For the past couple of seasons, Delmon Young has been the subject of scorn from Minnesota fans and writers, and the subject of snide remarks from the management. It was cheered when Jim Thome was signed, because many suspected that this meant Jason Kubel would be in the field (ugh) and Thome would be the every day DH (Thome hit .249 last year, so I can see the allure). Now that he is in camp, each of the Twin Cities’ papers has run a glowing report on the young man, with statements from Ron Gardenhire and Justin Morneau.
What?!
In both articles (Pioneer Press here, Star Tribune here), they mention his dramatic weight loss in the off season, demonstrating his dedication. He does look like a whole new person, by the way. They also mention that he has been, historically, a slow starter, and that his mind was elsewhere for much of last year because he lost his mother to cancer early in the season. Gardenhire, Morneau and even Jim “trade Joe Mauer” Souhan believe that he’s now a projected to have a big breakout season. They remind us that he is still young and extremely talented.
I’ve been saying all of those things (except for the weight loss thing) for months now. Still, I struggled to find support for my beliefs until this Spring Training. I have no idea what changed. Does anyone have any idea? Is Souhan reading my blog?
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