Domonic Brown’s stat line this spring is astounding: a .397 average with 21 runs, 12 RBIs and six home runs in 22 games.
His resurgence during Spring Training is proving to be one of the few bright spots surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies as the season quickly approaches.
But is his sudden hitting outbreak just a fluke? Can he possibly carry this over into April and the summer months?
We’ve seen this storyline before. Back in 2010, Brown tore up the minor leagues, bashing 20 home runs and 68 RBIs with a .327 average while splitting time between Reading and Lehigh Valley. Because of his hitting prowess, Brown was able to showcase his talents at Citizens Bank Park on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the big lights were too much for him. In 62 at bats, the lefty struggled with a .210 average and 24 strikeouts.
The same continued in 2011 when Brown batted sub-.250 yet again in 184 at bats. The biggest concern, though, was his run production. In 2010, he knocked in 13 runners despite the limited at bats. In 122 more at bats than the previous year, Brown was able to knock in just six more runners. That’s not what any fan wants to see from a middle of the order hitter.
It seemed impossible that someone who was that hot in the minors and so highly-touted like Brown was could struggle so mightily at the next level.
That’s why this Spring Training is such a welcoming sight for every Philadelphia fan.
Unfortunately, these riveting few months from Brown mean nothing once April 1 rolls around.
This year, more so than in years past, all eyes will be on the 25-year old outfielder. In a banged up and aging lineup, Brown, along with Ben Revere, can become the difference maker in the Phillies’ pursuit of a NL East title. He has the potential to erase all those bad memories he left in the minds of every Philadelphia fan with a strong 2013 campaign.
The difference with Brown going into this year is his confidence. Perhaps it’s the “What Can Brown Do For You?” tattoo he got, or what many believe to be the biggest reason behind his outbreak, the fact that he has a hitting coach who finally corrected his biggest hindrance. New hitting coaches Steve Henderson and Wally Joyner have apparently spent a lot of time fixing Brown’s stance, adjusting his hands on the bat and providing him with a much better approach at the plate.
All of this has led to Brown hammering every pitch he sees.
So what should Philly fans expect from the Florida native?
Well, for someone who was listed right behind Mike Trout and Bryce Harper among the prospects rankings, expectations will always be tainted when it comes to Brown. However, I’m a strong believer that Brown has finally figured things out. I know it’s hard to judge someone in the spring, but I’ve always been quick to note that Brown’s batting stance was atrocious when he first came up and his hands were way too slow. I felt this was the biggest thing holding him back at the major league level.
With all of that apparently fixed, Brown’s swing this spring has been beautiful. Am I saying he is going to put up Trout-like numbers? No.
But I do think he can put up Harper-like numbers. His changed approach at the plate leads me to believe Brown could muster up a .270 average with 20 home runs and 50+ RBIs this season – identical to Harper’s All-Star season in 2012.
G…T…F…O…!
at 25 its do or die for him without a doubt. if he becomes the player that he was touted to be then the phillies will pretty successfully turn over their lineup to some young guys in the next 2 years…
I think you are absolutely right and none of these talk show hosts even talk about the changes in his stance [hands down],or hwards stance [not standing a mile from the plate] two simple things that should have been done a long time ago .I look at dominic brown and do not see this as fluky or just a hot spring ,but this is what he is now.I believe a 285 average with 30 homers is very possible ,and i also think ryan howard will have even a better season than he had before the injury.Couple those 2 with utley,rollins ,michael young,delmon young ,ben revere,carlos ruiz ,the phillies should have a huge offensive year.Everything depends on halliday.
Brown is not playing for the Fans, this is his last chance to play everyday in the MLB, he had to shine this Spring to keep his Career.. I applaud him for staying focused and working on his overall game.. Good for him and the Phils.. He was running out Opportunities and has made the most of it and let’s hope he and the Team get off to a good Start come April
Talk is cheap lets see what he does in real time and I dont mean for a short time. I was never big on this guy especially when I saw he could not do the fundemental things like plain fielding.We will see hopefully we have a real bat and player and not a waste but what kills me is other good teams get their young players up early and with talent not at 24,25, and please dont compare him to bryce harper REALLY!
that may be a fair criticism about getting them up early but when brown was 22 they had werth out there. also harper is a once in a generation player so you are correct it is a stupid comparison
Bryce Harper shouldn’t even be in the same sentence with Trout nor should Dom Brown. Let this guy have some success in the majors and Paulman you are correct he isn’t playing for the fans.
Only reason I even brought those two names up in the same sentence with Brown was because Trout (1), Harper (2) and Brown (4) were all ranked within the top 4 for prospects by MLB.com in 2011.
