Brown: 'I'm coming to win a job'
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Brown: 'I'm coming to win a job'
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
(Yong Kim/Staff file photo)
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Domonic Brown lives here now. He wanted a winter away from baseball to regain his confidence, but Brown still found himself at the Phillies' complex often.
He worked with Steve Henderson, the Phillies' minor-league outfield instructor. He struck a relationship with Gary Sheffield, who played 22 seasons and hit 509 home runs. He shaved most of his head and now proudly sports a faux-hawk.
Brown is 24. He was untouchable in trades for Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. His path to the majors as the franchise's top prospect was not as planned.
There is still plenty of time.
"I'm not at peace if I start at triple A," Brown said Tuesday morning. "I'm coming to win a job. I'm fighting to win a job here. If I start at triple A, I start at triple A."
A winter of anonymity has resulted in a restoration of that confidence so tested in 2011. Brown endured a hitless spring until he fractured the hamate bone in his right hand. He was promoted, demoted and then booed in triple A when he dropped fly balls and looked generally disinterested.
"I had to wake up," Brown said. "You just can't turn the switch off an on like that. You just can't do it in this game. You have to stay upbeat every day."
Brown is a definitive long shot to make the Phillies out of camp, but if he blows the decision-makers away, they will have to at least think about him.
"Spring is a good time to dream a little bit," Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "It's important for Domonic to show us what he's got."
Brown is thinking the same way. He heard Amaro's statements all winter that Brown would be best served spending another season at triple A.
That's nothing new, he said.
"I've been hearing that stuff for two or three years now," Brown said. "It don't really matter. I believe if you play hard and do things the right way, great things are going to happen for you. If you think great, you're going to be great. We'll see what happens."
So Brown sought others to help him regain his path. Sheffield, one of the finest hitters in the steroid era, was one. They met this winter at Sheffield's hitting facility in the Tampa, Fla., area. They've talked a lot of hitting.
"He opened his arms to me," Brown said. "We've been close ever since."
Hunter Pence was a workout partner recently in Clearwater. Jason Heyward, a friend of Brown's, experienced failure in his second major-league season with the Braves. They talked, too.
What was the consensus?
"There's going to be struggles, man," Brown said. "It's how you deal with it."
The Phillies are eagerly awaiting to see how Brown deals with it.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Comments (81)
Brown had a higher OPS last year than Ibanez. We must be careful not to confuse a lack of realizing his potential yet with a lack of quality generally.— Bobby G- Brown is only 24. If his talent comes to surface and Utley regains some of form Phills can change from decent hitting team to a good one. With many Phills figuring to have no more than 2-3 years at top level emergence of his talent important to teams continued success.— Don w
- Don w, with Brown as he was, and Utley as he was last year, once Utley returned they were the highest-scoring team in the league.
I like Brown's attitude.— schmenkman - Brown could bea big surprise this spring if he comesin and tears the covering off the ball. But most likely he will beat triple - A getting his AB Which he needs if he isn't astarter for the big club. I still am onewho believesa full year in the minors at Tripple - A will give Brown the AB he needs to stay on the ball and come late August he should be up with the PHILLIES getting some playing time— srcdaddy1216
- "Sheffield, one of the finest hitters in the steroid era......" Wow, had to bring steroids into it, huh? Tell us how you REALLY feel about Sheffield!!
— jttripper - Why don't baseball writers have the guts to call it what it is? It's not the steroid era, it's the Selig era. And soon they'll vote that guy into the HOF while keeping real Hall of Famers out, sad.
— 51phils 
Comment removed.- OhOkay, at 24 both Utley and Howard spent most of the year in the minors, i.e. they were minor leaguers according to your definition. Did they eventually have some OK years?— schmenkman
- I can't wait for this guy to prove the skeptics wrong and become a fixture in the middle of the order. I truly expect great things from Dom in the near future.— The Pack Leader
- I hope you don't have to be anywhere soon. — jman
- It's all about production, whether you're 24 or 34; talk is cheap! Produce or don't produce is the challenge every professional athlete faces each day; some embrace that challenge, others pay it lip service. We'll see.— JBinPA
- JBinPA, absolutely.
