Touching moment from Delmon, other quick notes.
Posted on October 2nd, 2009 – 11:51 PMBy La Velle
Delmon Young showed a different side during the post-game presser when he was asked if his father, Larry, was at the game to see his grand slam and 5 RBI.
“Yeah, I wish my mom could have seen it, too,” Young said.
Young’s mother died early in the season after a battle with cancer. And you never know how that affects someone (full disclosure: my father died of lung cancer and my mother died of colon cancer). But the consensus among the working press is that Delmon has been a little more engaging as the season has gone on.
On the field, his bat has been a little more engaging too, and I’m sure the Twins will take any production they can get.
Joe Mauer: I asked Gardy after the game if Joe Mauer would catch or DH on Saturday.
“I know he was totally exhausted after this game,” Gardenhire said. “I’ll drive by and pick him up if I need to.”
Gardy said he was thinking, in the fifth inning, of pulling Mauer and Orlando Cabrera (who has a sore hamstring) if the Twins had a big lead in the seventh. “That didn’t happen,” Gardy said.
Bullpen: The Twins could use seven strong innings from Nick Blackburn today because the bullpen can’t go through another game like Friday’s.
When asked if he was concerned about the bully, Gardy said: “Sure. It’s a day game, 3 p.m. game, so the recuperation time is a little less. Got a starter going on three days rest. There’s lots of concerns.
“But….you gotta win. And we’re facing Greinke.”
60 Responses to "Touching moment from Delmon, other quick notes."
First
win two more and let the chips fall where they may.
How about these stats from a third baseman, would you take these on this team? 2009 Season
AVG .263 HR44 RBI101 RUNS 96
Do you know who this is? Average not great, but otherwise pretty good numbers.
I’m looking for Blackie to get the complete game tomorrow and shut out the Royals, with the Twins winning 4-0
LENIII and DY, Please accept my most sincere condolences for the loss of your parents. As a cancer survivor who has also lost a parent to the dreaded disease, I both empathize and applaud your abilities to not only continue but succeed in your respective professions. I couldn’t see your face but Delmon’s engaging smile tonight while accepting his standing ovation was exhilarating!
What 3rd baseman is that, and is he a free agent? That average is plenty with those other numbers.
Didn’t Delmon only have like one week off after the death of his mother? And then he had to get back to work, and was expected to act like nothing happened. I know I couldn’t do it. It’s been a tough season for him, and I’m glad to see him do well at the end of the season.
Macleod, don’ think he is a free agent, maybe they could trade for him - Mark Reynolds of Arizona
Please don’t post what our 3rd basemen numbers were this year. Too depressing compared to Reynolds. Imagine adding that bat to our line-up next season. Mauer, Morneau, Reynolds, Kubel, Cuddy. I count 500 RBI there.
Mark Reynolds - he’s under contract in 2010 and eligible for arbitration from 2011-2013 before hitting free agency.
Wonder what it would take to get Reynolds? Or is he untouchable? He must be 26 or 27 Not great in the field, 19 errors at third this year - 9.44 pct
I missed Delmon’s granny, but I got a text about it while I was out and I grinned huge. After what happened to him yesterday…to pull that off in his first AB was HUGE.
I’m hoping the Twins find a place for him everyday.
And 200 strikeouts this year, but has the power. Maybe Mauer could tutor him some to get the average up and lower the strikeouts.
T - I agree with you on DY, he needs to be an everyday player and I believe he could blossom into a very good player.
Delmon’s granny was a slider that “slid” right into his swing. He put a great swing on it and drilled it to left center field about 5 rows deep.
All the 2010 free agent third baseman are all over 30, the best of the bunche being Beltre and Figgins
47 less games this year for Delmon. Same number of homers, 14 less RBI. And, LaVelle just touched on some of the things he’s had to go through this year. No reason he can’t be a 20 HR, 90 RBI guy in future years. I know it’s been talked about constantly, but you also have to consider his age. He probably won’t even hit his peak for another 2-3 years. I’m putting Delmon as a “buy” in my stock portfolio.
I’m happy for Delmon.
How can Blackburn go 7 strong innings? He’s coming off his longest outing of the year and is on 3 days rest. That would really be something if he could keep up with ZG for 7 innings
You never know. Maybe Blacky gets into a groove, maybe because he is a little tired he relaxes and doesn’t press, and just pitches. We can only hope. Plus, Greineke isn’t unhittable. Get a few runs early and get his pitch count up. I think I heard he has gone less than 6 innings at least 10 times this year. We absolutely have to be patient. If we give him a couple 9 pitch innings then our pitches will need to be lights out.
ZG has never won at the Dome…
Another guy it would be nice to have is Ryan Zimmerman, although I think he is signed for a number of years with Washington.
Washington don’t need him. Go get him. Go get somebody. I can’t believe our patchwork of guys are making a run at the pennant. Even though I’ve been watching, I never believed we’d make a run when we were 7 back.
Of course I meant nothing could help Washington so they should trade him to us.
