Breaking down the Phillies' signing of Delmon Young
The Phillies announced that they have signed Delmon Young to a one-year, $750,000 contract. Here's why the move makes some sense for the Phillies.
Breaking down the Phillies' signing of Delmon Young
David Murphy
The Phillies announced that they have signed Delmon Young to a one-year, $750,000 contract.
Here's why the move makes some sense for the Phillies.
1) He is a career .307/.341/.483 hitter against left-handed pitching, including .308/.333/.500 last year.
2) He is better against righties than John Mayberry Jr. (.232/.302/.379 career line for Mayberry, .275/.307/.401 career line for Young).
3) While he is three years removed from his best campaign as a big leaguer, when he hit .298/.333/.493 with 21 home runs for the Twins in 2010, he will be just 27 years old this season.
4) The Phillies sure could use more right-handed power, and Young would provide an option, presumably at a cheap price.
That being said, Young is obviously an imperfect solution to an imperfect situation. He has had two straight below-major-league-average seasons, posting a .707 OPS and 89 OPS+ in 2012 and a .695 OPS and 90 OPS+ in 2011. He has played exclusively in left field since 2008, and we use the word "played" loosely, because Young is a notoriously bad defender. Which, of course, means that the Phillies could enter the season with three corner outfielders who have serious question marks on defense in Darin Ruf, Domonic Brown and Youg. It also gives the Phillies two right-handed bats in left field, and John Mayberry Jr. as the likely right-handed counterpart to balance out Domonic Brown in right field and back-up center fielder Ben Revere.
I haven't thought this through too deeply, but my initial thought is that this means Freddy Galvis likely starts the season in the minors, since Kevin Frandsen would fill the utility role, joining Mayberry, Young, Laynce Nix and Erik Kratz on the bench.
- You can't pack a bag to be a late inning defensive replacement. I see value in having both Frandsen and Galvis on the bench. First off, Frandsen's either on it or gone. There's no place to send him. I would not let him walk until he proves last year was a complete fluke. Second point is Galvis is defensively better than anyone (or almost anyone) playing the infield. And he's been hitting well in winter ball. Let's start yanking him around and maybe we can get the same results we got with Brown. So then the choice is to not ride Ruf's current hot streak. If Ruf shows he was a one-year wonder in spring training that decision will be fine. But if he continues to light it up I can guarantee he can't possibly be a worse defensive outfielder than Young. But Young will have the contract and Ruf will have the options and we've seen how that's gone the past few years. And where it's gotten us. It's a bad move, brought about in large part because we hedged on Brown and Mayberry for three years rather than letting them slump through some necessary at-bats. Now we have a bunch of question marks. What better way to augment that than with another question mark.
— s - This could be OK for the Phillies, but it's a big roll of the dice...— FanJab
- Apparently, Ruben said today that he wants Young to be his everyday Right fielder.. ?...I mean.....? You all see where this is leading. Ruf to AAA, because...ok, altogether now...he..has...options. Ruf hit .333, with 3 HRs and 10 RBI in 33 ABs in his call up against MLB pitchers. Does that mean anything? Repeat after me...small....sample...size. If David Montgomery, the man who tied Ruben's hands this winter, ever donated his Brain to science, it should be labeled....small....sample.....size.— laser5
- Of course. Young hasn't played RF regularly since 2007. On the Phillies that means you get penciled in. Like Thome at first base a few times a week. Young's defensive numbers are better in RF than LF but he's only played LF for the past 5 years. And played it really poorly with an UZR in the -50 range.
He had ankle surgery recently. Maybe he'll start on DL.— s - Young won't even make it to opening day.
- Good move. Nothing in the way of salary and a quality bat. So what if he is a liability in the field and may be disruptive force in the clubhouse - still a better option than what we got now.— DG3
- Cheap, fine as iong as RUF starts
— WFChamps - Alphonso Soriano is the perfect right-handed bat for this park,.....even more perfect than George Hendrick was for the Vet,....anyone remember him??,...than you know exactly what i mean,....Soriano could be had cheaply,...hahahaha ruin tomorrow jr— SyddBarrett
- Young has AL written all over him. This is 2013's Jim Thome. The guy was a liability on the base paths before this year's ankle surgery. For a so-called power guy his SLG is almost 25 points lower than Mayberry's. He almost never walks.— s
- smfree31....that has to be the most ridiculous comment i have ever heard in my life, and where exactly did you get the political facts of the crazy childrens parents? oh and by the way this is a sports article.— deatheater
- both Amaro and Manuel belong in the A.L. --not that they'd do well there, just that they certainly have no clue how to put together a good team or win in the National League— warbiscuit
- mad genius Rube is getting prepared for the d.h. needed in road games against thea A.L. (and the World Series should they get there -hahahhahahh)...it's just the other 154 games that he hasn't quite thought about— warbiscuit
- Nick Young > Michael Young > Delmon Young > Thaddeus Young— AHash