And at age 23 last year, Brown already hit as well as the average major league left fielder:
Avg MLB LF: .256/.320/.409 (.729 OPS, overall hitting stat wOBA at .320)
Dom Brown : .245/.333/.391 (.724 OPS, wOBA at .322)
We expect more than average, but for age 23 as a hitter he was right where he should be, and he should from there.
Defense is what he needs to improve on most, and he's athletic enough that there's no reason why he shouldn't at least be passable, in the long and rich Phillies tradition of Luzinski, Burrell, and Ibanez.
— schmenkman - The only thing is, he hasn't shown he can PLAY leftfield..To boot, average will not get it done for the 2012 Phillies. — bearsfriend
- What's with guys who can supposedly play right field but not left field? Left is where they put the stiffs (Burrell, Luzinski, George Foster, etc) who can't run or throw. If you can't play there, how is it they can play RF? — jman
- He's the worst fielder in baseball. Every ball hit to him was an adventurer. His only hope is to make it as a DH somewhere.— farley
- He's the 21st-century Lonnie Smith. — jman
- I witnessed his disinterest at AAA last season. He loafed so much that Ryno, a pro-player manager benched him for most of last two/three weeks when 'pigs were in contention. Also, Sheff has a long history of problems with managers at lots of locales. Not sure this combo is a positive step. IF he makes the big club I will be surprised. If he is sent back to AAA he has fences to mend.
— NewMick314 - Agreed, while every young player goes through development issues once they get to the bigs,but Brown wasn't "right" back at AAA upon his demotion, one to give him a chance at a new position...If he would have grasped the opportunity, the Phillies probably don't go out and sign Nix to hit against many righthanded pitchers. — bearsfriend
- Utley and Howard were blocked by Polanco and Thome and when given a chance (Polanco being traded and Thome's injury) they took advantage and the rest is history. Brown was given the keys to RF last year, had a cup of coffee the year before and was part of the playoff roster in 2010. So that's not a fair comparison. Can Brown develop into a good player? Of course. But Howard and Utley were more advanced, you can argue. That being said, there are some similarities. Utley's development was put a little bit on hold when the Phillies try to convert him into a 3B. They also experimented with Howard in the OF, although he never played a game as an outfielder.— EL Zorro
- Get 'em Dom!— DennyP
- To properly balance the Phillies lineup, a productive right handed Mayberry makes the most sense in left field for us. Brown gives us a great option at either corner outfield spot in case of injury or slump right now. My hope is the Phillies start out with Mayberry in left and use a platoon of Wigginton and Thome at 1st until Howard is ready. Nix and Juan Pierre should be the reserves in the outfield. Brown should start in AAA and play every day to begin the season. If Brown looks great and Mayberry is hitting well with power, the Phillies could decide to not keep Pence after this year since he is on a 1 year deal. To resign Pence, could cost big bucks and the Phillies need money for Hamels and probably a new 3rd baseman for next year.— bradco
- Logical thinking, as that would be most cost effective...But if Pence continues his stellar play as a Phillie, and popularity continues to grow for him, that's a decision RAJ will rue...Mayberry and Victorino's prodution will facor in heavily..I still think he's trade bait. — bearsfriend
- In the end, its up to Dom Brown to put forth the effort. Ryan Howard didn't make it to the bigs until he was older (and ONLY after Jim Thome was injured). Age is not the factor (unless you talk to his agent Scott Boris). When he is ready (able to hit consistantly and play above average defense), he will be a Philadelphia Phillie. Nothing will be handed to him on a plate. Many a "can't miss prospect" do in fact "miss". Watching him last season was upsetting in that it seemed like he actually regressed. He has potential, lots of it, but HE has to work hard and not take anything for granted. Also, with Scott Boris as his agent, RAJ will NOT just bring him up to ride the pine, putting the clock into motion for becoming arbitration eligible. Remember, not only is it baseball, but with Boris as his agent (which by the way, Dom Brown selected) it is a business too.— drhoffman
