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Crystal Ball: Delmon Young

A possible future for Delmon Young. This is for entertainment, educational, and experimental purposes only. THIS IS NOT A PREDICTION.

Number of MVP Seasons: Two. Pick them.
Number of All-Star Seasons: Seven. Pick them.
Number of World Series Appearances: One. Pick it.
Number of Post-Season Appearances, not including World Series Year: four. Pick them.
As usual, please describe his trades, transactions, injuries, etc.

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Comp...
interesting that, according to that career projection, it seems pretty similiar to Andruw Jones, at least through the late 20's.  The BA is a bit higher, perhaps a bit due to Fenway.

by smt on Sep 9, 2005 4:10 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

re
Wow, what a nice career:

Two-time MVP: Back to back with the Red Sox in 14 and 15. His numbers were great in 12, but the Red Sox weren't, and so he fell short.

After being traded to Oakland to bolster their pennant drive in '11, he was a disappointment. However, he piggybacked with that team to a World Championship in that year (Yes, I'm biased).

After that year, signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Red Sox for six years, 167 million. Unfortunately, during his MVP season in '15, in which the Red Sox fell short, there was a public rift between himself and Theo Epstein about the treatment he deserved on the road. Both sides claimed they were the innocent parties, and this led to much divisiveness in the clubhouse. Despite being arguably the best team that year, the Sox lost to the Angels in the playoffs to end in a disappointing fashion. Epstein traded his best player away to these very Angels, and got a kings ransom in return. Despite fan outcry, the Red Sox won the World Series the following year and Epstein was vindicated. Young had a great two years with the Angels, despite some nagging back problems that cost him a few games here and there. He resigned with them after coming into free agency.

by Alien on Sep 9, 2005 4:24 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Damn good numbers
but sheesh, look at the strikeouts.

by killa3312 on Sep 9, 2005 4:32 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

why are these projections so interesting?
When so little of it based on anything but a random guess (havana cigars...seriously people)?  Anyways....i would be somewhat surprised if he is getting all of those ab's that it will take him 6 years to top 30hrs in a season.

I would guess closer to his 3rd season and seeing how Pujols/Miggy are such polished hitters, it isn't a stretch to think Delmon could top 30 in his first full season.

by FRANCHISEv2 on Sep 9, 2005 4:34 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

The usefulness of the 'crystal ball'
I think it serves a very important purpose on this site. These aren't totally random predictions . . .I would assume that to at least some extent the statistics are based on trends seen throughout the player's minor league career.

It's one thing to say "Delmon Young is a top prospect. Felix Hernandez is a top prospect. Chad Billingsley is a top prospect." It's another thing to translate "X is a top prospect" into "X is a (blank) caliber major league player".

The best of the three Crystal Ball features so far, IMO, has been the one featuring Matt Cain. I don't think a lot of people realize that the statistical career posted there is one that can applied with minor variances to many former "top prospects".

by mrkupe on Sep 9, 2005 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

yes
Yes, mrkupe is right on the money.

What I'm trying to do here is take what the guy has done in the minors, and extrapolate that into what a player like this MIGHT do in the majors. Most scouts think that Delmon will lose his speed eventually, so I built that into the fake career. Cain has a great arm, but his command isn't always that good, and he's had a few bouts of arm trouble in the past. An awful lot of hot pitching prospects end up having "merely" decent careers.

by John Sickels on Sep 9, 2005 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I don't know why
scouts are so confident Young will lose his speed. He lost 20 lbs in the offseason, and only weighs 205 now. What makes them think he is going to get big all of a sudden again? His work ethic is fantastic, and he likes to run... something we wouldn't be able to do much of at his old weight of 225.

by killa3312 on Sep 9, 2005 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Dmitri
maybe b/c his brother is a fatty boom boom. LOL!

