Breaking news: Phillies sign OF Young, INF Quinlan

The Phillies have announced a second wave of non-roster spring invitees, a list that includes veteran outfielder Delwyn Young and corner infielder Robb Quinlan. Here's a brief look at Young and Quinlan (from the Phillies press office, via Matt Gelb of the Inquirer.)

Delwyn Young, INF/OF: Young, 28, spent last season with the Pirates where he hit .236/.286/.414 with seven home runs and 28 RBI in 110 games. A switch-hitting native of Los Angeles, who finished third in the majors with 16 pinch hits in 2010, started games in right field, third base and second base for Pittsburgh. For his major league career, Young is a career .258/.317/.393 hitter with 17 home runs and 81 RBIs over five seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-08) and Pirates (2009-10).

Robb Quinlan, INF: Quinlan, 33, split last season between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Salt Lake. He appeared in 23 games and made six starts (five at first base, one as designated hitter) for the Angels after making their Opening Day roster. For his major league career, which spans eight seasons (2003-10), all with the Angels, Quinlan has hit .276/.322/.401 with 25 home runs in 458 games, seeing most of his on-field action at first base.

The Phillies have also issued spring invites to veteran right-handed reliever Brian Bass, who singed a minor league deal earlier this winter, organizational catchers Tuffy Gosewisch and Joel Naughton and right-handed relievers Michael Schwimer and Michael Stutes.

Beerleaguer: I'll prove a complete breakdown later today. My initial take is that Young and Quinlan offer quality depth at a bargain price. For Quinlan, it's a golden opportunity to reinvent himself as a National League pinch hitter. As for Young, he gives the Phillies a much-needed option in case they feel Domonic Brown needs more seasoning. The competition for the final bench spot will be fierce.

Comments

[Scotch Man]

Answers my question from the last thread about Young. Very good. Nice bargain signing.

[Jack]

JW: Those slash lines are from 2010, not his career. His career numbers are .258/.317/.393.

[NEPP]

Both should do well in Lehigh this year and provide that club with some solid veteran presence.

[Jack]

Delwyn Young is an interesting player, a versatile guy with surprising pop who can play the corner OF positions and 2B or 3B in a pinch. However, he strikes out a lot and hasn't shown the ability to hit for a high enough average (considering he doesn't walk a lot) to make it as an everyday player.

He's not the worst player in the world though to invite to camp. I think there could be some value there if he showed he could field the infield positions with enough capability. As a 5th OF, though, he just doesn't provide enough with the stick I would think to make the squad, unless they start Brown in AAA and don't bring anyone else in.

[donc]

Young sounds like a reasonable flier.

[awh]

You could do a lot worse than either of these two guys in an emergency call-up situation.

Quality replacement level players. :)

[Joe Cowley]

"Would baseball have initiated the Mitchell investigation if not for Bonds? I wonder."

Bonds definitely took it up a notch with his stellar persona, but I actually believe McGuire's cartoonish home run performances and Sosa's transformation from utility player/bum to Babe Ruth in 3 years time had just as much to do with it. I agree Bonds was a terrific player pre-roids.

[jason.tp]

they all sound like better players than Wilson Valdez to me. Sign 'me up!

[GM-Carson]

Young is a good signing. I wouldn't mind him being the 25th man on the roster.

He does continue the Phils "Wrong Brother Syndrome" though, as Delmon or Da-Meat-Hook D'mitri would have been better.

[NEPP]

Shouldn't that read "Would baseball have initiated the Mitchell investigation if not for Canseco?"

Canseco blew the lid off of everything with his seemingly completely accurate statements about steroid use in baseball.

[awh]

WAR, what is it good for?

Delwyn Young's career WAR: 0.7

Robb Quinlan's career WAR: 0.3

[awh]

NEPP, to my knowledge, no one has been able to refute any of Canseco's allegations.

I remember his incredulousness when ARoid wasn't mentioned in the Mitchell Report.

It turned out later he was right.

