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PERSONAL:
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- Delmon is the younger brother of former Major Leaguer Dmitri Young.
- Delmon was just five years old in 1991 when Dmitri was drafted out of Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, California as the Cardinals first round pick (the 4th pick overall in the draft). Delmon was too young to understand the significance of the day.
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Delmon's older brother, Dmitri, recalls when his little brother was just a toddler: "At three, he was at the batting cage and he used to show up kids 10-12 years old,'' Dmitri said.
And later, "What year was it? 2001, I don't know what grade he was in, a sophomore, perhaps,'' Dmitri Young said. "Then- Reds manager Bob Boone let him hit in our hitting group at Dodger Stadium. This was when the fans were out. He hit three out.''
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A lot of the credit for Young’s advanced approach should go to his father. Larry Young flew F-14s in the Navy when Delmon and older brother Dmitri were growing up. He likened the mental approach to the game to landing planes on aircraft carriers.
“It’s the same intense focus,” Larry Young says. “I tried to instill that no matter what you’re doing, you need to have that focus, that same drive, that certain discipline you need. And if you take that same approach, that deep mental focus can become second nature if you work hard enough at it.”
Delmon has had his solid mental approach since he was 12 or 13 years old. That is part of what made him head and shoulders above other players back then. and what makes his ability and performance so great today. He has the desire, focus and approach. (Chris Kline-Baseball America-Sept. 12, 2005)
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Larry Young had his sons work hard at athletics. His workouts were legendary. He would force his boys to take 200, 300, sometimes 500 swings every day, barking instructions and insults like a military sergeant until they got it right.
Camp Larry, the boys called it. Delmon, who is 12 years younger, made a goal of outperforming Dmitri every step of the way.
- In 2003, at Camarillo High School in California, Young completed the regular season with marks of .544-7-28 after missing five games with a sprained ankle.
- He committed to the University of Arizona as a high school senior in 2003.
- Young has a good feel for the game. Part of it is from his discussions with his older brother, when he was a star in the Majors. "With Dmitri, we mostly talk about staying focused," Delmon said. "If it's too hot, if you're hurt, but not injured, or if you're tired, you still have to give it your all. You have the rest of the day to recover. Just suck it up for those three hours."
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Young has an attitude that helps him succeed. He works hard and will reap prosperity.
"It's all about having fun," Delmon said. "If you're not having fun, you might as well quit. Baseball is just fun, period."
But Young comes across as aloof and stand-offish. Watch for maturity to make that attitude disappear. After all, he also has the intangibles, including things you just can't teach. He also appears humble, with a calm demeanor. And he is coachable.
- In 2003, in the Arizona Fall League, Young hit .417 in 15 games.
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Before 2004 spring training, Baseball America rated Young as the second best prospect in the Devil Rays organization. Before 2005, the magazine moved him up to the #1 prospect in Tampa Bay's system. And that is where Baseball America rated Delmon in January 2006—the top prospect in the D'Rays' organization. And he was also the best prospect in all of Minor League Baseball.
In the winter before 2007 spring training, the magazine again rated Young #1 prospect in the D'Rays' organization.
- Delmon showed up at 2004 spring camp with a Hummer brother Dmitri bought him. "It was a graduation and draft gift," Delmon Young said.
- In 2004, Young was named the Rays minor league player of the year after a solid debut at Class A Charleston (S.C.), leading the South Atlantic League with 116 RBIs and 165 hits in 131 games while ranking in the top 10 in average (.322, fifth), homers (25, sixth), runs (95, third), total bases (276, third), slugging percentage (.538, fourth), and on-base percentage (.388, ninth).
- Delmon has learned to handle the big demand he is under for autographs. "You've got to establish the boundaries early, so it doesn't get out of control," he said. "I sign for a couple minutes when I come out, then a couple more after BP and then after the game. But people have to understand the demand."
- Though there are no real questions about his makeup, he crossed the line in 2005. He drew a three-game suspension in April after chest-bumping Southern League umpire Jeff Latter.
