NewsYoung seizing opportunity to start
With Moss sliding, utilityman proving he belongs in lineup
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
06/16/09 8:06 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- On Tuesday, Delwyn Young found himself making his fourth start in right field over the team's past five games. And he appears in line to continue gaining more consistent playing time for two simple reasons: He's producing, and Brandon Moss is not.Moss, whose last start came Friday, was given another day off Tuesday as he continues to spend extra time with hitting coach Don Long to find a way to break out of his most recent skid. Since the beginning of June, Moss has just four hits in 28 at-bats, and he's hitless in his past 15 at-bats.
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With the Pirates facing a left-handed starter again Wednesday, manager John Russell confirmed that it wouldn't be until Thursday, at the earliest, that Moss would be reinserted as a starter.
"You would hate to put him in there against a lefty when he is working on some things," Russell said. "I think he's putting a lot of pressure on himself. The biggest thing is just to try and get him to take a deep breath and relax and let some of his natural ability show up."
Benefiting from Moss' recent struggles is Young, who has done nothing but seize the opportunity when given playing time. The title of starting right fielder still technically belongs to Moss, but with the way playing time has been divided of late, Young is as much an option out there for Russell as is Moss.
"With Delwyn playing as well as he is, this may be a point in time to give him some more opportunities and some more at-bats," general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday. "I'm not saying that Delwyn is becoming our starting right fielder, but it is an opportunity for Delwyn to get some more time."
The numbers don't lie. Young, who was acquired by Pittsburgh in mid-April, had made 15 starts this season -- 11 in right and four at second -- entering Tuesday. In those starts, Young has hit .361. He's 12-for-24 with three RBIs in his past six games as a starter.
And keep in mind that the switch-hitting Young has produced these numbers while dealing with the challenges of not getting consistent playing time.
"He's come up big for us," Russell said. "Getting some more opportunities, I think, is only going to help him stay relaxed and swing the bat even better."
With Young making it hard to justify taking him out of the lineup, the Pirates are stuck in a sticky situation with Moss. He is out of options, which makes a demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis an unlikely option unless Pittsburgh wants to risk losing him.
Furthermore, management still holds out hope that Moss has the potential to be a productive everyday outfielder, which is what the Pirates confidently stated when Moss was acquired last July.
"It's been a struggle because at times," Huntington said. "Brandon has flashed the ability that we believe is in there and what we traded for. At other times, it's a struggle to repeat and a struggle to put the same swing [on the ball]. Like a lot of young players, he's fighting himself."
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