[MG]

Quinlan is done being a useful MLB player. He stinks in the field and was simply overpowered at the plate last year. Really hasn't been a good offensive player for the past 3 years now. Strictly minor league depth at this point.

Young is at least an interesting plate who can provide some value in a limited call. There is no way though I want to see him getting regular time though in RF. Young plays a bunch of positions but badly too. He is a poor 2B/RF but he is a passable option in LF. Legit chance to win the last roster spot with a good performance in spring training.

[MG]

jason - Valdez plays SS and neither one of these guys plays short or is a good defensive player.

[donc]

NEPP: I knew someone would bring up Canseco and it is a good point. But without Bonds I think Canseco's book would have been given less credibility. He was obviously a desperate, vindictive dick with financial problems of his own making. He might have been largely ignored as a guy making stuff up to sell books if not for the Barroid show. Even if what he said was true. Just my opinion. Bonds incredible results made it absolutely impossible to ignore the elephant in the room at that point.

[rauls grandpa]

I am hoping the Young signing is a mistake. I think the press should ignore this report ala Patton or Crimson Tide as a "message fragment" and ask for the Phils to resend the message in six hours.

[awh]

MG, exactly. Valdez is a very good defensive player, at 3 different positions.

He's been a marginal MLB player because until recently he was an "Out Machine" when he got called up.

Through 2007, he posted this slash line at the MLB level: .211 .254 .277 in 274 PA. Bench players also need to be able to hit (and PH) a little, and flirting with the Mendoza Line ain't getting it done.

The last two seasons with the Mets and Phils he has acquitted himself well enough with the bat that, if he keeps it up, he may be able to keep an MLB job for a while: .258 .310 .356 in 458 PA.

[krukker]

Is Delwyn related to Delmon and Dmitri, who are brothers? I didn't think he was...

However I was amused to find that Robb Quinlan's brother, Tom, is on Carson's wrong brother Phillie list (implying that Robb is actually the right brother!). Well now that we have Robb, I guess Tom can be removed...

[J. Weitzel]

MG: Thanks for the Quinlan report. Don't know much about him since I never watch AL, and certainly never AL WEst.

[GM-Carson]

Krukker- Delwyn isn't one of the Young brothers. I was just being silly. I forget sometimes that doesn't come through via the internet.

[rauls grandpa]

Gload > Quinlan

[PhxPhilly]

Young has versatility but it is because he is not good enough at anything in particular. Certainly not a bad choice for Lehigh or an emergency callup due to his majors experience.
Quinlan appears to no longer be able to even field poorly at 3B, so that really limits his value in my opinion. At best he is a RH PH but can only play 1B. That makes him worse than Sweeney who I'd prefer back instead of Quinlan.

[MG]

A guy like Young though who is a passable option in LF and can play 2B/RF is a better fit as a 25th man on this roster than says Dobbs was last year. More position flexibility and some actual pop from the right-side.

[donc]

What is the situation with Sweeney? I actually forgot about him.

[NEPP]

Non-roster invitees are pretty harmless.

Sweeney is a FA I believe.

[MG]

JW - No problem. Quinlan is one of those guys who was well-liked out in Anaheim (LA) because he had come up with the team originally, had some modest success, and was very friendly/affable.

Decent bench player at one point but he's done. He supposedly didn't hit at Salt Lake City last year either (.254) and was bothered by a shoulder injury.

Chances of him making the Opening Day roster are zero unless there is an injury to Utley or Polanco.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

"NEPP: Puckett was a very good player, but I don't think he was a shoo-in, slam-dunk HOFer."

Uh...he got in during his first year of eligibility. That's pretty "slam-dunk".

[GM-Carson]

Puckett was a great player that had a brilliant career cut short by an injury. His personality had a lot to do with the voters too. He was so darn lovable. He was an all-star 10 straight seasons, almost always in consideration for the MVP, and was a tremendous outfielder defensively.