by natsfan2005 on Sep 9, 2005 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Delmon Young's Career
  1. Begins season with ankle injury, but plays well enough to secure starting OF position.
  2. After starting the year hitting .320 with 14 HR, is awarded Tampa's All-star spot.
  3. After a slow start, leads Tampa to their first ever wild card berth, they lose to the Twins in 5 games.  Young hits 4 HR at home in playoffs, but hits only .125 on the road.
  4. Slumps early, but posts good stats by season's end.  All-Star snub.
  5. Traded midseason, along with Tampa's #1 pitching prospect, to the A's for aging veteran Barry Zito.  Rays miss playoffs after trading fan favorite.
---Snubs Oakland, signs 4 year, $42M deal with Boston---
  1. Second All-star berth, voted in by fans.
  2. Starts slow, having good season until breaks ankle in collision with Green Monster. Two surguries later, speed never the same.
  3. Comes back from injury strong, starts first ASG, wins AL MVP while leading Boston to World Series.  They lose in 7 games to Padres.
  4. Starts 2nd straight ASG, problems with team manager and GM prompt him to turn down contract extension.
---Signs 5 year $72M deal with LA Angels---
  1. Moved to 1B by Anaheim to deal with failing speed. Spends some time on DL with nagging ankle injury.
  2. Starts slow, but hits 26 HR after ASG, which he does not attend.
  3. Has a monster season, winning second AL MVP.  Leads Angels to ALCS, lose game 7 to White Sox on no-hitter by Brandon McCarthy.
  4. Begins season slow (trend for Delmon), stats suffer after Angels dump payroll in July.  Suspended in May for a positive Steroid test, which casts last season's MVP performance in doubt.
  5. Delmon openly criticizes management for surrounding him with poor players, ignoring his own declining skills.  Fans, managers respond to poor attitude, steroid questions by not electing him to ASG.
---Signs 6 year, $81M deal with New York Yankees---
  1. Struggles with NY media, Delmon hits for low average but decent power as Yankees prepare to bring up crew of talented youngsters from AAA.
  2. "Old Man" Young anchors youngest team ever to win 100 games despite problematic ankle and bad back, Yankees lose in ALCS.
  3. Poor overall play leads several media types to call for Delmon Young's retirement after he hits his 500th home run in late June.  Young tells media on live TV to "go to hell, c!!ks!!kers".  Fined $75,000 for outburst, alienates fans with increasingly bizarre behaviour.
  4. Starts year in platoon roll with Yankees.  Asks for, and receives, trade, but to crosstown Mets.  Media blasts him for not being a team player.  Mets try to pass Delmon through waivers, where he is picked up by second year team Cigars.  Bad back and ankle force Young to accept platoon roll in his increasing age.
  5. Platoons with 18 year old superstar Duke Fielder at 1B, insists that given the full-time starting roll he will flourish.
  6. plays well until injuring ankle again in late May, comes back in September in bid for 3000 hits.  Critics now openly asking for his retirement, saying that "he is embarassing himself and his legacy."
  7. After collecting his 3000th hit on May 30th, Delmon Young tore his ACL while involved in a collision at 1B on June 9th.  He retires at the age of 41 with 3013 hits and 549 HR, and his HOF status is a hotly debated issue with his steroids suspension and bad attitude towards the media.  He is eventually elected to the HOF in 2039.

by Megawatt on Sep 9, 2005 5:21 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Sorry
2010: Delmon Young has a great year for the Tampa Bay D'Rays, but they miss the postseason after falling behind the Red Sox and Yankees in late September.  Misses the ASG when Scott Kazmir gets the all-star nod and Young is sent home.

by Megawatt on Sep 9, 2005 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

2011 is a leg injury
in 2011 he does something that is not career ending but hampers him for the rest of his career which is why he doesn't steal 20 bases again.  

In 2011 - he wins a world series as Beane grabs him for the stretch run and then robs Boston's farm system in the off-season in a sign and trade deal.  

2021 is where the Yankess have had great sucess with farm players they have groomed who are getting older so the pay anyone big money with a name mentality has kicked in again.  Delmon is likened to the Giambi move of many years before.

He has 11 consecutive all-star appearances starting with Boston all the way through the Yankees.  

by slickwdb on Sep 9, 2005 5:32 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Interesting...
so you are saying he is a HOF caliber player.

by samjjones on Sep 9, 2005 5:33 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Young is a HOF talent
Absolutely... hitters like him don't come around very often. He's also an above average defensive player with a cannon arm. Will he live up to the hype? Who knows, but he has the potential to be special.

by killa3312 on Sep 9, 2005 5:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Here's the way I see it....
After making his firstAll-Star appearance in 2010, Delmon is acquired by Oakland in 2011 for Cliff Pennington and Michael Madsen.  Oakland makes this move to replace the injured Andre Ethier in RF.  Young struggles intially, not being used to the pressure of playing a team gunning for their 3rd straight World Series win.  He comes alive a la Carlos Beltran in the postseason, winning the ALCS MVP and hitting .454/.555/.777 to defeat the Red Sox.  Delmon helps the A's defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 in the World Series, finishing second in MVP balloting to Jared Lansford, who was 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA, a CG SHO, and 21K in 17 innings.

Demoralized by Young's one man show against them, Boston signs Young to a 4 year, $80 million dollar contract.  He earns every dollar, making 4 straight All-Star teams, winning the MVP award and batting titles in 2012 and 2014.  He finishes second in MVP voting in 2015, losing to one-time teammate Daric Barton.  Young also leads Boston to playoff berths in all four seasons.  He wins ALDS MVP in all four years, but Boston loses in the ALCS each year to the A's(twice) and Devil Rays(twice).  In 2015, Delmon wins his 6th consecutive Gold Glove award in RF, and his 4th consecutive Silver Slugger.

In 2016, Angels GM and part owner, Mike Scoscia makes an all-out push for Delmon.  Young signs a 5 year, $125 million contract, not giving Boston a chance to match the offer.  Red Sox GM Scott Hatteberg blasts the Orange County Angels of Los Angeles and Anahiem's team brass, calling Scoscia recruiting tactics, "Just another example of Mike's grandstanding and self-promotion."

Delmon puts up three very outstanding seasons to start his Angels career, finishing in the top three in MVP voting each year, losing to Felix Hernandez by 3 votes in 2018.  (Hernandez went 25-3, 2.67 ERA, with 319K's in 248.6 innings, a .98 WHIP, and only 41 BB's)  Young injures his elbow in September 2019, missing the end of the season and the first 12 games of 2020.  