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In 2005, Young's 176 hits between Durham and Double-A Montgomery were the fourth most in the minors. He finished four home runs short of a 30-30 season.
He was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year for 2005.
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On April 26, 2006, Young flipped a bat at an umpire after being ejected from Triple-A Durham's game at Pawtucket, R.I. He was suspended by the International League for 50 games.
After being called out on strikes on a 1-and-2 pitch in the first inning, Young lingered in the batter's box for an unusually long time and was ejected. He then flipped his bat underhanded toward the umpire and struck him above the waist.
A replacement umpire, Richard Cacciatore, was working the game because of the minor league umpire strike.
Randy Mobley, President of the International League, said that the suspension, retroactive to April 27, is the longest known penalty in the 123-year history of the International League, according to the information uncovered during the investigation. The reprimand also includes a minimum of 50 hours of community service. Young earns $500,000, making the suspension cost him approximately $145,000 in salary. Mobley said he looked at precedents established in baseball, and in other sports.
Immediately after Young threw the bat, he retreated to the clubhouse and phoned Devil Rays general manager Andrew Friedman to tell him what happened, and Mobley told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that Young's cooperation with his investigation "could not have been better.... He knew right from the start that he had messed up big-time, and his attitude continued to be that all along."
Young was very interested in including the community service aspect of his penalty all along, Mobley said. In his investigation, Mobley said he could not determine, with absolute certainty, that Young had intended to hit the umpire when he threw the bat.
"If I had, I would have suspended him for the entire season," Mobley told Olney. "He explained to me that it was his intent to throw his bat and throw his helmet back toward to the plate to show his disgust with the call, as we've seen in other situations, and there was a miscalculation. My goal was to arrive at something fair and just, and I feel comfortable that we've done that."
Delmon finished his suspension on June 19 and resumed his playing career.
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Young says he made a conscious decision to change his attitude the day after the 2007 season, when he got home from Tampa.
"It was time to clean it up and grow up," he said, as sweat dripped off his 6-3, 215-pound frame from a recent workout. "You get four years from 18-21—you know, college time—where you can get in a little bit of trouble. But after that you've got to wake up and join the real world."
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During the winter before 2008 spring training, Delmon made the 45-minute drive from his parents' home in Camarillo, California to the Peak Performance Project (P3) in Santa Barbara. There, Marcus Elliott, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, trains baseball players to focus on the explosive movements unique to their sport, emphasizing leg drive, hip explosion, and shoulder strength.
Young began working out with the likes of Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and Cleveland's Casey Blake.
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On May 15, 2009, Delmon left the Twins to got to California and be with his Mom, who was seriously ill with cancer.
Just a few days later, on May 19, Bonnie Young died after a 3 1/2 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 53. Delmon had been extremely close with his mother. He was by her side at their home in Camarillo, California when she passed.
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April 26, 2012: Young was arrested on a hate-crime harassment charge after police say he attacked a group of men and yelled anti-Semitic epithets.
Police say Young was standing outside of the Hilton New York, not far from Times Square. A group of about four Chicago tourists staying there were approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke.
As the group walked up to the hotel doors, Young started yelling anti-Semitic epithets. Police say it's not clear who he was yelling at, but he got into a tussle with one of the Chicago group, who sustained scratches to his elbows. Police were called, and Young was arrested at 4:00 a.m. at 54th Street and 6th Avenue. He was hospitalized at first because he was believed to be intoxicated.
Major League Baseball suspended Delmon for seven days (April 27-May 4, 2012), and he underwent a treatment program.
On November 7, 2012: Delmon was ordered to complete 10 days of community service and enroll in a program at the Museum of Tolerance New York as part of the Manhattan District Attorney's office restorative justice program.
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In 2012, Young was selected MVP of the AL Championship Series after batting .353 with two homers and six RBIs for the Tigers in a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees.
