Tampa Bay Rays History: Delmon Young Suspended Indefinitely

Delmon Young was a talented player with a temper he was unable to control. On this day in 2006, the mercurial Tampa Bay Rays prospect was banished indefinitely by the International League.

The younger brother of Dmitri Young, Delmon Young was the top overall pick in the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was expected to become an all around star, a five tool player that could help lead the Rays out of the wilderness. When he was named as the top overall prospect by Baseball America in 2005, the sky seemed to be the limit.

However, there was just one issue with Young. For all the talent he had, he had quite the temper issue. Those issues began to surface at the end of 2005, when the Rays declined to promote Young after the minor league season ended. When he was sent to AAA to start the 2006 campaign, Young was vocal in his displeasure.

Those issues reached a low point on this day in 2006. Displeased by a first inning call by the home plate umpire, Young threw a bat, striking him in the chest. He was immediately suspended indefinitely, although the ban would later be reduced to 50 games. Nonetheless, it was the longest in the history of the International League.

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Young still made his Major League debut that season, ten years to the day that his brother Dmitri made his own debut. He certainly lived up to his potential that day, hitting a two run homer. Young then spent the next season in the Majors, and played every game for the Rays. However, he disappointed, and was sent to Minnesota.

Young would bounce around the league, continuing to be a headache. On this day in 2012, six years after throwing his bat at the umpire, Young reached his low point. He was arrested for harassment and charged with a hate crime, as the drunken outfielder got into an altercation with some random people, and began yelling anti-Semetic slurs.

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Delmon Young never reached his potential, sidetracked by his weight issues and his attitude. On this day in 2006, and again six years later, the former Tampa Bay Rays prospect was faced with the consequences of his actions.