Phillies Should Turn Attention To Delmon Young
With multiple reports claiming that Nick Swisher is talking about Jayson Werth type money, in other words, $126 million over seven years, it is time for the the Philadelphia Phillies to turn their attention elsewhere. Though Swisher is considered by many to be the best all around hitter available now that the Angels have snagged Josh Hamilton, this type of contract is completely unwarranted and Delmon Young may offer a cheaper, younger, and perhaps better option for the team. Young is a right-handed corner outfielder, which as we all know is what the Phillies are desperately in need of. He is only 27 years old and since he’s coming off ankle surgery, he could most likely signed to a short term/low cost contract.
Young has the pedigree that that leads many to believe he still has a high ceiling and that his best days are still to come. He was the first overall pick in the 2003 draft but has been labeled a bust by many after hitting just .267 and an on base percentage of just .299 over the last two seasons. He averaged 15 home-runs and 69 RBI’s over that span. On the bright side, Young has proven to be a clutch performer, hitting .280 with eight home runs (team postseason homer-runs record) and 15 RBIs in 22 postseason games for the Tigers over the last two years. Young could definitely prosper from the move to the National League and 81 home games in the friendly confines of homer friendly Citizen’s Bank Park.
Defensively, there is no arguing that he has been among the worst corner outfielders in all of baseball, but Phillies fans would be used to this considering that Raul Ibanez manned the position for multiple years. Ideally, the Phillies would be able to sign Delmon Young to a low risk contract as a platoon player, batting 5th in the lineup and protecting Ryan Howard against left-handed pitching.