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Delmon was one of the first Orioles at the Ed Smith Stadium complex every morning in Spring Training 2015. He arrived around 6 a.m. ET to get in a workout before the sun comes up.
"I've been doing this since 2004 [as a Devil Ray] withCarl Crawford. It's just something I've always done," Young said of his early-morning habits. "He was the leader of the team when I first showed up at big league camp, so I followed him around everywhere. He would show up early, so I'd show up early."The work is paying off. He has seen plenty of time in the outfield, though he pointed out he hasn't gotten a lot of balls hit his way. (Ghiroli - mlb.com - 3/25/15)
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February 8, 2016: Young was arrested in Miami after allegedly choking and threatening a valet attendant, and using ethnic slurs. Andy Slater of 940-AM WINZ in Miami was the first to report Young’s arrest. HardballTalk has independently confirmed the report after speaking to the Miami Police Department.
The actual police report can be read below.According to the report, Young was angry that a valet at the Viceroy Hotel in Miami wouldn’t open a door with access to a club.
He allegedly put his hands around the valet’s throat and said “Stupid Cuban, open the f***ing door,” and “I’m gonna f***ing kill you, you Latin piece of s**t.”
Young, who lives at the Viceroy, fled the scene and was later arrested in his room. He initially denied that he took part in the confrontation but the valet identified him to police officers. When he was being arrested Young allegedly told the police officer “I’ll slap you in the face with money you f***ing Cuban.” Oh, and he was naked from the waist down when he first opened the door for the police and appeared to be intoxicated, slurring his speech
TRANSACTIONS
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June 2003: Delmon was the #1 pick in the draft, by the Devil Rays,out of Camarillo High School in California.
After holding out all summer, Young finally signed on September 9. He received a five-year deal worth $6.25 million. That included a signing bonus of $3.7 million. Rich Aude is the scout who signed him for the D'Rays.
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November 28, 2007: The Twins acquired Young and Jason Pridie and infielder Brendan Harris from the Tampa Bay Rays for infielder Jason Bartlett and pitchers Matt Garza and Eduardo Morlan.
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February 12, 2009: Delmon and the Twins agreed on a $1,152,000, one-year contract. Young gets a raise from the $700,000 he made last season, but his salary is technically being cut the maximum allowable 20 percent when the final prorated share of his initial $3.7 million signing bonus ($770,000) is factored in.
Since Tampa Bay gave him a $5.8 million, five-year deal after selecting him with the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, the $1,152,000 figure was the least Young could have made in 2009 despite not being eligible for arbitration.
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January 19, 2010: Young and the Twins avoided arbitration, agreeing to a $2.6 million contract for 2010.
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February 17, 2011: Delmon and the Twins again avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year, $5.375 million contract. Young had asked for $6.25 million, and the Twins filed for $4.65 million. The midpoint of those two figures was $5.45 million.
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August 15, 2011: The Tigers sent LHP Cole Nelson and RHP Lester Oliveros to the Twins, acquring Young from Minnesota.
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January 17, 2012: Delmon and the Tigers avoided salary arbitration, agreeing on a one-year, $6.75 million contract.
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January 22, 2013: Young signed a one-year deal with the Phillies for $750,000.
Delmon had made $6.75 million in 2012, but off-field issues cost him a lucrative, multiyear deal. He was suspended without pay for seven days by Major League Baseball after an incident outside a New York City hotel last spring. Young later pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment for shouting an anti-Semitic slur and tackling a man to the ground.
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August 14, 2013: The Phillies released Delmon.
August 22, 2013: Young signed with the Rays, again.
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January 13, 2014: Delmon signed with the Orioles.
December 24, 2014: Young and the Orioles agreed on a one-year, $2.25 million contract for 2015. He could earn another $750,000 in incentives, also.
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July 1, 2015: The Orioles designated Young for assignment.
July 9, 2015: Baltimore officially released Young.