Dom looks damn good this spring my #1 concern with him is can he hit lefties and this spring he is batting 400 against them wtih a hr too in 20abs. not a lot of abs yet to sell me on him being a capable hitter against lefties but in his opportunities (mind you against non mlb lefties) he has got the job done.
id say he is going to be a pleasant surprise this year but even if he isnt he is an everyday player as we have zero other options
Look here this is so different every time Brown was with the Phillies it was in the middle of the season and the pressure was on him to produce right away. But now he’s relaxed and how come the Phillies never trust there young players it must be a philly thing or a philly fan thing.
It’s a Charlie Manuel thing, He does not have a history of trusting or playing many of his Young Players unless it’s a last option like with the Bullpen a couple Seasons back when he relied heavily on Stutes/Bastardo and probably too much since there were no alternatives..
Big, have to disagree, especially based on pure tools, Harper is the every bit the player trout is, two studs, at this stage though trout appears more mature
Harper does have all the tools and your correct he’s not as mature as Trout. It’s just my bias towards the Nat’s they get on my last nerve.
I’m gonna let you know something Brown will be the 2nd best Phillie in the lineup this season next to Howard don’t forget 2 years ago he was the best prospect in baseball those skills just didn’t go away if the Phillies management just leave the guy alone and let him play everyday like the Braves do with Jason Heyward then Brown will be fine.
I didn’t think Brown had it in him to succeed. I thought he was a Mayberry or Ben Fransisco( just a role player) and Ruf would be capitalizing on the spring training opportunity. But it is the opposite Brown is the man and Ruf is headed for the minors.
If Utley and Hallday struggle, how long before they get replaced by the young players? Will they force feed these two vets like they did David Bell at 3rd base all year. Galvis is ready and able.
galvis stinks, he may be ready but he isnt and never will be able. im really down on utley and dont think he can play at elite level without his juice but do not want galvis replacing him ever. hopefully there is a better option out there.
doc and utley are gone after this year and if we arent in the hunt theyll be gone at the deadline
We may never know if Charlie doesn’t give him regular playing time. Start him in a corner OF spot and don’t sit him for lefties. He has to play everyday, so that we can get a true look at him. No more GD platoons.
brown is an everyday player this year period there are 0 other options
what platoons are you referring to? charlie loves a set line up. he only platoons in cases of injury
He platooned LF all last season.
only because mayberry proved to not be an everyday player… the job was his to lose and he lost it…no way charlie would want a 39 year old weak hitting/weak defense player like pierre out there if mayberry had hit .280 with 24 and 85….charlie likes to have his line up in tact game after game… its one of the negative nillies complaints about him
Except Mayberry, Young, Ruf and Nix…. I agree that he should be, but Charlie seems to find a way.
what do you mean young? he plays 3rd base not outfield. ruf is going to the minors. mayberry and nix may platoon.
the job is browns i guarantee it
Delmon Young.
oh yea forgot about that guy. duh
Don’t forget unlike trout and Harper, who were essentially baseball players out of the womb, brown was a multi sport, very talented athlete, I believe he passed on a football scholly, and doesn’t have nearly the reps these other guys had, maybe we are finally seeing him where he’s finally comfortable, confident, if he can put up 25 hrs, that would be huge, that’s where he’s projecting right now if not more
Great point Jake, if he had Mayberry’s baseball upbringing I think he would already be established but you can tell he really doesn’t have natural baseball instincts.
what so called skills did this guy have give me a break he couldnt even catch a friggin ball! Lets just wait for the real baseball to start.Have a cigar you talk like a strapper “once in a generation”Players like him are out you just have to have the right personnel to evaluate them, something we been lacking for long time Arbuckle was last good scout phillies had
Guys like trout don’t come along and produce at that age… Doesn’t happen…we are fortunate as fans to have Harper and trout so young and so good at the same time. If their development continues we are looking at mays Aaron type of era,
DonP, could it hurt, to throw in a few more punctuation marks in your posts. WTF, it’s like reading a 5 year old’s ramblings!
Domonic Brown isn’t setting anybody up for anything…This talk is all just fodder for media.
Any player, whether Brown, Trout or Joe Blowski, needs at least a full season of playing to make any judgement…By the luck of the draw, many very talented players don’t get this chance and are thrown into the dustbin of baseball history.
It looks like Brown will get is shot this year, both out of necessity and because of his strong showing this spring…I am pulling for him, but expect no miracles, just a player who is more consistent with the bat, and can get some key hits, rather than a Lance Nix or a John Mayberry, and hopefully protect Ryan Howard.
Kind of looks like Amaro panicked with the Hunter Pence deal, in hindsight…But hindsight is 20/20, and Amaro loves that ‘big blow at high dough’.
This will be a very interesting year, but if things go south, don’t be surprised to see Amaro pull the plug on Charlie.
