Delmon Young - only just begun?

The countdown to Opening Night for the Twins is now 10 days and the expectations for the 2011 season are as high as ever. Visions of healthy M & M boys, flashes of 2006 again in Fransisco Liriano (we Twins Rubes like to call him "Franchise Liriano") along with a veteran core returning to the rotation, and revamped lineup featuring both speed and power have Twins Territory looking forward to another AL Central title banner to be hung in Target Field. But have we forgotten about arguably the biggest breakthrough from 2010?

Delmon Young had his best season in the Major Leagues in 2010. He had career highs in doubles, home runs, rbi's, slugging percentage, and OPS. Oh ya, and he is 25 years old! Believe me, I get as frustrated as anyone when you hear, "And he's still young! Wait 'til he hits his prime!" But you know what? Delmon Young is still young! Wait until he hits his prime! The statistics below first list a well known outfielder playing great baseball throughout his career, and the next set lists Delmon Young's career statistics. So who is mystery player #1?

*baseball-reference.com

Does the name Carl Crawford ring a bell? Carl Crawford has established himself as one of the premiere players in baseball over the course of his 9 year Major League Baseball career. Not to mention, he just signed a 7-year $142 million dollar deal with the Red Sox this past offseason. I think we can agree that Delmon doesn't have the speed or defensive prowess that Crawford has, obviously. But Crawford is known around baseball as one of the best hitters in the league, and Delmon matches and exceeds many statistics that Crawford has produced already - we mentioned Delmon Young won't be 26 until September, right?

Don't get me wrong, I am one of the first to criticize Delmon Young's shortfalls in the outfield over the past 3 seasons with the Twins. However, when we consider he is the best right-handed bat that the Twins have had since Torii Hunter, or that he was the catalyst to the 2010 playoff run at a time when the Twins desperately needed a spark, or the fact that he's 25 years old! (I know, that was my last age reference), you have to be excited about what #21 is going to be doing for our favorite 9 this season and hopefully for many to come. I'm not in the business of predicting (if I was, my bracket wouldn't be ranked 1,844,144th on ESPN's bracket challenge... touche city of Richmond, VA), but I am confident in saying that Delmon Young will hit .300, hit 25+ home runs, and will once again drive in 100+ RBI's in 2011. And about that defensive liability issue? He had 12 outfield assist in 2010. Delmon Young is not a defensive liability. So yes, my anticipation for the M & M boys, a deep rotation, and a revamped lineup is as great as anybody's. But I'm looking forward to what Delmon Young has in store for the Twins in 2011.