“Bases load. Young swings. Line drive! Cruz is in! Pearce is in! Hardy around third, he’s going to try to score, and… SAFE! THE ORIOLES HAVE THE LEAD!” If you’re a Baltimore Orioles fan, you can hear the roar of the crowd take over your soul when you hear those words.
It was the biggest moment of Delmon Young‘s major league career, a career that began with high hopes and expectations for the first overall pick of the 2003 MLB draft. His first full season in the majors featured 162 games played and 51 extra-base hit, earning the outfielder a second-place finish in 2007 American League Rookie of the Year voting.