Of all the scouting reports, of all the players on the Internet, you had to pop into this one. To me, that’s like going to a psychic to see if the new IPOD’s going to check your heart-rate and blood-pressure. Sure it is. And Delmon, well, how many home runs do you want?

The name that pops up in every single Delmon Young report I’ve seen (other than Delmon Young), is Albert Belle. Why? It’s because Delmon used to be chubby, hits for power, and plays a corner-outfield position. Well he’s lost a lot of weight, so forget the Albert comparisons. Call him Barry.

Let’s take a brief look at Delmon’s historical statistics.

Delmon was taken 1st overall in the 2003 Amateur Draft. He was born in ‘83, stands 6′2″, and weighs about 200 pounds. He’ll probably get up to 215 as he adds muscle, looking a bit like Vernon Wells.

In 2004 he went: 131 games, 513 ABs, 95 runs, 164 hits, 26 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 25 HRs, 115 RBIs, 21 SBs 6 CS, 53 BB, 120 Ks, .320 AVG, .386 OBP, .536 SLG, .922 OPS.

A guy who hits .320 should have a higher OBP, but you can’t complain with those numbers, even though they were posted at Single-A (South Atlantic League) Charleston.

In 2005 Delmon split his year between AA and AAA, going:

AA Montgomery: 84 games, 330 AB, 59 runs, 111 hits, 13 2B, 4 3B, 20 HR, 71 RBI, 25, SB, 8 CS, .336 AVG, .386 OBP, .582 SLG, 968 OPS.

AAA Durham: 52 games, 228 AB, 33 Runs, 65 Hits, 13 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 28 RBI, 7 SB, 4 CS, 4:33 BB:K, .285 AVG, .303 OBP, .447 SLG, 750 OPS.

The drop-off in production shows he’s human. And the drop in stolen bases shows he’s not a burner. I guess you could compare him to Vernon Wells, who hits for power, posts OBPs below what you’d expect, has the ability to steal bases, and strikes out too much. As Delmon climbs the ladder, he’ll be striking out plenty. Sure, he’ll hit for a while as pitchers learn his game. But when they do he’ll slump for a bit before getting back to .300.

Delmon’s an absolute beast, but he’s not Vlady, or Manny Ramirez. I’d say he’s somewhere between Wells/Abreu/Sheffield, but the young Barry Bonds comparison is what clicks for me. Delmon has a tremendous arm, he’s Bonds’s height, he can steal like a young Bonds, and he has a young Bonds’s body. Granted, he’s not as athletic, but when you think about Albert Belle does the stat 32 stolen bases pop into mind?

With Naimoli out in Tampa Bay Delmon is finally free to ascend to the MLB level. He’ll start the year in AAA before getting called up for about 60 games. Tampa Bay has outfielders. That’s what you have to understand. Sure, Delmon could start the year in Tampa, but he’d be squeezing Crawford, Gomes, Huff, maybe Gathright, for playing time. Remember that Rocco’s back for Spring Training, and Baldelli is going to play. If Gomes DHs, and Huff plays 1B, then you’ve got Gathright, Crawford, Baldelli in the OF. I’m sure Gathright gets traded, but when Delmon gets his call-up depends on how loud D-Rays fans scream.

Tampa Bay will be better this year, but they still don’t have the pitching to compete with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Jays. Still, the old service-time excuse is getting old fast. It’s not like they’re planning a parade through St. Petersburg in 2007. Delmon and BJ Upton should see time at the big-league level this year and stick. He should hit his stride in his 2nd year, and maybe plateau at 30/100 for awhile before taking the next step.