Change we can believe in: Delmon Young

Now that Bryant and I have gotten our newly minted two-year contracts with Sportscast LLC we are back to work. Sure, it’s been about two months since we did any work whatsoever on the site but we believe whole-heartily that our 12 fans will forgive us and get back on the bandwagon (podcast up on Friday and I’ve been doing vocal exercises for six weeks to try and match Bryant’s gravitas).

So what do we know, what have we missed (in order or importance):

1. The Delmon Young deal will not be as bad for the Twins as the A.J. deal has been for the Giants (we call this the silver-lining argument).

2. Pat Neshek has probably already had his best year as a pitcher.

3. Casey Blake is the one old-timer free agent who may be able to break the Twins streak of shitty old-timer free agents.

4. We will all miss Javier Vazquez.

(we will break down topics 1-4 on the podcast)

5. Ron Gardenhire doesn’t mind speaking his mind.

According to the beloved Howard Sinker over at Section 220, Gardenhire was quoted in the Fargo Forum saying that his outfield in 2009 would consist of Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, and Michael Cuddyer…everyday. Which is interesting because the Twins just traded their number one pitching prospect and their starting shortstop to Tampa Bay for an outfielder that isn’t mentioned by Gardenhire. In case anyone has forgot that Twins pitcher helped lead Tampa Bay to the World Series, and the shortstop had post-season RBI’s, which sort of makes me sick to my stomach.

Lets consider something here: (Michael Cuddyer has played in over 120 games in his career three times (2005-2007). He has hit over .270 twice (a .284 avg. in 2006 and a .276 average in 2007). In his seven-year career Cuddyer has hit for 60+ RBI twice (once in 2006 when he hit 109 and then in 2007 when he hit 81). He has hit 10+ home runs four times (12 in 2004 and 2005, 24 in 2006, 16 in 2007). His 2006 and 2007 seasons were good enough (and Cuddyer became such a great clubhouse leader) that the Twins signed him to a four-year $34.5 million contract (last year of that contract being club-optioned).

Cuddyer has proven himself to be an outstanding corner outfield in the Metrodome. But, lets be honest, Cuddyer isn’t overly athletic in right-field, he just plays the carum so well off the wall, and has such a rediculous cannon of an arm, that right-field in the Dome is sort of the perfect place for Cuddyer. The Twins have one more season in the Dome and two more seasons of Cuddyer’s contract before they have to decide whether to keep him or let him go ($10 million dollar contract extension in 2011 or a $1 million buyout), at that time Michael Cuddyer will be 32-years-old.*

In the five years that Michael Cuddyer has been a staple in the Twins lineup (2004-2008) he has averaged: 121 games; .270 batting average; 63 RBI and 13 home runs.

*What’s going to be really interesting is in 2011 when the Twins decide to let Cuddyer go - instead of paying that $10 million option - are they then going to sign him to a one-year deal that will fit in with their long history of buying washed-up, injury-prone veterans, who had one good year six years ago? Will Twins fans be angry? If you get Cuddyer for a one-year $2.8 million contract (while also paying him a $1 million buyout) and he has a terrible offensive season while platooning in right and DH’ing occassionally, and you are forced to release him at the midway point of the season to make room for an upcoming outfielder is that a success or a failure for Bill Smith? I mean he saved $6.2 million but he also gave $2.8 million in extra cash to a player that he knew wasn’t productive enough to warrant a large contract? Like this isn’t going to happen.

Now, while Gardenhire’s claim that Cuddyer would be an everyday outfielder in 2009 speaks not only to Gardenhire’s belief that Cuddyer is better than he actually is, it also speaks to the fact that Delmon Young is officially the new black sheep of the Twins organization.

After punching Young in the mouth with the whole “Gomez, Span, Cuddyer” are the starting outfielders in 2009 WITHOUT QUESTION comment, Gardenhire came back with this: “Delmon is in the mix. He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a talent.” But that was followed with, “But to me, those three guys should be your outfield and then you go from there.” So, how is Delmon in the mix? Is Delmon going to split DH time with Kubel? Is Delmon going to occassionally play in the outfield to give Cuddyer a chance to rest or just wait until Cuddy slides head-first into second and we have another finger-bang issue?

