Brown optioned to triple-A
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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.
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Hopefully the Minor League department will assign the outfield and base running coordinators to work overtime with Mr. Brown. His fundamentals must improve significantly to earn the left field job next year. For example last night, except for a miss call by the ump, he would have been pick off first base.— Dull- Perfect move. Nice job Phils.— HorshamGuy
- Good. Dominic needs to play everyday and learn to field better. The disaster in right against the Giants shows how much he needs to learn. It's bad enough that last year's miscue by Ibanez cost us against the Giants. To have two iffy outfielders .... Mayberry can be trade bait or use Mayberry/Brown on platoon basis in left next year. You need a backup for Victorino.— VANDERGRAAFK
- No worries. Dom will be back and better than ever.— Philly.Tru
- I hope the haters don't run Dom Brown out of town...all you bandwagon fans that just picked up on the phils when they started winning dont understand that it takes time to develop at the major league level...even ROY stats are rarely overwhelming. i saw brown cream some pitches up here...he will be good, and he has the speed and covers the ground to be a great outfielder.— ThinkTwice
- I really don't understand the continued Ibanez-bashing. He is the consummate professional/team player and quietly putting up respectable numbers for a 38 yr. veteran. And...I bet if you poled the 30 MLB GMs around the league regarding his 3yr deal with the Phillies, 80% or better would say the team received good value. I also think he's poised for strong finish and playoff performance before we REAL Phillies' fans bid him a found (and grateful) adieu this winter. IMHO— dri_as_a_bone
- Agree dri... Ibanez has contributed big time and has been instrumental in so many of the Philly wins. Fans have a short memory. I guess your only as good (or bad) as your last batting slump. He has always been one of my favorite Phillies because he, as you state, the consummate ballplayer. A player favorite and should be every fan favorite also. He and chooch are major contributors to this team in more than stats.
— dogman5 - If Domonic has to "learn" how to play left field, is Lehigh Valley the right place for him? Maybe, he'd be better off down in Clearwater where he can get better one on one training for both "O" and "D".— MFinSC
- Brown's subtle progress at the plate -- he has the highest walk percentage and sees the most pitches per plate appearance on the team, impressive for a rookie -- has been obscured by his bungles in the field and on the bases. I believe those mistakes have gotten worse, and that, I feel, stems from a loss of confidence. So yes, he's gotta get in time in left field. But he's gotta regain his confidence. Cause he's coming back in September and we'll need a more self-assured Brown for a few key moments in October...— PhilaLogic
Comment removed.- Yea, release the guy who is leading the team in RBIs in July. Brilliant strategy! — rudeman
- Greg luzinski, Lonnie smith, Pete incaviglia, greg jefferies, Raul ibanez...left field is where this kid belongs..or, believe it or not,, center, where you can see the ball of the bat better.— bobcitydoc
- In the month of July, Brown had a .296 BA, had the 2nd highest OBP., walked the most (12) and saw the most pitches per plate appearance. For a team that needs patience (as many of the fans point out), this guy was one of the best for the month. He will play everyday in Left, learning a new position and get (hopefully) get some kinks worked out. He will be back in September (or maybe Aug 31 to be added to post-season roster) and should be a nice bat off the bench during the playoffs.— ESFjellin
- Jeez, The kid was dominating the minors and was bought up because of injuries. He will learn his new position and should be a bright part of an All Star outfield. He wasn't terrible and he is still young. Finally, PLEASE don't run Raul out of town on a rail. He has been a good part of this team and is a true professional representative of the Phillies— charladan
