Delwyn Young

by neutralluke on Jun 14, 2007 11:54 AM EDT

I was wondering what everyone here thinks about Delwyn Young. He's a 24 year old outfield prospect in the Dodgers system who was once a decently regarded second base prospect. Most doubted his power would translate well as an outfielder but after a down season learning the outfield last year he has picked it back and is now hitting better than any time in his career. After another 3-5 night last night his line is up to .303 .358 .519. Does this guy have a future as a regular on a bad team? A quad A-er?

I think he could be at the very least a useful bench player that can hit for average and a little bit of power but if his current power continues could maybe crack it as a regular on a bad team. What do you guys think?

Tweet Comment 9 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Las Vegas

Can't trust Las Vegas hitting stats. Only way to know is try him in the big leagues and see what happens. Obviously much less value as an OF than middle infielder.

by DrBGiantsfan on Jun 14, 2007 12:02 PM EDT reply actions

Vegas=Hitter's Paradise

So his stats are inflated. But he does have a little offensive potential.

by yanksfan6129 on Jun 14, 2007 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

potential career pinch-hitter

he's bad at defense and doesn't hit enough to hold down any of the positions he could play.

the fact that he's a switch-hitter could make him a nice addition to the bench, but nothing more. as a 25-year-old (which he'll be in a few weeks) in Vegas, those numbers don't knock your socks off.

having said that, it's not like a John Vander Wal or Dave Hansen would be a valueless player to have....

by bleedjaxblue on Jun 14, 2007 12:54 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting Case

Delwyn is an interesting guy to look at actually. He's still fairly young, even though you've heard about him for years. While he turns 25 this year and is repeating AAA, part of that can be attributed to him learning a new position last year as well as the glut of Dodger prospects(and aging FA additions). While Las Vegas is a great hitter's park(Young's home split-.284/.355/.468), his numbers are much better on the road(.319/.364/.558) so you can't chalk it all up to Vegas. He could be at that age where power comes on a bit more, but he's always flashed some power. His walk rate could still use a little a work, and not surprisingly he could stand to cut down on the K's a bit also.

If Young could handle CF defensively, I'd say his bat might be good enough to land him a starting spot. So far though, he's been playing mostly LF, which would lead you to believe that his defense is maybe less than stellar. I think if Young could swing some time at 2B and maybe 3B defensively, a job as a UTL type INF/OF guy could be easily reachable. As is, he could be 4th OF/platoon guy since he hits LHP well. Without some improved plate discipline, or the ability to play well defensively at an important spot(CF), I don't see him being a full time starter.

"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico."-Harry Caray

by gatling on Jun 14, 2007 1:14 PM EDT reply actions

Delwyn's defense....

....is pretty bad. The words I read in scouting reports suggest he's clodding, has bad footwork and a rock-hard glove. Most say he's below-average defensively as a left-fielder. He's not particularly fast. He is most certainly not a centerfielder.

As for the home/road splits, does it really matter if he's hit better on the road? Aren't 95% of the ballparks in the PCL hitter's paradises?

by bleedjaxblue on Jun 14, 2007 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions

RE:

That's about what I figured defensively, but without any first hand knowledge I wasn't going to try and comment too much on it. As for the home road splits, I guess it depends on who you talk to. One guy in the thread said that Young was a product of his home park, when by the numbers he's not. Vegas is a pretty strong hitters park, even in the context of the PCL, so it's kind of odd his numbers are worse there, although his BB/K rate is better at home than on the road. The knock on alot of failed Dodgers hitting prospects, as I'm sure you know, is the inflated home numbers. So if he hits better on the road, maybe he ends up with a better chance to succeed? I'm not saying it will happen, but I do find it a bit interesting.

When it's all said and done, I think we can both agree Delwyn will be a bench player in the bigs.

"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico."-Harry Caray

by gatling on Jun 14, 2007 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

I think bench player at the very least

A couple more things that you might consider when discussing Delwyn are his ability to hit opposite field homers and his numbers despite a poor start to the season.

He hit a paltry .247 .356 .390 in 77 ab's. He then went on to hit .315 .356 .537 in May and is currently at .370 .370 .696 in 46 June ab's so it would definitely seem that the power is real.

The opposite field power is just something I read at First Inning and I don't really know whether or not opposite field power is any indication of future power or success but I think it would have to bode well for his power potential that he has been one of the most consistent power hitters to the opposite field in the PCL.

by neutralluke on Jun 14, 2007 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions