Phillies outfielder Delmon Young has incentive to eat less
Ruben Amaro Jr. used the word "motivated" often Tuesday to describe Delmon Young, who settled for a $6 million paycut to join the Phillies. Young admitted he followed bad habits last season once he knew he was destined for designated hitter duty in Detroit.
Phillies outfielder Delmon Young has incentive to eat less
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
Ruben Amaro Jr. used the word "motivated" often Tuesday to describe Delmon Young, who settled for a $6 million paycut to join the Phillies. Young admitted he followed bad habits last season once he knew he was destined for designated hitter duty in Detroit.
"When I knew I wasn't going to see the field," Young said, "you can eat just a little bit extra."
Young said he weighed in at 238 pounds Tuesday during his physical examination. He'll need to lose more weight if he is to make an extra $600,000. How's that for motivation?
Young's one-year, $750,000 contract includes bonuses based on his weight, according to The Associated Press. Young must be weighed six separate instances, the timing of which will be chosen by the Phillies.
Each time he makes weight, Young receives $100,000. The first three times he must weigh 230 pounds or less. He must weigh 235 pounds or less for the last three weigh-ins.
Young said his opening-day weight in 2012 was 225 pounds. His conditioning, exacerbated by a bad ankle that required microfracture surgery, suffered during the season.
Young's salary can go as high as $3.5 million with various other incentives based on playing time and performance.
"I've been on a strict diet," Young said. "You can get carried away on clubhouse food and late night room service. Some ice cream and good luck cakes. But when you go back to the outfield, you have got to eat lighter."
The Phillies will pad Young's wallet if he does.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
They'll be selling Delmon "Bad Game, Lets Gorge Ourselves" Shirts by June!— cooperhawk- Rube's emaphasis on all-around quality players has brought such defensive standouts as Ibanez, Wigginton, Pierre, Thome, M.Young, D.Young --and so it goes...for $170 million/yr who can afford decent ballplayers?— warbiscuit
- i guess you would have preferred the phils blow chucks the last several years so they could have the draft picks now like the nationals?
become a nats fans already if you're so in love with them. - major problem with Rube continually getting players who can only do one adequate thing and having them start is that you don't get to switch players every 1/2 inning (no, this isn't the NBA when you can freely substitute)..so you've got Howard who can sometimes hit righties but is a butcher in the field or on the basepaths and can't hit lefties, you had Polanco who could field but couldn't hit for sh%^, you get a D.Young who apparently can hit lefites but is another butcher in the field and on the basepaths, you get M.Young who is another butcher in the field and may not even be able to hit anymore either, you had Wigginton who was another butcher in the field (get the trend), you had Pierre who was only good at baserunning, was another buthcer in the field (notice that word again --no, I am not over-using it or exaggerating...)— warbiscuit
- lets just have warbiscuit be the GM, so we dont have to endure his lecture every other day.— AndyReidsMustache
- lol warbiscuit. THEIR JUST A BUNCH OF BUTCHERS, arent they? Delmon Young is solid pickup esp at his price. Sure, he isnt an everyday RF but he can hit hes a Career .287 BA. Last yr Rollins lead Phils hitting like .260 BA. You need guys that can pinch hit and get big hits in playoff. DOes anyone not remember thier 1=0 Game 5 loss to Cards in thier last playoff game? Matt Stairs anyone?— Over_Exposed
- @warbiscuit, I honestly thought that your New Year's resolution was to become measurably less negative when it comes to your commentary about the Phillies. Oh well, maybe if they get off to a genuinely good and competitive start, you'll change your tune. Yea, maybe !!!— joemotrucks
- Nutri-system paid the silly, old fool manager 6 figures to lose weight. He's fatter than ever.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Over-exposed: yes, and i have the videos highlights to prove it ...so which one of the following do you take umbrage about my calling a butcher with the glove? Howard, Wigginton, Pierre, Michael Young or Delmon Young? tick tock...— warbiscuit
- My head has been spinning since Amaro took over. His fails to grasp the most basic parts of the game. Why, oh, why would you waste roster spots on acquiring DHs? Neither Young has played the field regularly and neither can get on base. Both will make a ton of errors and probably get hurt if forced to take the field 5 times per week and then the idiot will play the "how was I to know they'd get injured?" card. It's complete and utter GM malpractice on Amaro's part. For decades I dreamed of the day the Phillies would actually spend like a large market team and when they finally do, they put a complete incompetent in charge of the check book. — jtj06
- @Joemotrucks --hey I knew little about Delmon Young -- the excerpt is from a Twins fan posting on the Good Phight and then I reviewed some video highlights of Delmon in the outfield that seem to confirm much of what he asserts... ain't gonna be pretty ..did ya get a chance to watch Wigginton and Pierre last year ...just hilarious hijinks— warbiscuit
- Is Delmon short for Delmonico Young? As in, "I'll have three Delmonico steaks for lunch" Young?
Seriously, anyone else notice Howard's girth on the Subway commercials? What gives? If you sign a measly $750,000 they hammer you on weight maintenance but if you're paid $25 million a year, "Hey, I'll take double meat and cheese on that 12-inch cold cut combo..."— eman - c'mon, lighten up, folks. this dude sounds precious. tubby boozer can't play the field, can't throw or run bases, but when he gets hot with the bat, a delight to behold. suggest a bunch of us sit up close in the right field corner wearing yarmulkes (i'll supply - still have my bar mitzvah beanie from 62 years back) yelling VEY IZ MIR!!! every time he blows one out there. aw yeah, this season's gonna be laughs!— bubba church & granny hamner
