Brown optioned to triple-A
The addition of Hunter Pence means a new team and position for top prospect Domonic Brown.
Brown optioned to triple-A
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The addition of Hunter Pence means a new team and position for top prospect Domonic Brown.
Brown is a Lehigh Valley IronPig, having been optioned by the Phillies to make space for Pence. He's also now a left fielder, the place where his immediate future in this organization lies.
Ruben Amaro Jr. said he views Pence as a right fielder, meaning Brown must switch sides of the field in preparation for 2012. Raul Ibanez is a free agent. The Phillies outfield will be Brown, Shane Victorino and Pence -- barring injury, of course.
It will be among the top outfields in the National League, if everything goes according to plan. That plan involves Brown improving his defensive abilities.
Offensively, Brown's .782 OPS is superior to Ibanez's numbers. But it's clear Charlie Manuel has little confidence currently in his 23-year-old outfielder.
It's not that Brown cannot be a good defender because numerous talent evaluators think he has enough athleticism and desire to improve. Learning on the job during a pennant race for a team with championship aspirations was not perferable. More than a few Phillies people were most disappointed at Brown's tentativeness in the field. The only thing to cure that is success, and the hope is that happens in the minors.
The International League season ends Sept. 5 and the IronPigs have a shot at postseason play. Brown will be back once rosters expand in September, with the hopes that a month of regular at-bats in the minors has restored confidence.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for easy access to all of our Phillies coverage, plus app-exclusive videos and analysis. Get it here.
Agree that Raul has come back from the major slump he had in the spring to put up respectable numbers. He will never be fast, he is not a great fielder, but he gives 110%, runs out everything, and has the experience of being in the playoff cauldron for two year running.— OBLawyer- alot of you people sure are dumb— TooManyAdsOnThisSite
- Dom can get comfy in left, then spell/replace Raul in September and grab himself a ring if he treats this like an opportunity.— hillbillybirdsfan
- @thinktwice...you need more than speed to cover ground to be a good outfielder...the key is always making the right break on the ball once it's hit, understanding what stadium your playing in to see it properly, and take the right route to the ball...fielding balls rolling at you and using the proper body balance...as far as hitting..he has nothing to prove at the AAA level, but he has to lower his hands if he want to catch up to +90 mph fastballs...Face it, the guy will be 24 in September and has been in the system since high school...Although baseball was his "second" sport in HS, he's not such a babe in the woods. He has to pick it up...He'll be back I'm sure come September, and maybe he can recapture the swagger..But come spring, leftfield should be a competition between he and Mayberry.— bearsfriend
- He should be forced to shag fly balls all day, everyday. Stevie Wonder is a far better defensive player then this cat....— kelprod2
- I wonder what Eaul is thinking when he sees that Brown is being tutored in LF? It can't affect his performace this year b/c if he wants a DH contract in AL, he still needs to show he can hit. Also did any see how exhuated my name sake looked in the press confference?— RickAmaro
- Mayberry has shown some skills and needs to be given a shot. Just because he is 28 doesn't mean he can't contribute or have a long career here. How old was Werth when he started playing regularly?— mjc1
- Domonic Brown's best chance for regular playing time is with Camden Riversharks.— jimclements
- Maybe by showcasing JMJr for the rest of the year, RAJ can move him this winter for some middle infield prospects.— Pony
- How strange it is, seeing the Phillies do what I and many of the posters know, Brown is not a major league player, and never should have been brought up. He was offered to the Astros, and they turned him down. This latest move could spell goodbye for Brown should anyone ask about him. I wonder what Bill Conlin thinks now ?
Don't be surprised if he never plays LF for the Phillies.— phineas - you are a genious — coloradoeagle
- With Brown gone...that means 3 less K's, a dribler back to the pitcher
and a least one miscue in the outfield! nuf said— Lynnwood - Minors>some Winter Ball>Spring Training...Dom will be ready for left come March 2012. Go get em!
- Mayberry will be the 4th OF and may platoon with Brown. The fact that he can play all 3 positions but especially center make him valuable....Francisco will be cut / moved - etc.....— Northcountry
- If Dom don't know how to play the OF by now, what has he been doing the last 10 years. Look at Ryan he is only adequate at 1B but Dom is not adequate yet— Pony
