Young Heads North; Will His Value Do the Same?

December 3, 2007 @ 10:06:59

By Michael Egnak
Edited by Tim Heaney

The Minnesota Twins acquired outfielder Delmon Young from the Tampa Bay Rays late Wednesday, Nov. 28 in a trade that included highly touted righthanded pitcher Matt Garza. The deal cost the Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett and pitchers Matt Garza and Eduardo Morlan, but they also acquired shortstop Brendan Harris and minor league outfielder Jason Pridie.

What Will We See in 2008?

Young is expected to take over in leftfield for the team in 2008 and bat in the middle of the order. Young should eventually be able to replace the lost offensive production from outfielder Torii Hunter, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim earlier this offseason. However, Young is still just 22 years old and he's likely not quite there yet in his maturation as a hitter.

Table: OF Torii Hunter vs. OF Delmon Young, 2007 statistics

Player	Team	Age	Avg	HR	RBI	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
Torii Hunter	MIN	32	.287	28	107	18	.334	.505	.839
Delmon Young	TB	22	.288	13	93	10	.316	.408	.723

As you can see from the on-base percentages, Young still needs to work on his eye and plate discipline. He is capable of performing better in that department, particularly after posting a career .363 OBP in the minors. He also needs to work on cutting down the strikeouts as he struck out 127 times with just 26 walks on the season.

Young is a rising star in the league. He should be able to reach, if not exceed, Hunter's offensive level at some point in his career. After turning 22 years old in September, he still has a long way to go before he even peaks.

The New Outfield

Now that Hunter is gone, the team will have to find a way to replace seven Gold Gloves in center field. The Twins acquired outfielder Craig Monroe in November from the Detroit Tigers. He has played centerfield in the past but never as a full-time starter. His range at the position isn't the greatest, so an upgrade could still be in the works. His status with the team is also up in the air. The Twins could speak with Monroe's agent soon to discuss a new contract. There is a possibility he will be non-tendered should they not agree to the new deal.

Other solutions at center include outfielders Jason Tyner and the newly acquired Pridie. Tyner isn't exactly staring quality and is more suited for a reserve role. Tyner hit .286 with one home run, 22 RBI and eight stolen bases last season in 304 at-bats. In his career, he has a batting average of .275, 94 RBI, 61 stolen bases and one home run in 1,356 at-bats.

Pridie, however, could be one to watch in spring training. This will actually be his second stint with the Twins. Minnesota picked Pridie in the 2005 Rule 5 Draft and he spent the following Spring Training season with them before heading back to Tampa Bay. After hitting 14 home runs (four in Double-A and 10 in Triple-A) last season, Pridie rebounded strongly from very disappointing 2005-06 seasons. Pridie doesn't strike out very often and he improved his walk rate in Triple-A Rochester to post a .318/.375/.539 line with the Durham Bulls. However, Pridie is unlikely to be a long-term solution in center field. With their current set of players, the Twins could use a combination of Monroe, Tyner and Pridie until a better option comes along. It's still early in the offseason though, and they might look into free agent options for the outfield.

Outfielder Michael Cuddyer is firmly entrenched as the team's starting rightfielder for 2008. He wasn't able to repeat his solid numbers from 2007, but he did knock 16 home runs while batting .276 on the year. He also cut back on his strikeouts, finishing with 23 fewer strikeouts than he had in 2006. Cuddyer's defense was also improved, as he finished with a career-high 19 outfield assists in 2007.

Fantasy Outlook

Young should still be viewed as a very good fantasy option for the 2008 season. Even though he is heading into a weaker lineup, Young will be batting in the middle of the order and he should find a way to build off of his 2007 campaign. Young should be viewed as a low-end No. 2 or a No. 3 outfielder for your fantasy team next year. For now, Young has slightly more value in keeper leagues than in annual formats, but could still be drafted anywhere from the sixth through eighth rounds of upcoming drafts.

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Michael Egnak
Michael Egnak is a Hot Off The Wire Analyst at KFFL and has been with the company since 2005. Covering both NFL and MLB, Egnak is also a key contributor to KFFL's fantasy services.

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