The thing is Delmon Young is not in the mix. Delmon Young is out of the mix. He’s the turd in your GORP (if you don’t know what GORP is it’s a combination of peanuts, raisens, M&M’s, candy corn, etc., some people call it trail-mix, we call it GORP). But the fact that Young is out is absurd.

Young is far from perfect, he has trouble in the outfield, has trouble fielding some of those quick hops on that Dome carpet (which again, Cuddyer is really good at doing, Cuddyer is really good at playing right field in the Metrodome) and sometimes he runs like he has an intestinal problems. He also has a tendency to bloop singles when fans want him to swing for the fences. He also showed a quick glimpse of tremendous power to all field in the late part of the 2008 season.

For the Twins last year Young hit .290 with 10 home runs and 69 RBI, his OBP was a paltry .336, he slugged only .405. Delmon Young is 22-years-old.

Lets again remember those Cuddyer stats from above (Michael Cuddyer has played in over 120 games in his career three times (2005-2007). He has hit over .270 twice (a .284 avg. in 2006 and a .276 average in 2007). In his seven-year career Cuddyer has hit for 60+ RBI twice (once in 2006 when he hit 109 and then in 2007 when he hit 81). He has hit 10+ home runs four times (12 in 2004 and 2005, 24 in 2006, 16 in 2007). Delmon Young, in his two-year major league career, has played in over 120 games in his career twice (2007-2008). He has hit for over .270 twice (.288 in 2007, .290 in 2008). He has hit for 60+ RBI twice (93 in 2007, 68 in 2008). He has hit for 10+ home runs twice (13 in 2007, 10 in 2008).

Delmon Young’s 2008 season would have been the third-best year in Michael Cuddyer’s eight-year career. Delmon also played in 152 games in 2008. Michael Cuddyer has never, not once ever, played in 152 games in a season.

Young was paid $1.4 million last year by the Twins, he isn’t arbitration eligible until 2010, and he won’t become a free agent until 2013. Even if Delmon is a clubhouse cancer, I don’t care. You don’t give up on a 22-year-old who just hit .290 with 10 home runs and 69 RBI while spending most of his time hitting either fifth, behind the American League RBI leader, or sixth, behind the likes of Jason Kubel and Randy Ruiz.

I guess I can understand why the Twins and Gardenhire want Cuddyer in right-field for one more season in the Dome. You can easily move Span to left and replace Young’s somewhat medicore performance on defense. But, there is only one more season in the Dome and then Cuddyer’s amazing ability to command that corner will be worthless. So will his sloping career .268 batting average and his overall health.

I have always liked Michael Cuddyer, have always thought he was a friendly personality and a seemingly good teammate. He plays his ass off. He deserved the contract he was given in 2007.

But the Twins are over-thinking with Delmon Young - a 23-year-old, number one draft pick, who has played two seasons of very good baseball for a young player, who will cost them next to nothing for the next four years - and treating him like shit and saying that he will not be an everyday outfielder before the winter meetings is just rediculous.

Absolutely rediculous.

Who knows what Young is remotely capable of? Seriously, none of us know. No one. He may go crazy. May punch Matt Tolbert. May hit 45 home runs. May hit for .333. Could be an all-star. Could be a bust. Could be anything.

We know what Michael Cuddyer is. We know what he is this year, we know what he’ll be next year. So, please, Gardy, Bill Smith, give it a rest with the Michael Cuddyer, holier-than-thou, play the game the right way talk. I love the whole idea of playing baseball the ‘Twins Way,’ but the ‘Twins Way’ has gotten four division titles in six years and only one A.L.C.S. appearance. The ‘Twins Way,’ can work, but you have to take some risks with talent, even if they don’t fit into the perfect mold of your overall scheme of things.

Think of yourself as Barack Obama and think of Delmon Young as Hillary Clinton - if Obama can look past all those god-awful things she said about him during the primary, and recognize some of the enormous strengths she potentially brings to the political table, then certainly you all can look past a few shortcomings of a 23-year-old who still has a chance to be a dominant offensive player…of course you have to give him that chance.

Yes we can, yes we can.