His Angel tenure is marred by the lack of postseason success.  The Angels fail to make the playoffs in any season. Undettered by this, the Yankees shell out $60 million over 4 years for Delmon in 2021.  Young has precipitous decline in AVG that season, but seems to recover in 2022.  He misses time at end of the year due to another elbow problem.  The elbow doesn't fully recover in 2023, causing Delmon to miss a month and post his worst season ever.

After struggling mightily to open 2024, the Yankees deal Young to the Mets for a AA pitcher.  The Mets turn around and move him at the deadline to Havana for two A-ball prospects.  He resigns with Havana for a "league average" 3 year, $15 million contract.  He puts up one very solid and two very poor years as a fourth outfielder/pinch hitter.  He retires in 2027, to take a job as hitting coach of the Boston Red Sox.

In 2032, Delmon Young is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, with a career line of .288/.350/.513, 3013 hits, 549 homeruns, 7 All-Star Appearances, 2 MVP awards, one ALCS MVP, four ALDS MVP awards, 11 Gold Gloves, and 7 Silver Sluggers.  He is a first ballot inductee, and continues to coach and/or manage until the age of 65.

by gatling on Sep 9, 2005 5:45 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

elbow problems?
That's a lot of elbow problems.  Is Delmon coming out of RF to close games as well?  Just kidding!  LOL!

Love the shots at LA/OC!

by So Cal Bob on Sep 9, 2005 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Nice...
I think I'd rather have your Delmon Young than mine.  My Delmon Young was a clubhouse problem whom baseball was glad to be rid of when the time came, yours sounds like a beloved ambassador of the game.

This is why I love the Crystal Ball.  People can see so much that may or may not be there!

by Megawatt on Sep 9, 2005 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

funny
gatling- pretty funny that we had the same thought with the Angels changing their name

by UncleMiltie on Sep 9, 2005 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

What happens
In 2011 with the Devils Rays out of it in June, Billy Beane (yes he's still the A's GM) trades two pitching prospects who never pan out for Young.  Delmon reaches the playoffs, but has an uneventful half season with the A's.  The Red Sox, desperate for a franchise player outbid themselves and sign Delmon Young for 10 years $200 million.  Coming off an MVP season in 2015, the Red Sox decide that they don't want 1/6 of their payroll tied into one player.  Delmon is traded to the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles county (a name change was forced in 2012) for veteran closer (and fan favorite) Francisco Rodriguez plus 2 top prospects.  In Anaheim Delmon is able to play for his brother Dmitri who is going into his 2nd season as the Angels manager.  In his third season with the Angels (2018), Delmon captures his second MVP award and leads the Angels to the World Series against the Pittsburg Pirates, a team coming off of two consecutive World Series titles (I'm not a Pirates fan).  The Pirates win in 7, but Delmon is not to blame as he hits .360 with 8 HRs in the postseason.  Delmon starts off the 2020 season hot hitting .350 with 12 HRs in April, but breaks his wrist in mid may and is never able to fully recover.  The last place Angels fire brother Dmitri and Delmon demands a trade.  With 2 years left on his contracts, the Yankees are the only team willing to take on Delmon's large price tag and the Angels get little in return.  Considering his age, Delmon has two solid seasons with the Yankees.  The Yankees resign Delmon for 2 years $18 million.  In 2023, Delmon breaks his leg in a collision with Mets catcher Dioner Navarro at home plate.  In 2024, Delmon gets off to an awful start with the Yankees and is relegated to the bench.  The Yankees call up a minor leaguer and Delmon in released to clear up a roster spot.  The Mets, hoping to find lightning in a bottle, pick up the 2 time MVP and 6 time gold glover to platoon in RF with their young lefthanded RF prospect.  The young RF wins the job outright and Delmon plays sparingly, usually only appearing as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement.  In 2025, still convinced that he has something left in the tank, Delmon signs with the Havana Cigars and plays under coach Ricky Henderson.

All stars seasons (2010, '12, '13, '14, '15, '17, 18)
Postseasons (2012, 2014, 2015, 2018)
MVP seasons (2015, 2018)
World Series (2018)

by UncleMiltie on Sep 9, 2005 5:57 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

projection
very good job but I don't think he'll use steroids because he has so much raw power and he won't be a headcase

by barton1 on Sep 9, 2005 6:32 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, steroids
I don't see how any player with as much natural talent as Young could use steroids after seeing what happened to Young.  If anything, after the Michael Morse thing, I could see a prospect using steroids in the minors.  You use steroids to get the big money in the majors.  Once your their it makes no sense to do so b/c your career is over.  It wouldn't surprise me if Palmeiro never played again..atleast not after this season.

by sfjg85 on Sep 9, 2005 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I wish we could edit these things
I meant, after seeing what happened to Palmeiro

by sfjg85 on Sep 9, 2005 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Havana Cigars!
I'm two for two! John, I thank you for allowing readers to give input to your content! It's really cool to see our ideas put into play!

by Rochioli on Sep 9, 2005 7:46 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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