Charlie might have to win it all the be the coach next year but they shouldn’t fire him. He won the World Series. Let him finish with dignity. Removing Charlie should be a Dave Montgomery decision because it will not be popular if Amaro delivers the news to the fans.
eagles0superbowls
March 21, 2013 – 8:06 pm
“Charlie might have to win it all the be the coach next year but they shouldn’t fire him. He won the World Series. Let him finish with dignity. Removing Charlie should be a Dave Montgomery decision because it will not be popular if Amaro delivers the news to the fans.”
Yeah, you might be right.
Let’s hope they have better luck than last year, at least make the wild card.
Dignity is sorely lacking in the sports world.
Don p you sound like a strapper, Dom brown is the best slugging prospect since Howard, he’s unrefined, give him a chance, he will be special, have you ever caught a fly ball you jackass , it’s not easy to a player like brown who has not had the reps like the players he’s compared to, I am hoping and predicting a big year for my new favorite Phillie dom brown
This will be Charlie Manuel’s final Season as Phils Manager as it should be,
Regardless of how they finish..
Doc, Utley also, it will be time for a new look, more energy and a new leader in the Clubhouse (hopefully Ryan Sandberg will be the next Manager)
How is that Revere / Worley trade looking this spring? Is Worley playing well for the Twins in spring training? When I heard this weekend that Halliday’s fastball was not a 90 mph pick anymore, I thought why did they trade Vance Worley then.
have to give something to get something. revere is going to be a staple in cf for a long time, will take over leadoff spot and play great D.
revere/worley trade is favoring the phils at the moment:
revere batting .313, 5 sb, 5 doubles, 11 runs and just a ballhawking defender
worley 6.00 ERA with a disgusting 1.83 WHIP but only 12 innings pitched
not to mention worley was hanging by a thread and always teetered on the edge of disaster especially last year where hitters hit .296 off him and his whip was over 1.5.
worley is just a body imo and aside from the way he wears his baseball hat and his fired up demeanor he was and is easily replaceable. he is a career #4pitcher at best
i guess we couldve gave victorino 13 million a year and kept vance though (sarcasm)
with the free agent market this year and the prices i was kind of glad they didn’t get one of those stop gap 34-35 year olds for 3 years and 40 mill
Brown, Rever, Howard and under the radar pick-up Y Betta court have all had excellent Springs.. I think Bettancourt makes the Roster and can
Play SS, 2B & 3B and has more pop in his Bat than Galvis does
He can even play AoF if in a pinch or injuries occur, very versatile play
If Howard needs a day off, slide M Young to 1B, and Bettencourt to
3B, give Utley 1 day a week off and play Bettencourt at 2B, give Rollins a day off and play Bettancourt at SS..
Hmmm and Fraudman per claimed them old and over the hill… What a dope
Howard is primed for a Monster Season,
Utley, Doc and even J-Ro I am not so sure about and Phils will have a tough road without these 3 Veterans having at least decent Seasons
jeesh show some respect its jroll
Same difference, but the 3 Players I mentioned (Doc,Utley,J-Roll)
Need to play at least 85-90% of their Career Averages for the Phils
To be in the hunt.. J-Roll has been pretty consistent and will have his usual
.260-.270 BA with 15 HR’s and 50 RBI’s and play well in the Field I believe
But Utkey and Doc I am not so sure about as old age,injuries
Have caught up to them, maybe they can bounce back and play near their Career Averages but it’s not likely I am afraid..
doc got lit up in a triple a game yesterday.
I think Doc is at the end of the line, he’s thrown a lot of Pitch’s over the Years and has been a great Pitcher over a long time, he’s probably a 4/5
Pitcher at this stage and may struggle to get 10 Wins with an ERA
Of 4.00 + and give the Phils 5 Innings at best.. They should shut him down and let him work out and regain his strength if it’s even possible, but no way do I have him on the Opening Roster, place on 60 Day DL and hope for a solid return in June
Is Kyle Loshe still out there?? A quality Starter who may be Pricey
But Phils will need a decent Right Hand Starter to complement
Hamels/Lee/Lannan if they want to contend
Paul, noway to Loshe! His agent is scumbag Boras, & we would lose our 1st round pick next year, if we do sign him! Booben dropped the soap this off-season! He should have kept his young pitchers, rebuilt, & traded Lee to the Rangers, when rumors were out there, that they wanted him! But, again, Booben is trying to pull the wool over the fan bases eyes, that they have a chance to win! It’s BS! We have NO shot to overtake Washington, Atl, Cincinatti, SF, LA, for playoff spots!
I said it many times before, & I’m going to say it again, “If Booben truly wanted to go all in, for a legit WS run, he needed to bring in a couple of studs at all costs, not do patchwork moves, with band-aids & duct tape, & bubble gum! This is a throw away year, with ZERO hope at the playoffs, let alone a WS!GTFO!