Its amazing to me that the Twins are relying upon such youngsters to finish out the season. Could bode well for the future (or not)!
maybe a big loud home crowd will get into Greinke’s head tomorrow.
Despite his personal losses and his struggles with consistency, I think Delmon Young has a bright future in pro baseball. His numbers after the All-Star break indicate that his game is finally coming together. Keep in mind that this is a guy who is batting .278 despite some glaring bad habits in his plate discipline. Today every pitcher in the American league throws junk to DY on the first pitch, because they know he swings 90 percent of the time. If he’d simply flip a coin in the batter’s box, that would drive pitchers nuts wondering if he was going to swing at that first pitch or just stand there stock still. I wish he’d try it.
I think for all the grief people have given him, Young has matured greately since coming to the Twins.
There have been so many moments where you would have expected Young to charge the mound, or fling a bat, or get really angry.
And so far we only saw it once (yesterday) and it was after a very hard fought and tacky game.
The kid had a bad rap when he got there, and I hope people recognize what he’s been doing to turn that around.
Delmon is the man.
Rollerskates or no rollerskates in the outfield, his bat will continue improving.
his papa has been watchin, and he’s done quite well
I hope the Dome will be rocking the next two games. Everybody got complacent after that early big lead in last night’s game. You need to make some noise people, to keep the Twins going and hopefully get Greinke uncomfortable!!!!!!
Things going for us: last time was the first time Twins faced Greinke this season, hopefully the boys remember his pitches now that they’ve finally seen him. He’s still human and it’s not like he’s thrown 30 no hitters, he hasn’t. Greinke won’t have that friendly crowd like at Kauffmann getting all excited about the only thing a Royals fan CAN get excited about this year. Greinke has never won at the Metrodome, something that seems to affect other players and teams, like all the White Sox, for example. This game will prove once and for all the theory that sinkerballers work better tired, and so maybe Blackie can get thru most of the nine innings by getting lots of groundballs and keep the pitchcount low.
MAKE SOME NOISE PEOPLE!!!!!!!! Bring your old homer hankies if the Twins don’t issue new ones.
Mark Reynolds has been one of the few highlights down here in Phoenix, strikeouts and all. Dangling some pitching at the Dbacks might perk their interest. Ooops, that’s what you might call a Freudian slip, PERK their interest. I’d be happy if Duensing becomes the lefthander in the rotation next season…that kid can pitch. Both of our other two lefthanders might prosper in the NL the way a Lohse and others have done. If those two hadn’t been such disasters this season, we wouldn’t be biting our nails right now, we’d be contemplating facing the Yankees.
I personally think we should get ARod at 3B and Pujols at first, who’s with me?
That’s as likely as us getting Reynolds.
Although players coming “out of nowhere” like Reynolds are players with great HR track records, low averages, and high strikeouts in the minors, like Garrett Jones, Dallas McPherson, Justin Huber, Nelson Cruz, and Russell Branyan.
So my point is don’t look for these guys AFTER they get regular MLB ABs and hit 30+ HR, but get them when they haven’t been given playing time and are easy to acquire.
I personally would like the Beltre Hardy left side of the infield.
Been root’n for Delmon since he got here. It’s great to see him do this well down the stretch.
And what a stretch—- Now, if we can only win again today. Keep your fingers crossed, say your Hail Mary’s and pull out your luckiest hats, rabbits feet and anything else that could help. I’m putting a double moxie on Greinke, so don’t worry about him, he’ll have nothing today.
HAVE FUN !!! GO TWINS !!!
Agree on Delmon guys, need to be a little more patient with him, as he seems to be coming around nicely. He’ only 24…do you know how old the NL favorite for ROY is? 24 - Chris Coghlan of the Marlins.
I think we have seen in the last two weeks who is more important to the team, we had an opening in the outfield and gomez cant get an AB. Delmon has his avg up over .280 and has 55 rbi. he has done well.
Kubel has also done well since playing the field, he is a typical power hitting outfielder, isnt fast but can track most flys down.
I’m shocked at how near-sited the posters are today about DY. One big day and a comment about his dead Mom and suddenly he’s awesome. The truth of the matter is that he’s not a very good ballplayer and likely never will be. He’s painful to watch out in the outfield and his plate discipline is an absolute joke. He’s been in the league for 3 years and he’s regressing. Gardy’s already said he won’t do the 4-man rotation next year. DY’s gone. Count on it. Having said that, I saw the documentary on the Youngs, and I feel compassion for him. I’ll be rooting for him–and probably cussing him–for these last two games. It’ll be last we’ll see of him as a Twin. I suspect one day he will become a servicable DH for someone.
Keep Delmon Young!!! He is just now starting to come into his own as a big league ballplayer. Young is adding extra base hits even as he maintains and improves his average. The grand slam is just one more sign that DY is working hard and improving. He can improve on defense.
