Jim Souhan has a very telling headline in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Muscular singles hitter is not what we had in mind". Of course, I don't need to tell you that Souhan is referring to former Devil Dog Delmon Young.

Touted as a power hitter, Delmon Young is gettting outslugged by almost all of his new Twins teammates.

Actually, Young is getting out-slugged by most of the American League. In the first 41 games of the season, Young has 6 extra-base hits. Not one of those extra-base hits are home runs. And 2 of the 5 doubles came last night. Including those 2 doubles, Young has an OBP of .319 and a SLG of .321. That's right. We are 1/4 the way into the season and Delmon Young has an OPS of .640. The .321 SLG and Young's .640 OPS rank as the 5th worst in the American League. Both of those numbers are the worst among all AL outfielders.

This is a strange phenomenon -- a big, strong player with impressive bat speed whose career will be judged on his power and run production, swinging like a tennis player attempting a drop shot...

Not sure what the scouts saw. Maybe they should have talked to a few Rays' fans.

This is beyond alarming. This is approaching pathetic.

Ouch

Playing in the Metrodome, with its large left field, could explain the power decline, but Young's problem has not been warning-track outs -- it has been getting the ball out of the infield. He rarely pulls the ball, and when he does, he does not do so with authority...He has taken the concept of the "inside-out" swing -- à la Mauer -- to a ridiculous degree, dragging the bathead through the hitting zone so belatedly that his hits can only be ground balls up the middle and bloops to right field.

Mr. Souhan: Young's swing is not a new "concept". That is exactly what Young's swing looked like last season. In other words, it sounds like Young hasn't taken to the "Twins Way" yet. Color me shocked. Delmon Young? Not coachable? Couldn't be.

Young has played in 205 consecutive games. Might he require, or deserve, a day on the bench? "He likes to play," Gardenhire said. "He's here to play, and we'll see how long we can ride with it."...Or Gardenhire could play Craig Monroe in left for a few days, and see if the rest enlivens Young's powerless bat.

We are only at the quarter-mark of Young's first season in Minneapolis and already the writers are calling for Young to be benched for a spell.

To all Twins fans: He's your problem now. We tried to warn you to not get too excited about the "Hall of Fame Potential".

Muscular singles hitter is not what we had in mind [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]