The Twins acquired five everyday players to enliven their lineup for the 2008 season -- Brendan Harris, Adam Everett, Mike Lamb, Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young.
Harris, Everett and Lamb were asked to be solid, regular players in the infield, with Harris and Lamb improving the run production at their positions and Everett helping manager Ron Gardenhire sleep at night by making all of the plays at short.
Gomez was touted as a mercurial talent who could emerge as a dynamic player. Young was the surest thing among the newcomers, a problematic personality with an All-Star's bat, perhaps even a future MVP.
About a quarter of the way through their first year in Twinstripes, Harris still is learning to turn the double play; Everett and Lamb are failing to match Nick Punto's production; and Gomez is as raw, talented and entertaining as advertised.
Of the Flawed Five, Gomez is easily the best, and Young easily the biggest disappointment.
Through 40 games, Young has amassed 152 at-bats, batting .263. He has produced four extra-base hits, none of them home runs.
Four extra-base hits. That's one more than Punto, who has 49 at-bats. That's fewer than such noted sluggers as Everett (five in 58 at-bats), Harris (eight in 125), Lamb (six in 112) and Matt Tolbert (six in 83).
This is a strange phenomenon -- a big, strong player with impressive bat speed whose career will be judged on his power and run production, swinging like a tennis player attempting a drop shot.
