Philadelphia Phillies sign outfielder Delmon Young
UPDATE (2:52 p.m.): The Phillies have signed veteran outfielder Delmon Young to a one-year, $750,000 deal, the team announced on Tuesday.
Per the team's press release:
Young, 27, batted .267 with 27 doubles, 18 home runs and 74 RBI in 151 games for the Detroit Tigers last year. Against left-handed pitchers, he hit .308 (56-182) with a .500 slugging percentage and, defensively, made 29 starts in left field. In 13 postseason games, Young batted .313 with three home runs and a team-best nine RBI and was named MVP of the American League Championship Series.
“Delmon is an experienced major league bat who will add some depth to our relatively inexperienced outfield and another layer of competition for playing time there as well,” said Amaro.
The first overall selection of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, Young is a .284 career hitter with 89 home runs and 482 RBI in 880 games for the Rays (2006-07), Minnesota Twins (2008-11) and Tigers (2011-12). He has made 526 career starts in left field, 156 in right field and 29 in center field. Young has batted .310 (281-905) in his career with runners in scoring position and .336 (115-342) in 89 career interleague games against the National League.
More to come...
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From earlier:
Citing his "low risk, high reward" mantra, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is considering signing free agent outfielder Delmon Young, according to CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury.
The 26-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder has middled out since an impressive 2010 season with the Twins, and has suffered from off the field issues as well. As a minor leaguer, he was suspended for throwing a bat at an umpire after arguing a called third strike in 2006, and early last season was arrested for "aggravated harassment as a hate crime" outside a New York hotel for drunkenly screaming anti-Semitic slurs.
His career statistics - a .284 BA, .317 OBP and .425 SLG - have aesthetic appeal in a thin outfielders' market, where names like Scott Hairston and Vernon Wells have already been discussed as possible full time additions.
Amaro has been in casual pursuit of a corner outfielder to supplement the platoon splits potentially filled by Laynce Nix, Domonic Brown, Darin Ruf, and John Mayberry.
In addition to the Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays, who drafted Young first overall in 2003, have shown interest in Young.