- Best of luck to him, like his attitude. Hope he makes it and platoons with Mayberry.— Sidewinder7
- A candid remark from a former Phils' minor league manager is that Dom B's makeup is less than what they're looking for in a successful big league player.— dasher
- It appears that the "can't miss" luster has worn off of Brown, which is good, because he's played like he's had it made and didn't hustle like a pro should. Amaro laid it straight out for him - Domonic needs to show us what he's got - which is also good. He's thrown down the gauntlet to the kids and now we'll see if Brown has the fire in his belly to do whatever it takes to prove that he's worthy of the faith the Phillies have shown him. He needs to do two things, one of which you shouldn't to tell a guy at this level. First, he needs to get his head into the game. Know the situation and what he should do, both when on base and also when playing the OF. Two, and most importantly, he needs to shorten that long, looping swing of his, which is tailor made for striking out and popping up. You can't get away with that swing in the bigs. Major league pitchers are too good. If Brown doesn't do this, I don't see how he'll ever live up to his hype.— RightSaidJeff
- Pence is a star of the future.— philsfansince1946
- The last thing the Phillies wanted to hear was for Brown to be associated with a perennial malcontent and suspected steroid user, after his struggles of the last year and a half. A more humble Brown would have been also more refreshing. Don't like his attitude at all after the chances he was giving and not taken advantage of it.— EL Zorro
- And wasn't Brown taking advice from Barry Bonds during his 1st season? Bonds; Sheffield; Boras; RAJ has already punched Dom's ticket to Washington. — jman
- If Brown could open some eyes he could grab a lot of time in LF and allow us to play J May at first until Howard gets back, allowing us to use Wiggington less at first and more spelling Utley and Polly to keep them fresh.— hillbillybirdsfan
- I was ok with his offence because I know that will come along. What is frightening is that he looks like Darrel Strawberry when he runs in the field, but his decision making leaves him with Pat Burrel-like results.— KINGOFZED
- This comment has been deleted.— dragoon6
- "Two, and most importantly, he needs to shorten that long, looping swing of his, which is tailor made for striking out and popping up. You can't get away with that swing in the bigs. Major league pitchers are too good. If Brown doesn't do this, I don't see how he'll ever live up to his hype. — RightSaidJeff"
---
And yet, he didn't pop out a lot last year. And he struck out 16.7% of the time, which was less than Mayberry (18.6%) and Ibanez (18.4%), and slighly more than Pence (16.1%).
— schmenkman - Ken Griffey Jr. had a long looping swing and last I checked he turned out ok. — oldfriar
- Another dope who thinks it's clever to use "last time I checked" in their trite response. — jman
- Bradco, not enough fiber this morning? Get rid of a dynamic player like Pence. Not a chance !!Use some of that comcast cash to sign him &Cole to 3 or 4 year deals and put Galvis on 3rd next season.— 43 phils
- Brown hits like Ricky Jordan, plays the field like Lonnie Smith and is as coordinated as Manute Bol. But there's still time for him to get it together. I hope it works out because the Phillies could use younger, cheaper talent who have an upside.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- Jttripper - I'll tell you how I feel about Sheffield: HE CHEATED!!!— dwp66
- Dom is goin nowhere but the minors till he gets rid of that agent— SyddBarrett
- Has Boras declared him to be a "special player" yet? — jman
- Making the team and sitting on the bench is the worst thing that could happen. With a good year at triple A at the plate and improvement in the field, he should be ready to help the team in August, and then, hopefully take off from there.— altoonaaslan
- Making the team and sitting on the bench is the worst thing that could happen. With a good year at triple A at the plate and improvement in the field, he should be ready to help the team in August, and then, hopefully take off from there.— altoonaaslan
- Comment removed.
