How Do You Solve a Problem Like Delmon Young?

It seems like the Bill Smith has come to his senses, and the Twins are no longer pursuing Jarrod Washburn in a meaningful context.

All I can say is: Thank goodness!

Now that the real danger has passed, perhaps it is time to look at Delmon Young’s real value. Chances are good that if the trade deadline is as wild as people are expecting it to be as teams try to rid themselves of big contracts in the shadow of diminished attendance and other revenue streams, Delmon Young could be a hot commodity.

Young’s flaws aren’t hard to spot. His reputation, fairly or not, is tied to his bat-throwing incident in the minor leagues and the rumor that he is very difficult to coach unless your last name is also Young (brother Dmitri and father Larry are the only ones he listens to, or so the story goes).

He’s got the plate discipline of starved dog in a meat market and a hole in his swing known to basically every pitcher in the American League. He fields like Manny, but without the incredible offensive presence to make up for it.

So where’s the upside?

In this down market, the fact that Young is a high ceiling player with a low contract and nothing that would merit a massive raise in arbitration means that any team could acquire an impact bat without having to pay for it until next February, when the economy may have improved.

Young is also, well, young. This season, he’ll be 23 with two full years under his belt. For some, that means this year will determine if Young is a full-on bust or if he’ll finally reach his potential. A more nuanced perspective shows that Young is actually a month younger than uber-prospect David Price, but with two more years of big league experience. While Young has nowhere near the talent Price does, it should give observers pause that they are the same age.

Its hard to say that Delmon has momentum on his side coming into this season. September was his best month last year, he put up the very solid line of .330/.368/.823, which extended for a full year would be a very welcome addition to most any lineup. However, the month before, he plopped out a middling .245/.309/.707, for a corner OF that can’t field, no thanks.

Of course, he also had a hot July and a good June after a slow start in April and May. Young had three good months and three bad ones, if they were grouped together, perhaps some assumptions could be made about a change in approach or that he was seeing the ball better.

His breakdown of Worse, Bad, Good, Better, Worst, Best doesn’t really yield much information for the Twins or for opposing scouts. He did show better power after the All-Star break, but seven home runs and his .777 OPS still isn’t the power teams would like him to show at this point.

Because of all this uncertainty, trading Young almost certainly means someone is going to get fleeced. Eventually, potential will give way to reality and Young will either be labeled a bust or a solid contributor. If he breaks out this season, the Twins will keep him, but if he doesn’t, and Carlos Gomez and Denard Span improve much at all, Young will be the odd man out.

The question remains, will his new team be asked to pay for his potential, which he still has plenty of time to reach, or will the Twins simply cut bait and hope for a high-ceilinged prospect in return to start the whole cycle over again?

No matter what uniform he has on, it is way too soon to give up on Young as an impact player. Many scouts and experts are already pushing him into the bust pile, and a load more will join the chorus if he struggles early this season.

However, Young can still redeem himself, even if he starts slow, by showing better plate discipline and a little power. Once scouts get a glimpse of the things they want to see, Young’s value will go way up.