Keep waving the pom-poms, Kool-aid drinkers! This team should have been rebuilt in the off-season, not put together by more band-aids, & duct tape! If any of you goofballs, are happy with an outfield of Revere, who can’t even steal a Spring training base, Mayberry, Inciarte, Nix, Fat boy Young, & Every bodies darling Dom Brown, be ready for a rude awakening! I don’t give a rats @$$ if Brown is hitting .800 in spring training! It means ABSOLUTELY ZILCH! He’s still the overrated, prima donna, done nothing, that he’s always been. Halladay is toast, our 4th & 5th starters are trash, Utley, & Young are at the end of the line, & our defense, all over the field is horrific! The positives we do have, are our bullpen, Hamels & the apparent health & resurgence of Howard! I have ZERO confidence, nor faith in this team, otherwise! They needed to blow this team up in the off-season, & not hang onto foolish hopes, of making another bogus, fraudulent, run, at an insurmountable task of winning a WS! It’s stupid thinking, from an ill-advised, over-matched, reactive, moronic GM, that should be FIRED! I don’t think there is 1 GM in this city right now, that deserves his job! NOT A 1!!!! I hope I’m wrong about the Phils, because, I just got back from ST last week, & bought a 10 game tickets, & am looking for some Summer fun, but I’m not optimistic about this squad!
These are the type of articles and feedback that come up that cause national sports journalists to label Philadelphia sports fans and the Philly sports media racist. It seems like a lot of people just want to run Dominic Brown out of town, while he’s lighting it up, before he’s even had an opportunity to start for a couple of seasons…Only in Philly.
Do I necessarily think it’s racist view?…not yet but it’s clearly an eyebrow raiser for anyone that’s not too chickensh… to call a spade a spade.
All of the non-injury related setbacks Brown has had have clearly been a direct result of decisions that were made to play him out of position, force him to re-learn how to bat at in-opportune times…basically when he was trying to win a starting job versus in the minor leagues where those things are supposed to get started. Even after doing the things the team requested they placed no confidence in him to play through the curves they threw at him and they decided to play games with his playing time. You should be glad he’s not demanding a trade now that he has the starting job.
There’s no article basically calling Chase Utley a Spring training fraud even though he’s been stealing money for the last few years as a defacto standard “Everyday Starter”, there’s no questioning Freddie Galvis as Utley’s heir apparent even though his only major league success was when he was on performance enhancing drugs. There’s no questioning of Fransden or Galvis as the potential 3rd basemen with the question marks they both have. There’s no article on “Doc” potentially being done and possibly getting smoked all season long.
In spite of all of the potential negative stories that could be written on legitimate team issues/questions there just must be an article hinting at the possibility of Spring training mirage for a player that’s been labeled as an eventual bonofide “STAR” for the last couple of years hasn’t been given an opportunity start when healthy yet?
I have to see how often other team issues/player problems are glazed over, or not, in favor of bashing a minority that’s doing well to get a better idea whether the early bashing of Brown is biased or unbiased.
Huh? There have been articles here, there and everywhere about docs issues, about utleys health and hiding it from the brass! Racist? Wtf are you talking about? Galvis isnt utleys heir apparent he is Jimmy’s replacement.
D Brown was a number one prospect who they thought was going to be a fixture in right field starting two years ago… There is no racism here… He didn’t perform…. Hopefully he turns it on and becomes the man
Leave it to one of the borderline Racists, to bring up the race card, for no reason! Halladay, has received nothing but worry, & concern, for a whole year now! Convenient! Big difference between the two, one is a future HOF & the other is a hasn’t done $#!T, borderline bust! Let’s see what he does in the regular season, before you start touting him as the next Willie Mays! Also, if you were referring to me, as one of the “RACIST” fans, you are ill-informed, clueless & baseless! I’m Black. Cherokee & Italian, so there ain’t no Racial bias in me BRUH, I rip everyone, all of the time, accordingly. Criticism is criticism, not Racism! Pot calling the kettle black, my man, because the first one that cries that $#!T is the guilty one. Just saying…. Maybe I’m wrong.
BTW, I’ve been ripping Brown for 3 years now, so his bogus Spring Training stats, have no bearing!
“Halladay is toast, our 4th & 5th starters are trash, Utley, & Young are at the end of the line, & our defense, all over the field is horrific!”
My quotes! Does that mean I don’t like white people either?!? Just saying…… Read, & pick out, the certain quotes, that fit your need & agenda, huh! GOTCHA!
Butch, you are stuck in the 60s with this suggestion phillies fans are jaded by color, it’s time for you to get current, the Philllies would love to have a breakout season for brown, and so would the fans, for different and the same reasons
and dcar indeed would rip anybody, just ask him