Phillies designate Delmon Young for assignment

Jul 13, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham (15) tags out Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Delmon Young (3) at second base in the first inning during game one of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

The long, national nightmare is over.

To make room on 25-man roster, OF Delmon Young was designated for assignment.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 9, 2013

Well, at least the Philadelphia Phillies nightmare is over, as the team officially announced on Friday afternoon that they have designated outfielder Delmon Young for assignment. The move effectively ends Young’s involvement with the franchise and, as most people seem to feel, it was a move that was a long time coming.

Young struggled mightily at the plate (when he was even playing), hitting with just a .261/.302/.397 slash line with 8 home runs in 291 plate appearances. While that isn’t atrocious in today’s MLB, it is completely unacceptable when you pair it with his trademark, horrendous defense in the outfield. For his career, he has cost his teams 62.4 runs defensively, and that is staggeringly bad for a player who spent significant time as a designated hitter in the AL.

On the whole, this is a blip on the radar screen since the Phillies are distantly out of contention in the NL East. However, Young’s status as a Major Leaguer could be in real question, and despite his relatively young age of 27 years old, he is far from guaranteed an MLB roster spot at this stage.

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