He may never be an MVP and doesn't appear to be destined for the Hall of Fame, but Delmon Young is exhibiting the brass so many scouts and teams thought he possessed.
The first overall pick in the 2003 draft has been fairly consistent in six full big league seasons.
His average has ranged from as high as .298 in 2010 to as low as .268 this year.
The knock, aside from substandard range and mental mistakes in the outfield, has been his lack of power.
Say no more.
In eight postseason games and 30 at-bats, Young has found the bleachers five times.
Most of them have come in key situations.
In Thursday's elimination game, Young belted two homers, including the difference-making two-run blast in the sixth inning of a 7-5 win.
Young also contributed the game-winning home run in Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees.
For a guy who fell out of favor in Tampa Bay and then Minnesota this season, Young has seemingly found the stroke with Detroit.
Batting with the protection of one of baseball's best in Miguel Cabrera has made a huge difference.
That seems to be the case beyond just this postseason..
He drove in 110 runs and hit a career-best 21 long-balls in 2010 with Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Jim Thome around him in the lineup.
While that's not the makings of a franchise player, taking a backseat to one and finding ways to come up big when your team needs you is perfectly OK too.
No comments:
Post a Comment