- If he doesn't make the team in the Spring then it's time to include him in a trade for a right handed hitter during the season, it's be awesome if it was a 3rd baseman - even a rental. Dom's had more chances than most with his hype and he could just be a player who can't make the jump to the majors, the B Ball history books are loaded with guys with insane minor league numbers that can't play in the majors— dunnkirk
- Only job he's going to have is the bench John Mayberry way better than Dom Brown— douglasrdd
- Everyone needs to relax. They expect our prospects to be Hank Aaron on Day 1.— Nova
- Nova, Brown isn't even a good triple-A player. — jman
- can't believe they're even contemplating sending brown to AAA. he needs to be on the big squad. and he needs to see the majority of playing time in LF. he should have never been sent down last summer. he wasn't doing nearly as bad as people seem to remember if you look at the #'s. its time for him to be handed the job. it should be his to lose at this point.— Ryan
- It's not like he completely crapped the bed last year. Given his ceiling and expectations, people expect more. So essentially, he should accept more from himself. "The worst thing in life is wasted talent."— beegal99
- Does anyone remember Larry Hisle? Phils gave up on him too soon and he routinely blasted 35 plus homers and 100 plus RBI's. Give the kid a chance!!— DrStrangeglove
- I'm guessing that by "routinely", you actually meant never. Larry Hisle never hit 35 home runs in a season. I would bet he reached 100 RBI's once, maybe twice. — CornerPretzelGuy
- Remember Bobby Abreu had all the defense measurables - could run like the wind and had a cannon arm but had minimal baseball IQ - He admitted as much deferring to a high IQ Aaron Rowand - it's why he never made it in Chicago or here.— robinlupe
- robinlupe, 1) Abreu never played in Chicago, and 2) he has his supporters for the Hall of Fame (and it's not that crazy of a notion), so if that's the kind of career Brown can aspire to, that's not too bad.— schmenkman
- Let the kid play a whole year in the minors. He needs it. BAD!!! Once they let him learn a bit, the pay off down the road will be many years of major league success. He's got the tools, let him learn how to use them.— jr1165
- Ryan that is priceless and too funny— tobyjoe
- Show me.......Haven't seen it yet!— Lynnwood
- "I coming to win a job." That's exactly what I would want to hear. Anything less and I would have serious doubts about his heart. As it is, I wish the kid luck, for his sake and for the Phillies future.— Dragon13
- Presuming he starts the season at AAA, the key will be how he responds to that. If he's demoralized and plays flat, that would be a great disappointment. If he accepts the likely assigning to Lehigh Valley and plays hard, that'd be very positive.
— eman - DomBrown has the tools and the talent. He just needs to put it together. Some players get it earlier, some figure it out later. Look at Cliff Lee. Just continue working hard. You'll be in red pinstripes soon enough.— Apollo Creed
- What Brown is going to have to deal with is what's going on between his ears. Going out on a major league baseball field and hitting a round ball with a round bat is the hardest thing to do in sports. It's easy to lose confidence and extremely hard to get it back. He has to clear his mind of everything, except hitting the ball.— Ron
- This guy was touted as the "second coming of Christ" (next to Obama). Too much pressure on the poor guy to produce. He is a "diamond in the rough", potential to be determined. (unlike Obama).— dogman5
- Comment removed.
