Delmon Damarcus Young was born in Montgomery, Alabama on September 14, 1985. Delmon graduated from Adolfo Camarillo High School in 2003. He was drafted first overall in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
In 2005, Delmon Young hit .336 with 20 home runs, 71 RBI’s and an OPS of .968 while playing with Double-A Montgomery. That year he won the Southern League MVP. Young was promoted to Triple-A Durham on July 15, 2005 where he batted .285 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 52 games. He was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. Young finished his minor league career with .318 batting average. On May 9, 2006, Delmon Young was suspended for 50 games without pay for throwing his bat at an umpire during an April 26, 2006 game.
On August 28, 2006 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays called Young up to the major leagues. His first game at the major league level was against the Chicago White Sox on August 29, 2006, ten years to the day after his older brother Dmitri Young played in his first major league game. Delmon Young’s first major league hit was 412 foot home run.
In 2007, Delmon Young finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting to Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Young was also a unanimous selection to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. On November 28, 2007 the Tampa Devil Rays traded Delmon Young to the Minnesota Twins for Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, and Eduardo Morlan.
Delmon Young had an impressive spring training with the Minnesota Twins. In 36 at bats he batted .361 with two doubles, one home run, and seven RBI. At the end of the 2008 Minnesota Twins season Delmon Young had played in 152 games with the Minnesota Twins, batting .290 with 10 home runs and 69 RBIs.
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