[donc]

Puckett also had a .318 lifetime batting average. Not too many of them get left out of the hall. His career was cut short, but it was still 12 years. Guy could play. It was very disturbing to later find out what a scum bag he was. I always loved the guy.

[NEPP]

****"NEPP: Puckett was a very good player, but I don't think he was a shoo-in, slam-dunk HOFer."

Uh...he got in during his first year of eligibility. That's pretty "slam-dunk".

****

Um...I never said that. Somone said that arguing against my comments on Puckett. I think Puckett was ridiculously good and a sure thing slam dunk HoF myself.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Right, I just cut/pasted what was said to you, not by you.

[Edmundo]

"Sosa's transformation from utility player/bum to Babe Ruth in 3 years time had just as much to do with it."

Huh? Sosa was an everyday OF** for 5 years with OPS+ varying between 99 and 127 before he exploded, both in size and stats. :)
He struggled as a young player for a few years prior to those 5 years.

** Led the league in Games 2 of those years

[Willard Preacher]

"The competition for the final bench spot will be fierce."

And so sums up what is sure to be a very lively pre-season on Beerleaguer. Music to my ears.

[Meyer]

Can't wait to be complaining about the long spring training season.

[Meyer]

I wonder if Kendrick will slop on thirty pounds of married weight?

[donc]

I think JW should initiate a pitchers and catchers report countdown. Anybody know the date?

[raul's grandpa]

EXT -- BEACH -- WIDE PANORAMIC SHOT -- DAY

A distant boat lies on its side in the sand like an old wreck that's been left to rot in the sun. There's someone out there.

CLOSER ON BOAT

A MAN is meticulously stripping the old paint and varnish by hand, face hidden with goggles and kerchief mask.

DOBBS appears b.g., a distant figure walking out across the sand, wearing his cheap suit and carrying his cheap bag.

The man on the boat pauses. Turns slowly around. DOBBS arrives with a smile as wide as the horizon. The other man raises his
goggles and pulls down his mask. BRUNT, of course.

BRUNT
You look like a man who knows how to get things.

DOBBS
I'm known to locate certain things from time to time.

DOBBS shrugs off his jacket and picks up a sander. Together, they start sanding the hull as we

FADE OUT

THE END

[MG]

Update:

Quinlan signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training. He's headed to Lehigh in short order.

Ditto on Young. They aren't just non-roster spring invitees who don't have a minor-leauge deal.

[Meyer]

Good, you found Dobbs. Where is Oswalt?

[MG]

85 days - Opening Day
51 days - Phils-Yankees on 2/26
39 days - Pitchers and catchers report on Valentine’s Day

Plenty of time to rehash all topics included possible additional last-minute signings, last bench/bullpen battles, the value of KK, the Abreu trade (I kid, I kid).

[Joe Cowley]

RG:

Inmates overheard discussing BRUNT:

"12 months in the majors, that's the largest damn stretch I ever heard of...."

[BobbyD]

39 days til pitchers and catchers. I'll make that date my goal to have all my Christmas decorations away.

[Joe Cowley]

Luckily with the way the NFL season will be expanding next year spring training should begin 3 days after the Super Bowl.....

[clout]

Delwyn Young is a rich man's Michael Martinez.

[clout]

Kirby Bear!

He's in the HOF because he was so huggable.

[Traduceri legalizate]

You need not look any further for an out fielder, you have Delwyn Young. He is a switch hitter, and you are getting him with a big chip on his shoulder, he is going to knock the skin off that dam base ball. He has also been one of the best pinch hitters in the past five or six years, I hear people talking about his defence,but I tell you I have seen him make great plays all over the field, he made some bad plays at third, but he was just learning that position, but he is perfecting that also, because he is an over achiever. So kick back Phillie fans, you just recieved a great christmas present, in spring training you can watch your gift Delwyn Young! He will be hitting dinggers off of Strausberg and the rest of the pichers, he just has that Swagger and eats them for breakfast, lunc and dinner! You will be praising DY