Delmon Young

[William Malone]

Delmon Demarcus Young was born on September 14, 1985 in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him with the first overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut late in 2006, and was runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 2007. Tampa Bay traded him to the Minnesota Twins in a six piece deal on November 28, 2007.

Young hit .290 with ten home runs and 69 RBI during his first season with the Twins, stealing 14 bases. He hit a dramatic three run homer to tie up a game against Mariano Rivera on August 12th, but Minnesota wound up losing in 12 innings. His defense was very erratic. Young led all American League left fielders with eight errors, but also led them with 11 assists.

He began the 2009 season in a left field platoon with Denard Span. As the season went along, center fielder Carlos Gómez began to struggle offensively and lose playing time. This allowed Span to become the regular option in center, giving Young the opportunity to play almost everyday in the second half. Young earned the year's final AL Player of the Week honor, finishing the regular season with a streak of five consecutive multi-hit efforts. The Twins were in a situation where every game mattered too. They finished tied with the Detroit Tigers through 162 games, and had to play a tie-breaker contest for the AL Central crown. Young went 1-for-5 with a walk in their "Game 163" win.

A career year in 2010 helped Young finish tenth place in AL MVP voting. His 112 RBI were fifth in the American League, and he belted a career high 21 homers. He also led all left fielders with 12 assists. This was all fueled by a monster month of July, where Young hit .434 with 30 RBI. He was named AL Player of the Month. Minnesota captured their second straight division crown. Young was 4-for-12 (.333) in the ALDS.

Many players on the Twins had down years in 2011, and Young was no exception. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers for two minor league pitchers in an August waiver deal.

Young finished out the year in Detroit, and played for them in 2012 as well. His regular season numbers were often lacking, but Young would make up for it in October. He had a .927 OPS in 22 playoff games for the Tigers, helping them reach the ALCS in 2011 and the World Series in 2012. Young was named ALCS MVP in 2012, and was their only hitter who showed up in the 2012 World Series. An elite San Francisco Giants pitching staff held Detroit to a .159 team batting average during the Fall Classic, but Young hit .357 with a 1.043 OPS. The Giants swept Detroit in four games.

He spent the next few seasons as a platoon bat for the Philadelphia Phillies (2013), Tampa Bay Rays (2013) and Baltimore Orioles (2014-15). Young continued to have a knack for postseason heroics, including a home run for Tampa Bay in the 2013 AL Wild Card Game. Trailing 6-4 in game two of the 2014 ALDS, Young hit a three run double in the eighth inning to give Baltimore the lead against his old Tigers club.

2015 was his final Major League season, but Young continued to play professionally in various international leagues until 2021.

View full player