In other news, Nick Punto has got his swing. Dick, Bert, and Ron Coomer went over this last night. Punto is now swinging down and through the ball, and takes one hand off the bat after contacting the ball because that works for him. He is balanced in the batter’s box. Considering his solid defense, base running ability, and Punto hitting .300 lately, Punto will contribute as an everyday starter next year. Punto is a great fit at second base.
We need Orlando Cabrera for his clubhouse leadership. Plus, he speaks Spanish, allowing him to be the go-between for guys who haven’t mastered English at this point, like Gomez, Mijares, and others. It would be an easier decision if he improved on defense. Some of his 10 errors as a Twin in two months have been specific to the Metrodome and thus shouldn’t happen next year. Cabrera does need to work on his defense.
Tolbert’s defense and evolving offense gives him a lock on third base as far as I’m concerned. I do not want to hear any argument. He needs to be the Twins third baseman. We don’t need him to rival the play of Mike Schmidt or even Gordon Beckham. We just need a solid defensive guy who contributes on offense and works hard to get better. That’s Matt Tolbert.
With Morneau at first, that fills out the infield.
They need to get some runs early in order to have chance. Keep Crain in the bullpen or in the clubhouse!
Mauer Power,
This team cannot start both Tolbert and Punto in the infield next year. Let them share the 2nd base/utility role but nothing more. I think Adrian Beltre would be worth a look at the right price, coming off a down and injury pagued year.
I think the biggest thing with Delmon is when he plays regularly, he produces.
Next year Young in left Gomez in center, Span in right, Kubel DH, Mauer catching, Infield Morneaux, Punto, Cabrera, Cuddeyer.
I think it might be good to have a 3rd baseman over 30 as long as he is mobile — also depends on what we do at SS.
This team was somewhat lacking in veteran leadership before they got Cabrera. Reddog isn’t an everyday player — and this is probably his last season. Punto is over 30 but isn’t every day. And Crede couldn’t play every day so the only over-30 regular was Cuddy (other than pitching staff).
Having a veteran leader or 2 in the infield is a good thing in my mind. Sometimes we forget that Morny and Mauer are still relatively young. We’ll have to see what the F.O. can shake loose over the winter.
One move next year will open up a lot of possibilities for the Twins. Move Cuddyer to 3rd! He’s proven he can play 1st, after never playing that position in the minors. That would open up a spot in the outfield for Gomez and let DYoung play left. Then you could use resources to go after a FA starting pitcher. The Twins need someone who can be an ace. Overpowering and reliable. Like Oswalt or Holladay….
I expect the Twins will look for a veteran SP to add to their rotation (esecialy if they lose Pavano). But an ace like Haliday or Oswalt? Not a realistic hope. Toronto would ask a boatload of players for Haliday. Also, he probably wouldn’t agree to come here even if a trade were worked out. Oswalt? Same as Haliday. Besides the Twins first priority will be to sign Mauer. Even with a hometown discount that will take a boatload of money.
Arizona’s not going to give us Mark Reynolds. Washington trade us Zimmerman? LOL.
If we’re going to dream up third base scenarios with zero chance of happening, why not “Punto and Tolbert for Longoria?”
I can’t see that Beltre would come here, especially since the Twins were on his list of places he din’t want to get traded. Besides he is a Boras client and will be demanding the moon.
And it seems that the Twins win when Delmon is in the lineup, even if he doesn’t produce that day.
Key to today’s game is Blackburn.
You beat a good pitcher by outpitching him.
Would be nice if Blackie could go seven or eight today, Twins need to give him some run support. Not easy with Greinke pitching, who is not perfect and can be beat. Saving the bullpen would really be helpful.
Greinke cannot sustain the what is it like a 0.80 era in the last seven starts. Thant’s got to start coming bck to normal. That’s insane even for him. Why not today?
Camden,
I wish you were right but watching the ball come out of Greinkes hand makes me feel sorry for anybody that has to face him. The guy has unreal stuff, maybe the best since Pedro in his prime.
Greinke has been a headcase, finally getting his head in order this year. Take lots of pitches early on, draw some walks, and shake his confidence. He’s never had big pressure before–now there’s only one important game on the national schedule, lots of media attention, nationally televised game, road game, huge crowd. If the Twins can be patient and the crowd can get into it, he could unravel. Added pressure that he could possibly win (or lose) the Cy Yong with this start, considering so many of the voters will probably be seeing him for the first time this year, if not ever.
AM hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaahaha
Who do you think votes for the Cy Young?
How has he been a head case? Because he has anxciety issues? Geez nobody faces those problems.
I think 28 sportwriters from the BBWAA vote for the Cy Young.
KC games are watched far and wide.
Hey LaVelle and all — last night’s game reminded me of one in 1984…Twins were trying to make a miracle run and lost a 10-0 lead against the Tribe. Thank goodness we have Nathan and not a Ron Davis repeat!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE198409280.shtml
Mauer Power
By no means should Tolbert be the starting 3rd baseman next year. especially if punto is still a starter. 2 players in the infield who can barely stay about .200 is not a winning combo. tolbert will not be starting