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BATTING:
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- Young's tremendous righthanded power doesn't come from incredible bat speed. Rather, he is so strong that he drives balls far over the fence, even having excellent power to the opposite field. And he has a swing path that keeps the bat head in the strike zone a long time. A polished hitter, he tries to drive every pitch back up the middle, which allows him to use the entire field from gap to gap.
- His presence is so intimidating at the plate that thoughts of Albert Belle come to mind. Delmon picks out a pitch he can blast out of any part of the ballpark. He doesn't try to pull every ball because his opposite-field power is so tremendous. He just does not have to pull balls to slam them out of the park, so strong is he.
Young leans over his front foot before each pitch. Then, instead of hitching his hands toward his belt, he shifts his weight and moves his hands straight back before uncoiling his swing. - Delmon has the same attitude whether he hits a grand slam home run or strikes out. But make no mistake, this guy is a game-breaker, a real difference-maker. His instincts are superior.
- Young punishes fastballs, hitting them out of any part of the park. But also is able to wait on an offspeed pitch and drill the ball to the opposite field. He knows situations. He knows when to go the other way and when to move a guy over.
Mostly, Delmon lines his shots in the middle of the field: gap-to-gap. - Delmon spent a lot of time studying the swing mechanics of major league hitters like Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Larry Walker.
"I try to take things from all of them and put them into my swing," Young said early in 2010. "Change a little here and a little there. They are all balanced and I have a leg kick like them. I look at when they get ready and how they attack the ball." - Young adjusts to the way pitchers throw to him. He stays back well on breaking pitches, slashing those that hang into the left-center field gap.
He can break down a pitcher's pitch sequences. Delmon has a nearly-photographic memory that enables him to recall how any pitcher he has faced worked on him.
And Delmon has good strike zone knowledge and a real knack for detecting pitching patterns and adjusting accordingly. Plus, his hand/eye coordination is superb. When he learns to get himself into better hitter's counts, his home runs will come more frequently. - August 29, 2006: In his Major League debut, Young went 2-for-3, his first hit a home run. Delmon became the second No. 1 overall pick (joining Bob Horner) to homer in his first big league game.
But it was what happened on the first pitch he saw that may have been the most defining moment. When Young, the top pick of the 2003 draft, stepped up in the second inning to a chorus of boos from the Chicago fans, Freddy Garcia's first pitch struck him in the back.
Young barely flinched, didn't say anything, and simply jogged to first base. All things considered, Rays manager Joe Maddon said Young handled it all well.
"I thought he handled everything really well today with everybody," Maddon said. "He put his bat down and ran to first base after he got hit, he struck out and he hit a home run. I was very pleased with him today." But Maddon intimated that it was a purpose pitch and said his concern was that it would become a regular thing.
"I want the word out that that's the last time that should happen," he said. "It's over for him. It was obvious what they did. Nobody else needs to discipline us. We'll take care of that ourselves." - In 2006, Delmon became the first player to stroke eight hits in his first three games since Hall of Famer Willie McCovey in 1959.
- Delmon swings at the first pitch too often. In 2007, he swung at the first offering 52 percent of the time—the most in the Major Leagues. He doesn't take enough pitches overall, a paltry 37.8 percent. He swung at more pitches (1,484) than any other player in baseball. His lack of selectivity results in swinging early instead of waiting for a pitch he can drive.
But instead of pleading for more patience, as Young's former team did in Tampa Bay, the Twins have asked him to stay aggressive."All the on-base percentage [stats] and all those things—he's dangerous when he lets that thing fly and gets fastballs," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We're going to want him to swing this year more than taking a lot of pitches and watching them go by. "And I think he'll be more than willing to let them fly." (3/02/08) Delmon's terrible walk rates are no accident; he swings far too often at pitches outside the zone, about 50 percent more often than an average hitter does, and breaking stuff gives him fits. He does have a history of hitting left-handed pitching fairly well and he has the power to murder a fastball that catches too much of the zone. (Spring, 2013)
As of the start of the 2015 season, Young had a career Major League batting average of .283 with 107 homers and 550 RBI in 3,934 at-bats.
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