- BTW, the Phillies asked Brown to clear his mind this winter, to stay away from baseball and relax. Instead, he decided to train with one of the most controversial players of the last 20 years or so. (Way to follow instructions, Brown) A guy who said in HBO's Real Sports that Joe Torre treated blacks different than whites, that Jeter was not "all the way black'' and also was quoted in a GQ Magazine interview that the reason there are more Latin baseball players than black players was because Latinos are easier to control. I wonder what advise he gave young Domonic Brown.— EL Zorro
- Zorro, I bet he urged Brown to join a satanic cult and kill puppies!— schmenkman
- its funny to think how many of you would have gave up on Halladay early in his career when he had success at 1st then struggled enough to get sent down to Single A. how did that turn out?— mooney
- Dogman, take a long timeout and wash your sheet & hood— NewMick314
For a "best minor leaguer," Brown has been all hype and all choke so far in th bigs. He looks lost at the plate and shaky in the field. Hope the Phils can get something for him.- Schmeckman, go back a repost the same stuff you keep posting (the Phillies offense was the best since Utley returned in May..., Jimmy Rollins was the best SS last season, etc., etc., etc...) because being funny or sarcastic is not one of you best attribute. Bottom line, the kid keeps messing up when he has been treated like gold by this organization. He had a bad attitude when he was sent down last year and told to learn a new position and kind of disobey an order this winter. If that's ok with you, you have some obvious issues.— EL Zorro
- the 11th best or whatever SS last season... Bottom line, bring something new to the table and stop being a cheer leader.— EL Zorro
- If sheffield did say some of those things he is probably telling the truth...it is so-called whites in this country that implemented "racism here and benefited from it to this very day are the ones who can't deal with it being exposed, brown is from the south(florida/georgia)he knows what racism is he did not have to hear about it from sheffield.— only 9
- Zorro...I can't agree with you more...Dom Brown can and should compete in Spring Training and show the brass where he's at physically and mentally. Barring injury, he's got to know he's ticketed for AAA to continue to learn the nuances of leftfield as well as put up the numbers he's capable of. The silver platter is gone, as well as his mystique. He's now just a talented player who has to bust it like everyone else. Let's hope for the best.— bearsfriend
- Yeah, he was telling the truth Only, like when he said he never used steroids and then had to admitted and was mentioned in the Mitchell Report. So the reason there are less black players in baseball than Hispanics is because the whites controlling baseball can't control black players? Brilliant:
“What I said is that you’re going to see more black faces, but there ain’t no English going to be coming out. ... (It’s about) being able to tell (Latin players) what to do — being able to control them,” he told the magazine. “Where I’m from, you can’t control us.” He went on to elaborate, "They have more to lose than we do. You can send them back across the island. You can’t send us back. We’re already here.” BTW, that sounded racist to me. The last time I checked, you go to baseball fields all over the East Coast and you see a lot of Dominican players that never made it to the show playing either semi pro baseball or softball. Obviously they were not sent back.— EL Zorro - "BTW, the Phillies asked Brown to clear his mind this winter, to stay away from baseball and relax. Instead, he decided to train with one of the most controversial players of the last 20 years or so. (Way to follow instructions, Brown)"
---
Zorro, I remember they told him not to play Fall or Winter ball. Did they really mean he wasn't supposed to work out either until Spring Training? I find that hard to believe.
And why are you so concerned about Sheffield? Do you really think he's going to get brainwashed to the point that -- what? I don't even know what you're afraid of.— schmenkman - Guy's talking a good game. Time he started playing it.— Boru
- Sheffield also was one of finest hitters ever to use steroids in the steroid era.— PhightinPhil
Hope the skills meet the head...- I couldn't wait to see Brown when he first came up. After seeing him play, I'm thinking, what Idiot pegged this guy as a 5 tool player. He's fast and has power and that's it. He has zero baseball instincts when it comes to Defense. He could play 5 more years at Triple A and still not be the complete player the Philly Brass said he was. Have to laugh, commentators now refer to him as the "Former Phenom".— younged
- Based on last season, he may not even make the starting 8 with the Iron Pigs.— jman
- Boras is his agent?
Werth
Madson
Bye bye, Dom!— jman - Yes, I remember Hisle, but he actually had a good season or 2 before he slumped. Brown has yet to do even that.— jman
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